Plant Guide to Round Valley Loop Trail, San Jacinto Mountains

Plant Guide to Round Valley Loop Trail, San Jacinto Mountains

Introduction and Explanation of Plant Trail Guides
Introduction
Highlights of This Trail
Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time
Botanical Trip Reports
The Plant Guide
Comments On Specific Species
Introduction

This guide is to the Upper Willow Creek Trail / High Round Valley Trail to Round Valley, which is the longer way to get to Round Valley from the Upper Tram Station. A loop can be made by returning via the Low Round Valley Trail; see its guide if you are returning that way. (But note that guide is for travel in the opposite direction, and hence has to be followed backwards, which is not ideal except for species present in only a single location on that trail.)
The trailhead for the Willow Creek Trail is 0.12 miles west of the Ranger Station in Long Valley, which is 0.2 miles west of the upper Palm Springs Tramway Station.
The portion of the loop covered in this guide is roughly 2.0 miles one way, with 600 feet of elevation gain. The entire loop is 3.5 miles long, with the same 600 feet of elevation gain and loss. Including the trail from the Tram Station, the entire loop is 4.3 miles roundtrip, with 700 feet of elevation gain and loss. Adding the optional excursion to Hidden Divide adds 0.6 miles and another 100 feet of elevation gain and loss.
A free wilderness permit is required, available at the Ranger Station.
Highlights of This Trail

The botanical highlights of this trail are:

Number of Unique Taxa On This Trail

Fieldwork Dates and Summary of List Changes With Time

The following table gives the dates the trail was walked and taxa recorded. After each visit, the table gives the total number of taxa on the list and the breakdown of the taxa without positive identification. See Explanation of Plant Trail Guides to understand the symbols below.

Visit Date Visit # # taxa # "?" # "sp" # "~" # "ssp"
8/16/2007 1 26 2 3 0 0
8/30/2007 2
6/25/2008 3 34 2 0 3 0

The guide was not updated after the fieldwork on 8/30/07, so the 6/25/08 numbers reflect the additions from both trips.
We thank Phillip Erdelsky for help with the fieldwork on 8/16/07, and Michael Charters and Richard Sapiro for help with the fieldwork on 6/25/08. The work on 8/30/07 was only for the Willow Creek portion, and was interrupted by showers. One species, Allium burlewii, was added on 5/2/12 from a hike on a short section of this loop.

Botanical Trip Reports

The Plant Guide

The family order flora of this loop is given in the next to last column of the Flora of Long Valley, in the column with header "Hi" (for the High trail). The linked flora is not yet updated from the 6/30/17 field work.
This version of the guide has names updated to the 2012 Jepson Manual Second Edition system; see Notes on the Scientific Names Used At This Site.
Version for printing, without lines and other text on this page: html (4 pages) or pdf Clickbook booklet (1 double-sided page). (See printing instructions for an explanation of these options)
The mileages in the guide come from Topo! and a GPS recording of the trail made on 8/16/07. The mileage might be slightly underestimated due to switchbacks not accurately recorded by the GPS track. The mileage given on the Tom Harrison map is 0.2 mile greater. The elevations come from the topo map, and should be fairly precise.
See Explanation of Plant Trail Guides for an explanation of the column headers.

Mile S # id? Common Name Scientific Name #here
0.00 Begin guide at Willow Creek Trail jct. with Round Valley Trail 0.12 miles west of Ranger Station; elevation 8400 feet (2560 m); go left on Willow Creek Trail. Sign: "[left] Willow Creek 3.7 mi; Skunk Cabbage Meadow 5 mi; Idyllwild 10.5 mi; [ahead] Long Valley; Round Valley 2 mi; Saddle Junction 5.5 mi; [back] Tramway 0.3 mi"
0.00 r 1 sugar pine Pinus lambertiana 20 / 9
0.00 b 2 white fir Abies concolor 99 / 9
0.00 b 3 Parish's snowberry Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii 99 / 9
0.00 l 4 San Jacinto Mts. keckiella Keckiella rothrockii var. jacintensis 99 / 9
0.00 b 5 San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa var. bernardina 99 / 9
0.00 b 6 western needlegrass Stipa occidentalis var. occidentalis 50 / 2
0.00 r 7 goldenrod Solidago velutina ssp. californica 10 / 1
0.00 l 8 mountain spray Holodiscus discolor var. microphyllus 15 / 1
The next five species are In the drainage to the right of the trail:
0.00 r 9 pinegrove groundsmoke Gayophytum oligospermum 99 / 9
0.00 r 10 Cleveland's horkelia Horkelia clevelandii var. clevelandii 50 / 2
0.00 r 11 Brewer's monkeyflower Mimulus breweri 99 / 2
0.00 r 12 false monkeyflower Mimulus pilosus 99 / 2
0.00 r 13 Suksdorf's monkeyflower Mimulus suksdorfii 50 / 1
Back on trail
0.00 b 14 little-leaf mock orange Philadelphus microphyllus 20 / 4
0.01 r 15 Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi 50 / 9
0.01 l 16 Parish's bedstraw Galium parishii 15 / 2
0.02 l 17 granite prickly phlox Linanthus pungens 50 / 2
0.02 l 18 mountain California-fuchsia Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium 99 / 1
0.02 r 19 prickly hawkweed Hieracium horridum 3 / 2
0.02 r 20 fringed brome Bromus richardsonii 1 / 1
0.02 r 21 sticky cinquefoil Drymocallis glandulosa var. viscida 20 / 2
0.02 r 22 brown sedge Carex subfusca 99 / 3
0.02 r 23 squirreltail Elymus elymoides 5 / 2
0.02 r Check for Carex rossii
0.03 r 24 canyon live oak Quercus chrysolepis 1 / 1
0.03 l 25 wax currant Ribes cereum var. cereum 2 / 1
0.04 r 26 Scouler's willow Salix scouleriana 10 / 2
0.04 Jct. new trail; jog right across it on new boardwalk that crosses a small drainage
0.07 l 27 wild tarragon Artemisia dracunculus 50 / 9
Jct. with north fork of Long Valley Creek, coming from Round and Tamarack Valleys. The following 21 species are in the creek area within 100 feet or so of the trail, given in alphabetical order:
0.08 l 28 yarrow Achillea millefolium 99 / 1
0.08 b 29 Idaho bentgrass Agrostis idahoensis 99 / 1
0.08 l 30 western columbine Aquilegia formosa 1 / 1
0.08 l 31 abrupt-beak sedge Carex abrupta 25 / 1
0.08 l 32 fragile sheath sedge Carex fracta 1 / 1
0.08 l 33 Martin's paintbrush Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii 6 / 2
0.08 r 34 brittle bladder fern Cystopteris fragilis 2 / 1
0.08 l 35 Nevada cinquefoil Drymocallis lactea var. lactea 99 / 1
0.08 l 36 willowherb Epilobium ciliatum 10 / 1
0.08 l 37 western wallflower Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum 99 / 3
0.08 l 38 toad rush Juncus bufonius 99 / 1
0.08 l 39 long-anthered rush Juncus macrandrus 2 / 1
0.08 l 40 floriferous monkeyflower Mimulus floribundus 99 / 1
0.08 r 41 musk monkeyflower Mimulus moschatus 20 / 1
0.08 b 42 primrose monkeyflower Mimulus primuloides var. primuloides 99 / 1
0.08 l 43 larger mountain monkeyflower Mimulus tilingii 20 / 1
0.08 l 44 San Gabriel beardtongue Penstemon labrosus 10 / 1
0.08 l 45 pearlwort Sagina saginoides 1 / 1
0.08 r 46 snow-plant Sarcodes sanguinea 4 / 4
0.08 l 47 ranger's buttons Sphenosciadium capitellatum / 1
0.08 l 48 thyme-leaved speedwell Veronica serpyllifolia ssp. humifusa 10 / 1
0.08 Check for Deschampsia elongata and Thalictrum fendleri
0.08 Now back on trail in trail order; cross creek on wood plank bridge
0.11 r Sign: "Permit required"
0.12 Small switchback right
0.12 r 49 lodgepole pine Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana 99 / 9
0.12 b 50 Parish's campion Silene parishii 35 / 3
0.12 Small switchback left
0.14 b 51 San Jacinto lupine Lupinus hyacinthinus 99 / 9
0.15 Switchback right
0.24 Trail turns left 90°
0.25 Switchback right
0.26 Switchback left
0.26 r 52 bush chinquapin Chrysolepis sempervirens 65 / 9
0.28 Four switchbacks in next 0.04 miles
0.29 l 53 Ross' sedge Carex rossii 75 / 9
0.34 b 54 Nevin's bird's beak Cordylanthus nevinii 99 / 1
0.35 Trail zigzags up
0.35 r 55 pine lousewort Pedicularis semibarbata 99 / 2
0.47 Trail enters large flattish area extending for 1/4 mile
0.47 56 pussy paws Calyptridium monospermum 99 / 1
0.47 l 57 San Jacinto Mtns. daisy Erigeron breweri var. jacinteus 99 / 2
0.48 r 58 curl-leaf mountain-mahogany Cercocarpus ledifolius 20 /
The following three species are in the flat area to the left:
59 green-leaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula 2 / 1
60 mountain red-root cryptantha Cryptantha micrantha var. lepida / 1
61 mountain whitethorn Ceanothus cordulatus 3 / 3
Back on trail
0.58 b 62 plain mariposa lily Calochortus invenustus 2 / 1
0.58 Cross small drainage
0.59 r 63 white catch-fly Silene verecunda 10 / 2
0.63 Cross western branch of south fork of Long Valley Creek, a very minor drainage here; trail resumes going up
0.65 r 64 spotted coralroot Corallorhiza maculata 1 / 1
0.81 r Jct. high Round Valley Trail; go right. Sign: "[ahead] Willow Creek 2.7 mi; Saddle Junction 4.8 mi; Humber Park 6.8 mi; [back] Long Valley 1 mi; Tram 1.3 mi; [right] Round Valley 2 mi; San Jacinto Peak 5.5 mi". Hidden Divide is 0.29 miles straight ahead if you want a side excursion.
1.05 l 65 Southern California rock draba Draba saxosa 36 / 1
1.12 Cross same western branch of south branch of Long Valley Creek at higher elevation
1.22 r Concrete post
1.35 b 66 dusky onion Allium campanulatum 99 / 4
1.40 r one-sided bluegrass Poa secunda ssp. secunda /
1.45 l (Burlew's onion, Allium burlewii; southern mountain-monardella, Monardella australis ssp. australis, several hundred feet to left)
1.48 67 Burlew's onion Allium burlewii 99 / 3
1.50 Now in another flattish area, the higher elevation extension of the previous flattish area
1.60 r (rosy everlasting, pussytoes, Antennaria rosea)
1.74 l 68 rosy everlasting, pussytoes Antennaria rosea 2 / 1
1.79 High point on route, elevation ~8980 feet (2737 m)
1.92 r 69 mountain gooseberry Ribes montigenum 9 / 1
1.93 Jct. low Round Valley Trail; end guide; go right to return to Tram Station
3.44 Ranger Station

Mile: 0.00 includes all mileages from 0.000 to 0.009; etc.
S: Side of trail on which the first occurrence is found: left, right, both, or center
#: Species are numbered in order of first occurrence on trail. Unlike most of our plant trail guides, off-trail species are numbered as long as they are easily reachable from the trail. Species that are not visible from the trail, or are difficult to reach, are in parentheses.
id?: Species without an entry in this column are positively identified. "?" means we are just guessing the identification; "sp" means the genera is probably known, but the species name is uncertain; "~" means we have 95% confidence that this is the determination, but have not yet positively identified it; "ssp" means the subspecies or variety needs to be determined.
#here gives the minimum number of on-trail plants of this species on this trail, with the number of locations on this trail following the /, using maximum values of 99/9. 1/1 means a single plant in a single location; 10/9 means 10 plants occurring in at least 9 locations, etc.
Comments On Specific Species

We thank Nick Nixon for the names of the trails used by the Rangers.

Visit Date	Visit #	# taxa	# "?"	# "sp"	# "~"	# "ssp"
8/16/2007	1	26	2	3	0	0
8/30/2007	2
6/25/2008	3	34	2	0	3	0

Mile	S	#	Common Name	Scientific Name	#here
0.00			Begin guide at Willow Creek Trail jct. with Round Valley Trail 0.12 miles west of Ranger Station; elevation 8400 feet (2560 m); go left on Willow Creek Trail. Sign: "[left] Willow Creek 3.7 mi; Skunk Cabbage Meadow 5 mi; Idyllwild 10.5 mi; [ahead] Long Valley; Round Valley 2 mi; Saddle Junction 5.5 mi; [back] Tramway 0.3 mi"
0.00	r	1	sugar pine	Pinus lambertiana	20 / 9
0.00	b	2	white fir	Abies concolor	99 / 9
0.00	b	3	Parish's snowberry	Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii	99 / 9
0.00	l	4	San Jacinto Mts. keckiella	Keckiella rothrockii var. jacintensis	99 / 9
0.00	b	5	San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush	Ericameria nauseosa var. bernardina	99 / 9
0.00	b	6	western needlegrass	Stipa occidentalis var. occidentalis	50 / 2
0.00	r	7	goldenrod	Solidago velutina ssp. californica	10 / 1
0.00	l	8	mountain spray	Holodiscus discolor var. microphyllus	15 / 1
			The next five species are In the drainage to the right of the trail:
0.00	r	9	pinegrove groundsmoke	Gayophytum oligospermum	99 / 9
0.00	r	10	Cleveland's horkelia	Horkelia clevelandii var. clevelandii	50 / 2
0.00	r	11	Brewer's monkeyflower	Mimulus breweri	99 / 2
0.00	r	12	false monkeyflower	Mimulus pilosus	99 / 2
0.00	r	13	Suksdorf's monkeyflower	Mimulus suksdorfii	50 / 1
			Back on trail
0.00	b	14	little-leaf mock orange	Philadelphus microphyllus	20 / 4
0.01	r	15	Jeffrey pine	Pinus jeffreyi	50 / 9
0.01	l	16	Parish's bedstraw	Galium parishii	15 / 2
0.02	l	17	granite prickly phlox	Linanthus pungens	50 / 2
0.02	l	18	mountain California-fuchsia	Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium	99 / 1
0.02	r	19	prickly hawkweed	Hieracium horridum	3 / 2
0.02	r	20	fringed brome	Bromus richardsonii	1 / 1
0.02	r	21	sticky cinquefoil	Drymocallis glandulosa var. viscida	20 / 2
0.02	r	22	brown sedge	Carex subfusca	99 / 3
0.02	r	23	squirreltail	Elymus elymoides	5 / 2
0.02	r		Check for Carex rossii
0.03	r	24	canyon live oak	Quercus chrysolepis	1 / 1
0.03	l	25	wax currant	Ribes cereum var. cereum	2 / 1
0.04	r	26	Scouler's willow	Salix scouleriana	10 / 2
0.04			Jct. new trail; jog right across it on new boardwalk that crosses a small drainage
0.07	l	27	wild tarragon	Artemisia dracunculus	50 / 9
			Jct. with north fork of Long Valley Creek, coming from Round and Tamarack Valleys. The following 21 species are in the creek area within 100 feet or so of the trail, given in alphabetical order:
0.08	l	28	yarrow	Achillea millefolium	99 / 1
0.08	b	29	Idaho bentgrass	Agrostis idahoensis	99 / 1
0.08	l	30	western columbine	Aquilegia formosa	1 / 1
0.08	l	31	abrupt-beak sedge	Carex abrupta	25 / 1
0.08	l	32	fragile sheath sedge	Carex fracta	1 / 1
0.08	l	33	Martin's paintbrush	Castilleja applegatei ssp. martinii	6 / 2
0.08	r	34	brittle bladder fern	Cystopteris fragilis	2 / 1
0.08	l	35	Nevada cinquefoil	Drymocallis lactea var. lactea	99 / 1
0.08	l	36	willowherb	Epilobium ciliatum	10 / 1
0.08	l	37	western wallflower	Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum	99 / 3
0.08	l	38	toad rush	Juncus bufonius	99 / 1
0.08	l	39	long-anthered rush	Juncus macrandrus	2 / 1
0.08	l	40	floriferous monkeyflower	Mimulus floribundus	99 / 1
0.08	r	41	musk monkeyflower	Mimulus moschatus	20 / 1
0.08	b	42	primrose monkeyflower	Mimulus primuloides var. primuloides	99 / 1
0.08	l	43	larger mountain monkeyflower	Mimulus tilingii	20 / 1
0.08	l	44	San Gabriel beardtongue	Penstemon labrosus	10 / 1
0.08	l	45	pearlwort	Sagina saginoides	1 / 1
0.08	r	46	snow-plant	Sarcodes sanguinea	4 / 4
0.08	l	47	ranger's buttons	Sphenosciadium capitellatum	/ 1
0.08	l	48	thyme-leaved speedwell	Veronica serpyllifolia ssp. humifusa	10 / 1
0.08			Check for Deschampsia elongata and Thalictrum fendleri
0.08			Now back on trail in trail order; cross creek on wood plank bridge
0.11	r		Sign: "Permit required"
0.12			Small switchback right
0.12	r	49	lodgepole pine	Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana	99 / 9
0.12	b	50	Parish's campion	Silene parishii	35 / 3
0.12			Small switchback left
0.14	b	51	San Jacinto lupine	Lupinus hyacinthinus	99 / 9
0.15			Switchback right
0.24			Trail turns left 90°
0.25			Switchback right
0.26			Switchback left
0.26	r	52	bush chinquapin	Chrysolepis sempervirens	65 / 9
0.28			Four switchbacks in next 0.04 miles
0.29	l	53	Ross' sedge	Carex rossii	75 / 9
0.34	b	54	Nevin's bird's beak	Cordylanthus nevinii	99 / 1
0.35			Trail zigzags up
0.35	r	55	pine lousewort	Pedicularis semibarbata	99 / 2
0.47			Trail enters large flattish area extending for 1/4 mile
0.47		56	pussy paws	Calyptridium monospermum	99 / 1
0.47	l	57	San Jacinto Mtns. daisy	Erigeron breweri var. jacinteus	99 / 2
0.48	r	58	curl-leaf mountain-mahogany	Cercocarpus ledifolius	20 /
			The following three species are in the flat area to the left:
		59	green-leaf manzanita	Arctostaphylos patula	2 / 1
		60	mountain red-root cryptantha	Cryptantha micrantha var. lepida	/ 1
		61	mountain whitethorn	Ceanothus cordulatus	3 / 3
			Back on trail
0.58	b	62	plain mariposa lily	Calochortus invenustus	2 / 1
0.58			Cross small drainage
0.59	r	63	white catch-fly	Silene verecunda	10 / 2
0.63			Cross western branch of south fork of Long Valley Creek, a very minor drainage here; trail resumes going up
0.65	r	64	spotted coralroot	Corallorhiza maculata	1 / 1
0.81	r		Jct. high Round Valley Trail; go right. Sign: "[ahead] Willow Creek 2.7 mi; Saddle Junction 4.8 mi; Humber Park 6.8 mi; [back] Long Valley 1 mi; Tram 1.3 mi; [right] Round Valley 2 mi; San Jacinto Peak 5.5 mi". Hidden Divide is 0.29 miles straight ahead if you want a side excursion.
1.05	l	65	Southern California rock draba	Draba saxosa	36 / 1
1.12			Cross same western branch of south branch of Long Valley Creek at higher elevation
1.22	r		Concrete post
1.35	b	66	dusky onion	Allium campanulatum	99 / 4
1.40	r		one-sided bluegrass	Poa secunda ssp. secunda	/
1.45	l		(Burlew's onion, Allium burlewii; southern mountain-monardella, Monardella australis ssp. australis, several hundred feet to left)
1.48		67	Burlew's onion	Allium burlewii	99 / 3
1.50			Now in another flattish area, the higher elevation extension of the previous flattish area
1.60	r		(rosy everlasting, pussytoes, Antennaria rosea)
1.74	l	68	rosy everlasting, pussytoes	Antennaria rosea	2 / 1
1.79			High point on route, elevation ~8980 feet (2737 m)
1.92	r	69	mountain gooseberry	Ribes montigenum	9 / 1
1.93			Jct. low Round Valley Trail; end guide; go right to return to Tram Station
3.44			Ranger Station

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Flora of San Jacinto Mountain
Plants of Southern California: Trail Guides

Copyright © 2007-2017 by Tom Chester, Dave Stith, James Dillane, Nancy Accola, Bruce Watts and Eric Baecht.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to us at this source:
http://tchester.org/sb/plants/guides/round_valley_loop.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester
Updated 4 July 2017.