Agua Tibia Trip Report

Route: Dripping Springs Trail from the campground to the junction with Palomar Magee Trail. Then followed Palomar Magee Trail one mile to Agua Tibia Mountain. The last few hundred feet were an off-trail bushwhack through thick bushes and chaparelle.

Pre-Climb: I made this trip with my Dad and my friend Cliff. We had been planning to do this hike for a little while. Originally we had planned to do Eagle Crag (5,077) which is a few hundred feet higher and a few miles further.

The night before we all crashed at my Dads and got up at around 4:45 A.M. The drive to Temecula was nice even though it was through thick fog. We made good time and arrived at the trailhead sometime around 6:30 A.M. The sun was already starting to come up over the Santa Rosa Mountains to the east.

The Climb: The trailhead was a little chilly to our surprise after us Southern Californians had been spoiled by the recent warm temperatures. I had on my sweatshirt so it wasn�t really a problem for me.

The campground was closed and apparently it�s always closed from March through May because an endangered species of toad called the Arroyo Toad lives there. A big-heavy iron gate prevented access to the campground, but a sign by the gate makes it clear that hikers are allowed.

Its about � mile to the edge of the campground. Through the trees around the campground the peaks around Agua Tibia Mountain can be seen. The summit itself is hidden behind. By this time, the sun was shining on the slopes.

The Agua Tibia Wilderness boundary is at the edge of the campground just passed the crossing of Arroyo Seco which is nothing more than wide sand-filled gully. The trail has fences lined up along the sides that ask hikers to stay on the trail. This must be where those toads are living at. It�s hard to believe that an aquatic animal like a toad lives there even though it is totally dry.

After crossing the wilderness boundary, the trail immediately leaves the trees and heads into the chaparelle which is composed of Manzanitas, Sugar Bushes and many other bushes. With the sun rising and shining directly on us, I took off my sweatshirt, leaving just a t-shirt on. The next 2 miles or so are mostly on an east-facing slope and totally exposed to the sun.

The trail climbs pretty quickly, with some switchbacks and finally reaches the eastern edge of the front ridge of Agua Tibia Mountain. We stopped here at a spot that was in the shade and looked out towards Vail Lake to the north with Mount San Gorgonio (11,502) and Mount San Jacinto (10,804) all snow-capped beyond. Temecula Valley to the west was still covered in fog. We could also see a few houses on the edge of Temecula that were taking in a Temecula tradition, going up in hot-air balloons.

The next 2 miles or so were pretty uneventful as the canyon narrows and the chaparelle gets taller and thicker. The chaparelle was so thick that we couldn�t really see anything during this time. The most notable thing over this stretch was the remnants of some of the giant Manzanita specimens. These are bushes with a smooth red wood that can grow to 25 feet tall with thick trunks and branches. Most of these bushes were burned in the Agua Tibia Fire of 2000, but there were still a few left. Some of the skeletons of the giants were still around.

Finally we get out of the thick bushes and sort of reach the top of a hill where we get a clear view of Agua Tibia Mountain (4,779) straight south, with Eagle Crag (5,077) and Palomar Mountain (6,140) further beyond to the southwest. The first thing I noticed was the trees that covered these mountains. After trudging through the chaparelle, seeing conifers was a welcome sight. But the trees were still another 2 miles away.

The trail crosses a little basin before beginning the accent up Agua Tibia. The next two miles went through some more chaparelle but we could see the Coulter Pines above. After several more switchbacks the trail finally passes a few trees. But the chaparelle still dominates the terrain. Once we got to about � mile from the junction with the Palomar Magee Trail, the bushes were really thick and overgrown. It was obvious that a trail crew had not been up there yet this year.

After leaving the bushes, the trail passes under the shade of a grove of Oak Trees, with soft green grass underneath. Somehow the Agua Tibia Fire managed to miss this little grove. We stopped here and realized that we really didn�t pack enough water to make it all the way Eagle Crag which is still 4 miles away. But we decided that we would attempt to do Agua Tibia Mountain, whose summit was just a mile a way. The junction with the Palomar Magee Trail is on the other side of the Oak grove marked with a sign. Since this junction is at a saddle, we could see a little bit to the south towards Fallbrook through the trees.

The next mile would be much more challenging than we expected. Not because of elevation, technical difficulty, or any other normal climbing challenge, but because of the thick overgrown bushes. And I mean thick. We had to duck under heavy overhanging plants, trudge through thorny and sticky plants, and ones with itchy leaves. Apparently this is a major tick area as well, but I wouldn�t see any. At one point we stopped and asked each other whether we should go on. It was pretty obvious that going all the way to Eagle Crag was out of the question, but I suggested that we try to make it up to Agua Tibia which was just a little further. So we continued along the trail and went into another little grove of Oaks and Coulter Pines where the bushes were even thicker than before. We went about 100 feet or further along the trail which was extremely hard to follow and we ran into a wall of bushes. That was it, there was no way we could continue along the trail, so we took off up the slope and tried to scramble up to the summit of Agua Tibia Mountain.

The bushes were still pretty thick but we managed to navigate our way to the summit, led by me of course. The summit is a fat top with a one live Coulter Pine and one giant pine that must have been killed in the Agua Tibia Fire. The funny thing was that the tree still had pine ones on it. There are two large boulders on the summit. We climbed up the highest one and sat up there for about two hours looking out, probably close to 10:30 A.M.

Despite all the �horrors� the views from the summit were so incredible that it was well worth it. The sky was so clear with no clouds or haze that we could see everything within about a 75 mile radius. The �big four� could be seen clearly with Santiago Peak (5,687) of the Santa Ana Mountains to the northwest, Mount Baldy (10,064) in the San Gabriel Mountains to the north, Mount San Gorgonio (11,502) in the San Bernardino Mountains to the east of Mount Baldy, and Mount San Jacinto (10,804) in the San Jacinto Mountains to the northeast. Not to mention we could see smaller mountains all around to the south and east. Massive Palomar Mountain (6,140), some 15 miles long, and the Santa Rosa Mountains could be seen to the east. Palomar Mountain is surprisingly covered in pine trees, much like the higher mountains to the north. The observatory was distinguishable with its massive white dome. What was cool was that we could see the ocean area to the southwest. We couldn�t see the water itself because of the marine-layer, but we could see the top of an island, San Clemente Island I believe. Vail Lake is another cool sight to the north. It was built by ranchers several decades ago but the current owner wants to turn it into a resort and build a thousand homes around it. In addition to the views, the weather was perfect. It was around 65 degrees on top with a slight breeze.

The trip back was a pain since we had to go back down through the brush but we stopped for awhile at the Oak Grove. Then we left the shade and hurried down the mountain at a quick pace. Once we got out of the few trees on Agua Tibia, we were exposed to the hot sun and hurried down to get out of it. A pair of hikers on the way up told us they had seen a rattlesnake so we had to watch out for that. Although it�s a little early for the snakes to come out, the weather had been so warm that they probably thought it was spring already. Anyways, we didn�t see any snakes on the way down, but I�m sure they�re out there.

After cruising down the mountain we made it back to the campground at 4 P.M. We were totally relieved as the sun was scorching on the way down. The temperature was in the low 80s but the rocks along the trail magnify the heat so much that the temperature on the trail can be as much as 15 degrees warmer than the air.

From the campground we went back down highway 79 to Temecula and stopped at an gas station to get a large coke as is our tradition.

Agua Tibia Thumbnails:

Looking east from the Dripping Springs Campground early in the morning

Looking northwest towards the Temecula Valley

Agua Tibia

Another shot of Agua Tibia-there are pine trees on the summit

Looking northwest towards Santiago Peak (5,687) from near summit

On top looking east towards Eagle Crag (5,077) and Palomar Mountain (6,140)

Another shot to northwest from summit, this pine tree survived fire

My dad and friend Cliff on top-looking southwest towards ocean but obstructed by marine layer

Vail Lake and San Bernardino Mountains in distance to North. Mt. San Gorgonio (11,502) in far distance

Mt San Jacinto (10,804) to the northeast

Palomar Mountain (6,140) to the east

Eagle Crag (5,077) to the east

An interesting pine tree on the summit, sort of resembling a Sugar Cone Pine

Me acting cool climbing the rock on the summit

About the Author

I am currently a student at University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), where I intend to get a degree in Political Science and Geography/Environmental Studies. When I'm not studying, you will find me in the mountains. I have been climbing since I was pretty little and have done climbs throughout California, Colorado and Arizona, including the highpoints of those states. I have done Mount Whitney and Mount Elbert, but I plan on doing some even higher mountains, maybe Aconcagua, Mount Mckinley or Kilimanjaro, Check back with me in about 10 years. Meanwhile you can check out some of the other trips reports:

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