Plant Guide to Round Valley Trail, San Jacinto Mountains
Mile S # id? Common Name Latin Name #here #all 0.00 l Begin guide at sign at southwest of Ranger Station: "Round Valley Trail; Wilderness Permit Required", 0.22 miles from Tram Station; elevation ~8390 feet (2557 m) 0.00 l 1 wild tarragon Artemisia dracunculus 50 / 9 28 0.00 r 2 San Jacinto buckwheat Eriogonum apiculatum 5 / 1 8 0.00 l (San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus) 0.00 r 3 sp groundsmoke Gayophytum sp. 20 / 4 0.02 l 4 San Gabriel beardtongue Penstemon labrosus+ 10 / 2 12 0.04 r 5 San Bernardino rubber rabbitbrush Chrysothamnus nauseosus ssp. bernardinus 50 / 9 24 0.04 b 6 white fir Abies concolor 99 / 9 28 0.05 r 7 Jeffrey pine Pinus jeffreyi 50 / 9 29 0.07 r (sugar pine, Pinus lambertiana) 0.08 l 8 Parish's snowberry Symphoricarpos rotundifolius var. parishii 99 / 9 15 0.08 r 9 green-leaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula 5 / 2 20 0.08 r (granite prickly phlox, Leptodactylon pungens) 0.09 l 10 San Jacinto Mts. keckiella Keckiella rothrockii var. jacintensis 50 / 9 8 0.09 l (Parish's bedstraw, Galium parishii) 0.10 l ~ (splendid gilia, Gilia splendens ssp. splendens) 0.10 l (little-leaf mock orange, Philadelphus microphyllus; mountain California-fuchsia, Epilobium canum ssp. latifolium) 0.12 l Jct. Long Valley to 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" 0.12 r 11 sugar pine Pinus lambertiana 50 / 9 20 0.13 r (curl-leaf mountain-mahogany, Cercocarpus ledifolius) 0.14 b 12 ? squirreltail? Elymus elymoides? 5 / 1 0.15 l 13 Parish's bedstraw Galium parishii 1 / 1 9 0.15 r 14 goldenrod Solidago californica 5 / 1 47 0.15 Trail begins series of minor high and low points, staying close to 8400 feet (2560 m) 0.15 ? (Cleveland's horkelia, Horkelia clevelandii; needlegrass?, Achnatherum sp.?) 0.24 l (southern mountain-monardella, Monardella australis) 0.25 l (Scouler's willow, Salix scouleriana) 0.25 sp (yarrow, Achillea millefolium; Idaho bentgrass, Agrostis idahoensis; sedge, Carex sp.; slimstem willowweed, Epilobium oregonense; floriferous monkeyflower, Mimulus floribundus; false monkeyflower, Mimulus pilosus; pine lousewort, Pedicularis semibarbata; ~rush blue grass, ~Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia; Nevada cinquefoil, Potentilla glandulosa ssp. nevadensis; thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus; willow-leaved dock, Rumex salicifolius var. salicifolius) 0.28 l (mountain pink currant, Ribes nevadense) 0.33 r Jct. use trail (climber's trail) to "Beach / Shangri-La" 0.33 b (lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana) 0.35 l ~ (swamp or Nebraska sedge, Carex senta or C. nebrascensis; tall mannagrass, Glyceria elata) 0.37 r (canyon live oak, Quercus chrysolepis) 0.37 l 15 bush chinquapin Chrysolepis sempervirens 50 / 9 15 0.41 l 16 lodgepole pine Pinus contorta ssp. murrayana 99 / 9 12 0.41 r 17 southern mountain-monardella Monardella australis 10 / 3 13 0.41 l ~ (rough bentgrass, Agrostis scabra) 0.41 l 18 Scouler's willow Salix scouleriana 10 / 3 10 0.41 l (giant red paintbrush, Castilleja miniata ssp. miniata) 0.41 l (ranger's buttons, Sphenosciadium capitellatum in Creek; check for different sedge) 0.47 Tight squeeze through rock walls 0.48 r (mountain whitethorn, Ceanothus cordulatus) 0.49 l 19 Nevada cinquefoil Potentilla glandulosa ssp. nevadensis 5 / 2 2 0.49 l 20 willow-leaved dock Rumex salicifolius var. salicifolius 10 / 2 3 0.50 21 bitter cherry Prunus emarginata 10 / 1 11 Check for rush blue grass, ~Poa secunda ssp. juncifolia, on trail here or later 0.51 r (western azalea, Rhododendron occidentale; wax currant, Ribes cereum var. cereum) 0.53 l ~ (thyme-leaved speedwell, Veronica serpyllifolia ssp. humifusa) 0.54 r Jct. use trail 0.55 r 22 thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus 5 / 1 7 0.55 Trail turns left to cross Long Valley Creek 0.55 r Sign: "Round Valley (ahead)" 0.55 r 23 mountain pink currant Ribes nevadense 20 / 9 12 0.55 Eric Baecht reports that cow parsnip, Heracleum lanatum, used to be here before the 2001-2002 severe drought. 0.55 l (western columbine, Aquilegia formosa) 0.55 r 24 ranger's buttons Sphenosciadium capitellatum 20 / 9 10 0.55 Cross Long Valley Creek in middle of a switchback left; elevation ~8475 feet (2583 m) 0.59 First of a number of tight switchbacks; trail now climbs significantly 0.64 r 25 San Jacinto lupine Lupinus hyacinthinus 99 / 9 11 0.65 l (pinedrops, Pterospora andromedea) 0.73 Minor local high point 0.81 l (Parish's campion, Silene parishii) 0.82 r 26 mountain gooseberry Ribes montigenum 40 / 9 2 0.99 r (California corn lily, Veratrum californicum var. californicum) 1.03 l (bracken, Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens) 1.03 l 27 pine lousewort Pedicularis semibarbata 20 / 4 15 1.06 r (Small meadowy area at Round Valley Creek); Trail is less steep for a while now 1.08 l (western wallflower, Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum) 1.12 l ~ (white catch-fly, Silene verecunda ssp. platyota) 1.15 l (pussy paws, Calyptridium monospermum 1.20 r sp (brittle bladder fern, Cystopteris fragilis; slender hairgrass, Deschampsia elongata; larger mountain monkeyflower, Mimulus tilingii; toad lily, Montia chamissoi; clover, Trifolium sp.) 1.25 l 28 western wallflower Erysimum capitatum ssp. capitatum 5 / 1 26 1.51 l Jct. Round Valley to Willow Creek trail; elevation 8960 feet (2731 m); Sign: "[left] Willow Creek Trail 3.8 mi; [back] Long Valley 1.7 mi; [ahead] Round Valley 0.3 mi" 1.53 l (changeable phacelia, Phacelia mutabilis) 1.54 l 29 white catch-fly Silene verecunda ssp. platyota 2 / 1 16 1.57 r Begin Round Valley Meadow 1.68 r 30 bracken Pteridium aquilinum var. pubescens 2 / 1 19 1.69 l 31 California corn lily Veratrum californicum var. californicum 10 / 1 7 1.69 b 32 California geranium Geranium californicum 5 / 1 3 1.69 l 33 sp clover Trifolium sp. 10 / 2 1.69 l 34 western bistort Polygonum bistortoides 5 / 1 2 1.69 l 35 Idaho bentgrass Agrostis idahoensis 5 / 1 9 1.69 l 36 larger mountain monkeyflower Mimulus tilingii 5 / 1 11 1.69 l 37 sp swamp or Nebraska sedge Carex nebrascensis or C. senta 2 / 1 1.69 l 38 tall mannagrass Glyceria elata 5 / 1 3 1.69 l 39 ~ toad lily Montia chamissoi 2 / 1 1 1.75 l Trail to outhouse (toilet) 1.82 l Trail to his and her outhouses 1.82 r Nice long log for a rest stop 1.84 r 40 changeable phacelia Phacelia mutabilis 10 / 3 11 1.84 Jct. trails to Wellman Divide (l) and Tamarack Valley (r); go left; elevation 9040 feet (2755 m). Sign: "[left] Wellman Divide 1 mi; San Jacinto Peak 3.3 mi; Saddle Junction 4.3 mi; Humber Park 6.8 mi; [right] Tamarack Valley 0.5 mi; [back] Long Valley 2.0 mi; Willow Creek 4.0 mi; Saddle Junction 5.5 mi" 1.84 r Tapped spring with available water 2.02 r 41 forest goosefoot Chenopodium atrovirens 10 / 1 7 2.03 b 42 limber pine Pinus flexilis 20 / 9 11 2.77 Wellman Divide; elevation ~9720 feet (2963 m); Sign: "[right] San Jacinto Peak 2.3 mi; [back] Round Valley 1.0 mi; Long Valley 3.0 mi" Mile: 0.00 includes all mileages from 0.000 to 0.009; etc.
Side: Side of trail on which the first occurrence is found: left, right, both, or center
#: On-Trail species are numbered in order of first occurrence on trail (touchable without leaving the trail). Off-trail species 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.
#all gives the number of plant trail guides, from all over southern California, that contain this taxon.
http://tchester.org/sb/plants/guides/round_valley.html
Updated 15 August 2007.