Wild Lands & Rivers
North Fork San Jacinto
Size: 13.62 miles
Management Agency: San Bernardino National Forest
Location: Riverside County
Description:
The North Fork San Jacinto River and its tributary, Fuller Mill Creek, offer a unique opportunity to protect a Southern California river from its alpine source to the foothills. The North Fork watershed was identified by the Forest Service as an area of high ecological significance. It is home to the southern-most population of endangered Mountain yellow-legged frog. The river’s upper watershed and tributaries (including Fuller Mill Creek) also contain high quality mixed conifer and big cone Douglas-fir forest. This old growth forest habitat supports several sensitive species, including nesting pairs of California spotted owl, the southernmost population of rubber boa, and the San Bernardino flying squirrel.
The Pacific Crest Trail traverses the upper watershed of the North Fork. The popular Seven Pines Trail climbs up the North Fork through beautiful conifers and many granite boulders to the river’s headwaters at Deer Springs. The Dark Canyon Campground and Fuller Mill Picnic Area provide gateways to the river and can be accessed via Highway 243, which is part of the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway.
Downstream of Hwy 243, the river plunges into a wild and rugged canyon with only a few trails providing access, including the historic Webster trail, which is named after a fictional character in Helen Hunt Jackson’s 1884 novel, Ramona. This trail begins in the pine forest but then drops 1,800 feet into the chaparral-covered canyon to the river’s willow-lined banks. A popular off-highway vehicle trail also crosses this section of the river and provides motorized access to the backcountry.