Pyramid Peak

Pyramid Peak and Pine Mountain #2, photo by Kathy Wing

Pyramid Peak and Pine Mountain #2, Photo by Kathy Wing.

Peak Name

Pyramid Peak

28J

Elevation

7035

feet

Status

active

Region

Desert Divide

Range

San Jacinto Mountains

Nearby peaks

Cone Peak, Palm View Peak, Pine Mountain #2, Lion Peak

Location

33.6528026,-116.5725165

Description

Once past Palm View and Cone, the Desert Divide continues its descent to reach Pyramid and its companions Pine and Lion along the Pacific Crest Trail. The San Jacinto high country seems more distant, and the Santa Rosa Mountains to the south nearer, with Lake Hemet to the west and tribal lands with the amazing Palm Canyon below to the east. Pyramid is usually hiked together with its neighbors Pine and Lion, or other peaks on the Desert Divide.

Route 1 starts from the Cedar Springs Trail near Morris Ranch and ascends to the PCT and a short distance off-trail to the peak.

Maps generated from CalTopo.com, reproduced with permission

Downloadable Maps, Files, and Guides

Route 1- Cedar Springs Trail

Elevation Gain

2000′

Navigation Difficulty

Easy

Distance

7 miles round trip on trail and cross-country

Estimated time

4-5 hours round trip

Route Rating

Class 2, moderate

Leader Rating Required

“I”, normal conditions

Driving route

Go south on I-215 to the Ramona Expressway. Turn left (east).
Go east and then southeast on the Ramona Expressway until it ends at SR 74. Turn left (east).
Go east on SR 74 to Mountain Center.
Continue east on SR 74 for 8.7 miles to Morris Ranch Road on the left at a fire station. Turn left.
Go north on Morris Ranch Road for 3.7 miles to an iron gate on the right with a sign “Cedar Springs Trail”. Park off the pavement near this spot.

Hiking route

From your parking spot, hike down the road to the trailhead (5430′).
Go through the gate. (There are several gates on this trail. Be sure to close each gate as you pass through it.) Immediately on the left is another gate. Ignore it. It is another access to the trail for equestrian riders in the area.
Continue up the road past a water tank to another gate. The trail turns left just before the gate.
Soon you come to another gate. Go through this gate. Here you leave the fences behind as this is the National Forest boundary.
Continue up the road as it becomes a trail and it begins to climb until you come to another gate. This is not a boundary but is part of a cattle drift fence. This keeps range cattle out of selected sections of the National Forest.
Continue up to a saddle at 6800′-. This is the junction of the Cedar Springs Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) on the Desert Divide.
Turn right on the PCT and follow it east and then south until you reach a saddle just southeast of Pyramid Peak. This is the turnoff for Pine Mountain #2 and Lion Peak.
From here hike up the ridge northwest to the summit following a use trail which stays mostly to the left side to avoid brush.

Route Notes

Printable Route