Level: Strenuous
Directions:
Take Highway 74 out of Palm Desert (south at the Highway 111 junction) and proceed 23 miles. Or, from Hemet, drive .5 miles east of the highway 371 junction.
There is a Pacific Crest Trail sign on the right indicating a parking area. Park and cross the highway to the south, where you will come to a gate that opens onto the trail.
This hike requires two cars, one parked at Jo Pond trailhead, and the other at the parking area off Highway 74 at the start of this hike.
To reach Jo Pond trailhead, drive 28 miles south onto Highway 74 from Highway 111 in Palm Desert, or almost 11 miles east of Mountain Center on Highway 74 if you come from Hemet. Turn north onto Morris Ranch Road at the CDF Fire Station, and proceed 3 miles to the sign that reads “Park Off Pavement.” After parking, pick up the trail for Cedar Spring just a few hundred yards up the road.