Idyllwild's a great day trip ---- or more

By: KATHY DAY - Staff Writer | Saturday, July 23, 2005 9:04 PM PDT ∞

IDYLLWILD ---- Some lament the lack of awareness of the tiny village of Idyllwild. Others are happy to keep the town below the radar screen of those seeking a quick day trip or weekend mountain getaway.

For those lucky enough to know about it, though, it's a great place to escape the buzz of suburbia, to get some exercise or to soak up some culture. Located a couple of hours driving time from North County ---- depending on whether you hit or avoid the afternoon rush hour through Temecula ---- Idyllwild sits at about 5,000 feet in the San Jacinto Mountains.

With a village center filled with gift shops, art galleries and restaurants, it's easy to make a day of a visit to the town proper. Visit on the first Saturday of every month between March and December and you'll find special art events like the Plein Art Festival in September or the Art Walk and Wine Tasting in October.

Music and arts abound up this mountain.

Summer highlights include 10 days of chamber music in August and the annual Jazz in the Pines weekend Aug. 27-28. This year's event will feature Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Brian Culbertson. The event is a scholarship fund-raiser for the Idyllwild Arts Foundation. Check it out at www.idyllwildjazz.com. But be sure that if you're looking for a weekend of quiet, this isn't the one to choose for your Idyllwild escape.

With the Idyllwild Arts Academy ---- an independent residential high school for the arts---- and its summer programs, there's a built-in resource for workshops for all ages. Topics range from creative writing to poetry and American Indian art. There's also a family camp that wraps up with a family talent show. And during the summer months, the academy has a busy schedule of recitals and shows featuring its students' works.

Camps of other types can be found too: Astrocamp, Buckhorn Camp. Spirit Mountain Retreat and the Zen Mountain Center, to name a few.

If you want to be passive about your exposure to nature, spend some time at the Idyllwild Park Nature Center for all kinds of information on native plants and critters or sit around the campfire programs to learn about the area.

But if hiking or climbing is your preference, look to the 275-plus miles of trails throughout the San Jacinto Mountains. Choose from the likes of the Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail, which the Town Crier Visitors Guide ---- a great resource filled with local lore, ads and all kinds of information ---- describes as "an easy introduction to hiking in the Idyllwild area," or the climb up Marion Mountain Trail to San Jacinto Peak, which covers 5.9 miles and gains 4,400 feet in elevation. Rock climbers also find their way around, up and down the mountainsides.

Be sure to check with the U.S. Forest Service or the Riverside County Park system for permits and trail information. During the winter months, it's important to check out weather reports too, since snow is a known quantity "up the hill."

The mountain terrain also calls out to bikers ---- both the mountain variety and motorcyling tourists. The Forest Service offers a list of suggested trails for mountain bikers, and the local bike shop owner leads one- or two-hour tours on Saturday mornings. Call Bud Hunt at (951) 659-2038 for details.

If you want to stay for more than a day, you can find campgrounds for those with tents or RVs. They include the likes of Ribbonwood Equestrian Campground, which includes sites with corrals, and Lake Hemet Campground, next to the man-made freshwater lake with its rental boats and shoreline fishing spots.

And if having someone else make your bed is your preference, select from one of the area's three bed-and-breakfast inns, rental cabins or lodges. Owners of one B&B ---- the Strawberry Creek Inn ---- recently celebrated their first year of ownership.

Rodney Williams and Ian Scott were mere tourists when they drove up the hill from Los Angeles to Idyllwild for a weekend getaway. Although they'd been searching for a B&B to purchase, they hadn't really thought much of the local mountain town as the spot to look. But when they got there and saw the establishment with its nine guest rooms, cottage and comfortable main lodge, they were smitten, they said recently.

Now they pride themselves on serving guests scrumptious breakfasts ---- like peach french toast with cream cheese filling or corn strata ---- in a restful setting on forested grounds, certified by the National Wildlife Federation as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitat.

For them, the highlights of ownership included "meeting wonderful people," Williams said.

Guests say the same thing. One recent weekend couples had come from Laguna Beach, Palm Desert and Torrance, and Solana Beach, some for a place to rest after a long day's hike, others to celebrate anniversaries and escape the daily rush. Casual conversations over breakfast or evening appetizers created connections to new friends.

For other meals, Idyllwild offers restaurants of many varieties, from German brats and beer to Mexican to more continental fare. One local establishment hosts live music to accompany its barbecues on its outdoor patio each weekend.

And the local market carries a good selection of most everything, so don't worry about carrying food up the mountain, but do be prepared for a bit of a markup for convenience.

Day trip or longer, Idyllwild will give you a breath of fresh air not too far from home. And you can make stops along the way to view the massive Diamond Valley Lake, play a game at Pechanga Resort and Casino or take the scenic route through Warner Springs.

On the 'Net

www.towncrier.com

www.idyllwildchamber.com

www.idyllwildarts.org

www.artinidyllwild.com

www.idyllwildnaturecenter.net

www.idyllwildjazz.com

www.strawberrycreekinn.com

If you go ...

Getting there

From North County, there are a couple of ways to go.

Here's one:

I-15 North to Highway 79 N/Winchester Road.

Go east to Highway 74. Turn right and drive through Hemet.

Keep going up the mountain until you get to Highway 243. Veer left and follow the signs.

Follow the signs into town.

Another route:

I-15 to Highway 79 South (first offramp in Temecula). Go right.

Go left on Highway 371 (through Anza).

Turn left on Highway 74.

Turn left on Highway 243.

Contact staff writer Kathy Day at (760) 740-5417 or kday@nctimes.com.

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