Hiking in Idyllwild California and Enjoying the Spa Life…

We have certainly been taking advantage of this very nice Golden Palm Village RV resort in Hemet, California. Most afternoons have been spent playing pickleball and soaking in the hot tub afterward. In the mornings we stroll the large park and have taken advantage of the very exquisite fitness faculty. This has almost been like being on a min-vacation as the facilities  are definitely of that caliber.

However, we still needed a good hike and couldn’t find much nearby. We decided to take a 40 minute drive up to Idyllwild California in the San Bernardino National Forest. There are some excellent trails in the area many of which cover a lot of elevation. Since we were getting a late start we opted to hike the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail. This hike is rated as easy and scenic and is a 2.6 mile hike and 2.6 mile hike out.

The drive up to the trailhead was an experience in itself as the winding road to the hike climbs out of the desert to the forested mountains above. With all the twists and turns it took us longer to make it to the trailhead than expected. Once we arrived at the parking area for the trailhead at Humber Park we had climbed to an elevation of 6100 ft.

The trail description mentioned we would cross several streams and we could tell where they were, but they were all were dry at this time of year. The trail began by descending about 600 feet. and although the trail is rated easy some seniors might finds parts of it challenging. The coolest thing about this hike was the diversity of tree species we saw along the way. Some of my favorites were the Madrone trees with their shiny smooth red bark and the Coulter Pine known for its huge pine cones. These cones are so large they can become up to 11 pounds and are often referred to as widow makers.

We were running out of time before the end of the trail so we turned back a bit early but thoroughly enjoyed the hike in the forest. It is always nice to see green woodlands after spending time in the brown deserts. On the way back we drove around the quaint town of Idyllwild and then headed back home.

After a nice dinner made on the grill we had another soak in one of the three hot tubs in the pool complex where we reflected on the fun we have had on our psuedo vacation in Hemet….

NOTE: We are in Temecula California until the 1st of November staying at the Pechanga Casino RV Resort. We will be moving to Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego for the month of November.