Residential mental health treatment for women near San Diego
Mental Health Residential is about two hours north of San Diego: a six-bed house for women in Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County.
Getting here from San Diego
- Distance and time
- About 100 to 115 miles, roughly two hours, longer in traffic.
- The usual route
- North on I-15 and I-215, east on Highway 74, the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway, then north on Highway 243 at Mountain Center.
- From North County
- Shorter: north on I-15 toward Temecula, then east on Highway 74 into the mountains.
- An eastern alternative
- Some drivers go east on I-8 and north on Highways 79 and 371, a quieter, more rural way up.
- Flying in
- San Diego International is about two hours from Idyllwild by car. Palm Springs International is closer, about an hour.
- Snow on the way up
- From December through March the last few miles into Idyllwild can see snow. Carry chains in a storm, and check Caltrans QuickMap before a winter drive.
Two hours, and a different altitude
Two hours is far enough that the week ahead stops pressing in, and the last of the drive climbs out of the valley into the mountains. The office, the commute and the people who need something from you are well behind you, and the house sits at around 5,400 feet among the pines.
It is also close enough that family can make the drive in a morning. For women from San Diego, that balance, far enough to step out of an ordinary week and near enough to stay connected to it, is worth weighing when you choose where to go.
Pack for a different climate than the coast. Idyllwild has four real seasons: dry summers in the 70s and low 80s, and cold winters with snow most years between December and March.
Coming home to San Diego
A few weeks on the mountain is a beginning, and what happens after it matters as much. The next steps, including who you will see once you are back in San Diego, are worked out with you before you leave.
The county’s Access and Crisis Line is more than a crisis number: it is also a way into San Diego County’s behavioral health services, if some of your ongoing care will come through the county.
If you need help right now
San Diego County runs its own 24/7 line, staffed by licensed clinicians:
- San Diego Access and Crisis Line, free and 24/7, answered by licensed and master’s-level clinicians and part of the national 988 network: 1-888-724-7240.
- If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself, call or text 988 now. It is free, confidential, and answered 24 hours a day.
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