This is my favorite peak in SoCal! The views. The rocky scramble at the summit. The meadows. Did this last year starting from Marion Mountain Campground, looping back the other side through Wellman and the PCT. This time, I wanted something that would be a good Whitney training hike. Which it was! 23 miles. 6600′ of elevation gain. I started at South Ridge Road, up over Tahquitz Peak, and then continued on to San Jacinto from there. Made for a long day, but definitely worth the effort. The fire tower is spectacular, and there was no one on this leg of the trail, coming or going. Weather was great, and met several other people training for Whitney as I had on several other hikes this summer. Only down side was having to climb 700′ back up and over Tahquitz to get back to the car. The whole San Jacinto Wilderness area is great!