A majority of the park is within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.

The Mount San Jacinto State Park encompasses the weathered granite summit of Mount San Jacinto, which at 10,834 feet (3,302 m) above sea level[3] makes this the second highest peak and mountain range in Southern California.

It is accessible by the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and lies on the Pacific Crest Trail.

[5] During the 2008–10 California budget crisis the legislature considered the state park systems funding, operations, and closures.

By 2011 the legislature and Governor Jerry Brown enacted Assembly Bill 95 in March, which closed the park temporarily over certain days.