Hiking

Looking down from the Giant Moreno Valley “M” on Box Springs Mountain

April 4, 2017 by Ole 2 Comments

This past Sunday, my wife and I hiked up to the giant Moreno Valley “M” on Box Springs Mountain that overlooks Moreno Valley. This was her first trip all the way up to the “M”.

Here is a recap of our hike in pictures:

We started at Box Springs Mountain Park near Hidden Springs / Pigeon Pass in Moreno Valley…

The start of the trail we took…

This flower (and the insects – crane flies?) greeted us near the start of the trail…

Looking down at the parking lot, which kept getting smaller and smaller…

The “M” trail ahead…

The trail behind us so far…

Except for lizards of various colors, we didn’t see much wildlife…

Looking back at the trail…

A random flower on the way…

Looking up at the toughest part of the trail we followed. Note the faint outline of a trail going off to the left in the center of the picture. That trail takes you around this peak instead of up it. We missed that turn and kept climbing up…

Looking back down…

Trying to see the parking lot…

Still climbing up…

A look back down…

Another random lizard…

The moment we realized that we were climbing to the top of Box Springs Mountain instead of just to the “M”…

My favorite lizard of the day…

Looking down at the “M” and the “M” trail…

The view from above the “M”. Not the clearest day, but still a nice view…

A tiny lizard hanging out near the “M”…

A few weeds and wildflowers sticking out of the cracks of the “M”…

Standing on the “M”…

The trail down from the bottom of the “M” (the trail we intended to climb up but missed)…

The “M” is huge, and we had to hike down a bit to get the entire “M” in the picture…

There seem to be a few different trails that will take you up the initial peak or around it. On our way down we went around it (the trail I think we took the first time I hiked up to the “M” with our kids). If you hike to the “M”, you should study the routes before you go or go with someone who knows the way. The overgrowth is probably why we initially missed this trail…

Looking back up at the decision point to go up the initial peak or around it. This is the turnoff we missed on our way up…

The “M” from the 60 freeway…

Here are the routes we took according to my Garmin. The top line shows our route up, and the bottom line shows our route down. Per my Garmin, both routes were about 1.4 miles and 1,100-1,200 feet of elevation. We took two big bottles of water each, and wore trail shoes. It took us about 1.5 hours to climb, and about 1 hour to descend. We probably would have gone a little faster (not much) but we were taking pictures and had run a 5K the day before. We hiked on Sunday and I’m still sore on Tuesday morning.

For more info… rivcoparks.org

Looking for more hiking spots in and around the Inland Empire? Check out our list of Places to Hike in Riverside and Beyond.

Our First Hike up to Terri Peak at Lake Perris in Riverside County

March 27, 2017 by Ole Leave a Comment

My wife and I drove out to the Lake Perris State Recreation Area over the weekend to hike up to Terri Peak. We learned about this hike from a tip on Facebook (find more places to hike). At a height of 2,569 feet (per the official brochure), Terri Peak overlooks Lake Perris and offers views in all directions.

According to the map you receive from the guard station, there are two trailheads to reach Terri Peak. One begins at the Indian Museum near the Perris entrance and the other begins at a parking lot near the Moreno Valley entrance. We planned to start the hike at the museum, but the parking lot was closed so we headed to the parking lot near the Horse Camp. That lot was closed too, so we parked on the side of the dirt road that leads to the Horse Camp.

We found a paved trail leading up from the parking lot, so we started there.

The trail leads to an amphitheater, but we didn’t see an obvious trail leading toward the mountain. We walked back to the parking lot and started walking up a dirt trail, but that also led to the amphitheater.

The only clearly marked trail that we found led in the opposite direction. We decided to see if it would wrap around and take us in the right direction.

The trail met with another trail that headed in the right direction, so we kept going.

We ended up wrapping back around to the top of the amphitheater and found the overgrown trail we should have taken.

After a little more walking, we also learned that we could have just walked straight up the road we parked on instead of walking over to the parking lot to find the trailhead.

Once we were on the trail, it was pretty easy to follow, although there were still some spots that were obscured by brush.

This appeared to be the tip-top, so I climbed up to take a look (Caution: I don’t recommend climbing up. A fall could have been disastrous.):

I would love to hike this again on a clear day…

It was a fun hike, and in addition to the views, we saw a few critters and a lot of flowers:

We also saw Kid Rock:

According to my Garmin, it was 2.37 miles from the parking lot to Terri Peak with a gain of 991 feet. We didn’t set a speed record, as we took our time to enjoy the scenery and take pictures.

Since some portions of the trails were overgrown, we missed the beginning of the hike from the amphitheater, but you can clearly see the route we would have taken by zooming in to the old satellite image.

Lake Perris is in Perris, CA, which is in Riverside County. If you would like to learn more about Terri Peak or Lake Perris, here is the official website:

www.parks.ca.gov

Looking for more hiking spots in and around the Inland Empire? Check out our list of Places to Hike in Riverside and Beyond.

Lake Perris State Recreation Area
17801 Lake Perris Drive
Perris, Ca 92571

“A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive Update: Dec-16

December 26, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Update #3 – 01/05/17: I have received word from the County that the “weather has pushed back the Street “A” opening until 2/3/17.”

Update #2 – 12/27/16: I have heard that the street is ready to go with the exception of the traffic signal at Van Buren. The traffic signal poles are scheduled to arrive on 1/6/17 and the street is scheduled to be operational on 1/13/17.

Update #1 – 12/27/16 #1: Please scroll to the bottom.

– – – – – – – – – –

Last I heard, Citrus Heights Drive in Riverside, California was supposed to open at the beginning of the new year. It looks like they might hit that schedule. I took a little hike in the hills above Dufferin on Christmas morning and snapped a few pictures:

From McAllister…

… to Van Buren.

Gorgeous morning for a quick hike with my daughter and this big guy…

A short morning hike with my daughter and this big guy. Hope everyone is having a great Christmas Day. #hiking #greatdane #greatdanes #riversideca #riverside #mansbestfriend

A photo posted by Ole (@riversideandbeyond) on Dec 25, 2016 at 11:32am PST

** Update 12/27/16: **

I am trying to confirm how this street will connect to Van Buren. Due to its location and the apparent widening of Van Buren where it intersects with Citrus Heights Drive (FKA Fairway Drive FKA “A” Street), I assume there will be traffic signals. The following information from a January 5, 2016 Riverside City Council Memorandum seems to confirm this (emphasis added), but I will try to get actual confirmation from the City and/or County:

The public infrastructure improvement in the City is a partial road construction project that has recently been approved by the City’s Public Works Department and is a required condition of the project approval. The City improvements identified within the JCFA include:

i. approximately 4,501 linear feet of full width and complete street improvements to be known as Fairway Drive which will connect McAlister Parkway and Van Buren
Boulevard, and
ii. approximately 824 linear feet of partial width street improvements on Van Buren Boulevard which are necessary for the Fairway Drive connection

[…]

Project History
In January 2006, the County of Riverside Planning Commission approved Tentative Tract Map 30153 ( “TTM “), which included a 330 lot residential subdivision ( later revised to 343 lots) located in unincorporated Riverside County, easterly of McAllister Parkway, just south of the City. Approval included a condition to construct “A” Street between McAllister Parkway and Van Buren Boulevard. The roadway is approximately 60% in the City and 40% in the County.

On April 10, 2012, City Council approved an agreement with the County of Riverside for the A” Street Improvements. The County assumed responsibility for environmental review, right – of -way acquisition, preparation of the plans and specifications and construction of the project.

[…]

2a. Fairway Drive Street Facilities — City of Riverside — Station 41 +46.00 to Station 86 +47.00. Plan Sheets 1, 2 and 5 through 15 of 15.
Approximately 4,501 linear feet of full width street improvements including, but not limited to site preparation, erosion control, aggregate base, asphalt, fog seal, curbs and gutters, cross gutters, sidewalk, handicap ramps, saw cut existing asphalt, removal of existing asphalt, grinding existing asphalt, street signage, utilities crossings, storm drain piping, headwalls, rip -rap, down drains, grading, street light conduit and handholes, signing and striping, traffic signalization and street intersection work.
2b. Van Buren Boulevard Street Facilities — City of Riverside — Station 34 +04.49 to Station 42 +28.20. Plan Sheet 15 of 16.
Approximately 824 linear feet of partial width street improvements including, but not limited to site preparation, erosion control, aggregate base, asphalt, fog seal, curbs and gutters, cross gutters, sidewalk, handicap ramps, saw cut existing asphalt, removal of existing asphalt, grinding existing asphalt, street signage, utilities crossings, storm drain piping, headwalls, rip -rap, down drains, grading, street light conduit and handholes, signing and striping, k -rail and crash cushions; traffic signalization and street intersection work.

Pumpkin Rock in Norco: Big & Orange, but Easy to Miss if You Don’t Know Where to Look

October 10, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

While waiting for my sons to start their next game on Saturday, I took a short drive around Norco, California to kill some time. I ended up taking a quick hike up to Pumpkin Rock.

According to Norco Parks and Rec meeting minutes, the rock has been painted as “a pumpkin for over 20 years with some slight variations”.

There was also some discussion in 2015 about the possibility of allowing the rock to be painted with different themes a few times each year. After further discussion by the Pumpkin Rock Sub-Committee, it seems that the rock will remain as a pumpkin:

Environmental documents state that the only thing allowed in the area of easement other than hiking is horses. When speaking with the Planning Director, it was stated that even painting a pumpkin is wrong to begin with; is should be natural. But because it has been painted for so long, we have accepted it. He strongly recommends we do not do anything to change that.

I didn’t set out to find Pumpkin Rock, so I was dressed for an afternoon of watching water polo. For the record, I don’t advise going on hikes (even small ones) in flip flops.

The route I took has two steep hills that have patches of very loose dirt. Although I made it up alright, I was slipping and sliding on the way down.

I think the Pumpkin was laughing at my poor choice in footwear.

I found the rock by driving around until I found a trail on Crestview Drive. I later realized that someone had tagged Pumpkin Rock on Google Maps.

Looking for more hiking spots in and around the Inland Empire? Check out our list of Places to Hike in Riverside and Beyond.

Who wants to go on a hike?

December 2, 2013 by Ole Leave a Comment

Moreno Valley’s Recreational Trails Board will be sponsoring the following free hikes in 2014 (difficulty rated by Moreno Valley):

January 25, 2014
Hike to Terri Peak (DIFFICULT)
March 22, 2014
Hike to San Timoteo Canyon (MODERATE)
May 24, 2014
Hike to Olive Mountain (DIFFICULT)
July 26, 2014
Hike to Hidden Springs (MODERATE)
September 27, 2014
Hike to Lake Perris (MODERATE)
October 25, 2014
Hike to Box Springs M Trail (DIFFICULT)

We hope to attend as many as we can.

For more information, click here for details.

Our First Hike up to the UCR Big “C”

December 1, 2012 by Ole 3 Comments

Earlier this year we hiked up to the giant “M” that overlooks Moreno Valley on Box Springs Mountain. Last weekend we hiked up to the big UCR “C” that overlooks UCR and Riverside (also on Box Springs Mountain).

The trail is defined on Google maps, so just search for “The Big “C” Trail, 92507″ on maps.google.com if you are interested in finding the trail. If you decide to hike to the “C”, please be careful since you have to walk over an active railroad line.

Update 10/14/2015… Please see this warning from the city and university posted to Facebook on 10/13/2015 that fast-moving Metrolink trains will begin running on these tracks:

Also, make sure you bring enough water.

I think our hike up to the “M” was longer, but I remember it being a gradual climb with a few steep parts. The “C” hike seemed to be steeper and more challenging, or maybe I’m just in worse shape now than I was when we hiked up to the “M”. My kids had no problem making it up to the “C”, so that should probably tell me something. Actually, I saw a few younger and fitter people hiking up the trail on our way down who were doing their own share of huffing and puffing, so I don’t feel too bad.

The “C”, along with many of the rocks on the way up, is covered with graffiti. There was some trash, but not as much as I expected considering this is probably a place that some college students visit for extracurricular activities (if I had gone to college at UCR, I would have spent time up there). Of course, no trash would be better.

Here is an old picture of the “C” without the graffiti from UCR’s website:

The view is definitely worth the climb.

My size thirteens on the “C”…

A little history about the “C” from UCR’s website (retrieved 11/30/12):

August, 1955
The big “C” on Box Springs Mountain is made with cement and equipment donated by the E.L. Yeager Construction Co. Surveying work is done by students. At 132 feet long, it is the largest concrete block letter on record.

Looking for more hiking spots in and around the Inland Empire? Check out our list of Places to Hike in Riverside and Beyond. #hikeriverside

First Hike up to the Giant “M”

March 2, 2012 by Ole Leave a Comment

Have you ever thought about climbing up to the big “M” on Box Springs Mountain? We have, and we finally did it last weekend.

If you don’t know what I’m writing about, the big “M” overlooks Moreno Valley and is visible from the 215 and 60 freeways as you pass by or through Moreno Valley.

I didn’t have any idea where to start our hike so I checked out the area around the “M” on Google maps. I noticed a parking lot off Hidden Springs Dr. (near Pigeon Pass Rd.), which turned out to be for the Box Springs Mountain Park. There is a trail map at the park (which someone decided to draw pictures on), but it didn’t help us too much so I am glad that I looked at the aerial photos first.

After our hike, I visited Riverside County’s rivcoparks.org website, which has a map of the various trails on Box Springs Mountain. We followed the “M” Trail (the red line), which the rivcoparks.org website lists as difficult.

Although we didn’t see many people on the trail, we did see a range of people including parents with kids, young adults with dogs, and a few elder statesmen who left us in the dust.

Once we reached the “M”, the view was great, although it was a bit of a hazy day.

The “M” is so large that I couldn’t fit it all into the frame when I was standing just slightly downhill from it.

You can’t see it too well in this picture, but there is quite a bit of graffiti on the “M”. I wonder if people would continue to deface the “M” if they knew how much time, effort and money volunteers have contributed to maintain the “M” since it was originally constructed in the mid-1960s. Unfortunately, I believe the answer is that some people still would.

If you take the “M” trail, bring enough water to last you to the “M” and back. Other than the drinking fountain at the bottom of the mountain, there is no water on the trail.

There are some challenging spots, especially if you choose to take some of the straight up paths rather than the zigzag paths. We hiked the trail in running shoes, but we might buy hiking boots for our next hike to handle the slippery and steep parts of the trail better. Unlike Mt. Rubidoux, the trail leading up to the “M” is all dirt and rock.

Next time we visit Box Springs Mountain, we will try to find out how to reach the big “C” that overlooks UCR.

Looking for more hiking spots in and around the Inland Empire? Check out our list of Places to Hike in Riverside and Beyond. #hikeriverside

New Parking Restrictions Near Mt. Rubidoux

May 14, 2011 by Ole 7 Comments

We enjoy visiting Mt. Rubidoux and hiking its many trails. We haven’t had any problems finding parking, but that might change due to a recent decision by the Riverside City Council to add new parking restrictions.

From the City Council and Redevelopment Agency Regular and Special Meeting Minutes for 5/10/11:

PREFERENTIAL PARKING ZONES – MT. RUBIDOUX – RESOLUTION
Following discussion, the City Council (1) adopted a resolution to establish a “No Parking Any Time, except for residents with permits” Zone […]

Where are the preferential parking zones?

From Resolution No. 22213 (click for larger image):

From a Public Works Department memo dated 5/10/2011 (click for a larger image):

Why did the City take this action?

From Resolution No. 22213:

WHEREAS, the staff received a petition from seventy-eight (78%) of residents on designated portions of University Avenue, Ninth Street, Tenth Street, Eleventh Street, Redwood Drive, Glenwood Drive, Mt. Rubidoux Drive and Loring Drive, requesting establishment of preferential parking zones; […]

Happy Hiking!… if you can find a place to park.

First Hike up Mount Rubidoux

August 9, 2010 by Ole Leave a Comment

Our family went on our first hike up Mount Rubidoux on Saturday. Actually, the main trails that lead you up and down the hill are paved, so it was more like a steep walk.

There are two main trails, the “Up Road” and the “Down Road”. According to the Friends of Mt. Rubidoux website, the Up Road is 2.25 miles long and the Down Road is 1.25 miles long.

We parked at the bottom of the Down Road on Glenwood Dr. and started making our way up toward the top. This was a completely unplanned trip for us, so four of us ended up making the trek in flip-flops. I recommend wearing shoes. I also recommend bringing water since the only water fountains we found were at the bottom.

Even on a somewhat hazy day, the views at the top were worth the hike. However, I was disappointed that the cross at the top of the hill was defaced by some graffiti. Not a lot, but it looks like the cross has been repainted many times to combat the taggers.

Taggers: Is nothing sacred? Shouldn’t a cross be off limits?

Aside from the graffiti and the tasteless (in my opinion) karaoke fliers someone left at the base of the cross, Serra Cross is a beautiful sight.

We will go back.

——————-

Update: 08/16/2010

An interesting article from pe.com: “Permit parking sought by residents near Mount Rubidoux”

Looking for more hiking spots in and around the Inland Empire? Check out our list of Places to Hike in Riverside and Beyond.

Click on the thumbnails below to view full-size images: