Idyllwild, Pine Cove, and Fern Valley are three adjacent unincorporated communities, of which Idyllwild is the largest, located in the San Jacinto Mountains in Riverside County, California, United States. The Idyllwild community also generally includes the hamlets of Mountain Center and Garner Valley, though individual residents embrace this association to varying degrees. "Mile-high Idyllwild" is a popular southern California mountain resort about one mile (1.6 km) in altitude. Idyllwild is flanked by two large and one smaller rock formation, Tahquitz Peak (with nearby Lily Rock) and Suicide Rock, which are famous in Southern California rock climbing circles, and Mt Atlas. One of Idyllwild's attractions is that it offers all four seasons, yet in winter is only an hour's drive down to the desert on the Pines to Palms Scenic Byway. It currently offers no skiing; thus "the Hill" has been minimally developed over the years and remains a center for hiking, mountain and rock climbing, and horseback riding.Idyllwild was listed in the 1998 book 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, by John Villani, and was also voted "L.A.'s Best Mountain Getaway".Idyllwild, Pine Cove, and Fern Valley are part of the Idyllwild-Pine Cove census-designated place (CDP). The statistical information applies to the entire CDP, although local views of the community vary somewhat from the definition of the CDP. The population of the CDP was 3,874 at the 2010 census, up from 3,504 as of the 2000 census.HistoryIdyllwild was once the summer home for bands of Cahuilla Indians, who migrated to the area to escape the heat of lower elevation deserts. The Cahuilla's grinding slabs can still be seen in Idyllwild.
