Water source and trail conditions to Dollar lake and to the peak

[sunshinehiker]

Hello all,

Does anyone know how good is the water source near Dollar lake? Also, any update on the snow conditions at Dollar lake campsite and enroute to the peak from there? Thank you in advance.

[Brittany]

I know 2-3 weeks ago, I read that someone had turned around on the switch backs due to too much snow. There is water at the dry / dollar lake JCT per usual. After that I don’t have any info – sorry! I know there has been a lot of melt too.

• This reply was modified 8 months ago by Brittany.

[cyndijohnson]

As of May 18, there is water at Dollar and the spring is flowing nicely; the snow is melting fast.

[sunshinehiker]

Thank you Brittany and cyndijohnson.

[Hikin Jim]

The spring that flows into Dollar Lake sounds like it’s good to go right now, but don’t count on it in a month or two.  Unless it’s a heavy snow year, which this wasn’t, the spring always dries out at some point in the summer.

HJ

[sunshinehiker]

Thanks HJ. Where is the spring in relation to the campsites at Dollar lake?

[Hikin Jim]

Odd, but this is the third time I’ve responded to this question.  My previous responses are no where to be seen.

Take a look at this map:  https://caltopo.com/m/QTLN.  The spring is at the SE end of Dollar Lake.  Look for a “path” through the chinquapin at the end of the lake.

The camp area is above the lake, about halfway down to the lake from the Dollar Lake Saddle Trail and is also shown on the above map.

You can toggle the map to satellite view if that’s a more helpful view.

HJ

[sunshinehiker]

Thanks Jim. I did the trip over the weekend and found it. Thank you for your reply anyways.

[Hikin Jim]

Great; glad you found it.

How was the flow?

HJ

[sunshinehiker]

The spring was flowing really well last weekend. Lot of snow melt..

[Ben Parker]

Jim, was your “SE” reference a typo? Isn’t the spring at the south-west end of Dollar Lake? That seems to be where it’s shown on the map you provided in the above post and also on your awesome interactive map of the wilderness that’s available through your blog.

[Hikin Jim]

Oops, yes.  SW.  Lol.  I’ve only been reading a map for 50+ years.  One of these days I’m going to have to get this East vs. West thing down.  Sheesh.

Thanks for the comments on the SGW Interactive Map, Ben.  At least one caveat:  The lower section of the Fish Creek Trail, from the SART (Santa Ana River Trail) to Aspen Grove is really overgrown and difficult to follow according to one person I spoke to this past weekend.

HJ

[Ed]

I am with you, HJ.  I have to think my way through East-West on the north side of San Gorgonio.  Because I hold, and visualize, the map with South at the top.

[Hikin Jim]

Yeah, I usually think of uphill as North which probably comes from my having grown up in Glendale and hiking in the foothills of the San Gabriels for all those years.

At least on the ground I typically figure it out and indeed enjoy XC route finding.  I did a nice little SC route from Mineshaft Flats to Mineshaft Saddle this past weekend and found a) a mineshaft and b) an old camp with fuel cans and such which I’m guessing (but not completely sure) was from the mining days.  I don’t think there was any logging in the N Fork of the Whitewater River drainage.  You’d have to take the logs out over either Lodgepole Saddle or Mineshaft Saddle, and that would be a huge hassle.

HJ

[Hikin Jim]

Take a look at this map:  https://caltopo.com/m/QTLN

The camp area is on the trail that drops down from the main Dollar Lake Saddle Trail to the lake.  Technically, this is Dollar Lake Forks Camp.  Camping at the lake itself is no longer permitted.

The spring is at the SE end of the lake.  Look for a rough “path” (typically quite brushy) through the chinquapin.

The spring at the lake should be flowing, but if ever it were not and you were comfortable with XC navigation, Headwaters Springs (so named because this is where the South Fork of the Santa Ana River really starts) is about 0.4 to 0.5 miles down the drainage that leads to the NE from camp.  The springs are in a kind of muddy, bowlish area where another side drainage comes into and joins the drainage coming down from Dollar Lake Forks Camp.

Note:  There are springs marked on the topo map, but those springs in my opinion are either mis-marked or are minor springs.  The majority of the flow is from Headwaters Springs.

HJ

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