Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail

Cappie’s Scoop: A fun hike through the forest! There are some big rocks on this trail too. I couldn’t even jump on them because they were very big. I had a lot of fun and there were lots of friendly doggos on this trail too. Don’t hesitate to add YOUR scoop in the comments below!

Tips: There are two trailheads for this hike. One starts near Humber Park and requires a California Adventure Pass. The other trailhead is on Tahquitz View Drive in Idyllwild which does not require a parking pass. For this post, we started near Humber Park. If you wanted to do a long loop hike, you could park near Humber Park, take Devils Slide trail (day permit needed), take a right at the 4-way junction towards Tahquitz Peak, visit the lookout tower, then head down South Ridge trail which connects you with the fire road. Take the fire road down to Tahquitz View Road and hang a right picking up the Ernie Maxwell Trail to head back to your car. We haven’t done this yet but it’s on our list to do!

Directions: Heading towards Idyllwild-Pine Cove, if you take CA-243 S, turn left onto Pine Crest Ave which becomes S Circle Dr. Then turn left onto Fern Valley Rd and follow to the end of the road. If you’re taking CA-243 N, turn right onto Pine Crest Ave which becomes S Circle Dr. Then turn left onto Fern Valley Rd and follow 1.7 miles and turn right into the first parking lot. If you keep going, you’ll run into the Humber Park trailhead parking lot.