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  • Riverside, CA

hiking trails - riverside county ca

Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows – Murrieta, CA

May 14, 2022 by Ole 1 Comment

We love the Santa Rosa Plateau, but it isn’t always open… and sometimes when it is open, it isn’t open completely. Back in November 2021, my youngest and I headed out for an early morning hike at Santa Rosa. Unfortunately, it was closed. Fortunately, Sylvan Meadows (located just across the street) was open so we gave it a shot. So, here are some pictures from our first hike at Sylvan Meadows.

Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows

Because Sylvan Meadows and Santa Rosa are only separated by a road, the scenery is similar. There are some big differences, however:

  • Size: Santa Rosa is much larger. According to the rivcoparks.org website, Sylvan Meadows is about 1,000 acres while Santa Rosa is about 9,000 acres.
  • Vernal pools: Santa Rosa has them (during rainy seasons). Sylvan Meadows does not.
  • Adobes: Santa Rosa has them. Sylvan Meadows does not.
  • Bikes / Horses / Dogs: Not allowed at Santa Rosa. Allowed at Sylvan Meadows.
Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows

Like Santa Rosa, the trails are fairly easy to follow. While there are nice sights at Sylvan Meadows, I definitely prefer to hike at Santa Rosa. Sylvan Meadows is great if you want to ride your horse or mountain bike, or bring your dog(s).

Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows
Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows
Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows
Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows

We saw a bunch of these above ground nests and were really curious what kind of animal makes them. According to a few Google searches, it appears that they are made by wood rats.

Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows

Not the greatest picture, but this bird was difficult to catch on camera. I think it’s a blue jay. Bird experts, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows

This little lizard was also difficult to capture in my lens because it fit in so well with the brush.

Our First Hike at Sylvan Meadows

If you miss Santa Rosa and want an “almost” Santa Rosa experience, this is a good spot to try. It’s a great spot if you have a horse.

Filed Under: Animals and Nature, Hiking Tagged With: hiking trails - murrieta ca, hiking trails - riverside county ca

First Hike at Harford Springs Reserve in Riverside

March 1, 2020 by Ole Leave a Comment

Harford Springs Reserve

We tried a new (to us) hiking spot yesterday near Lake Mathews in Riverside… Harford Springs Reserve. Here are a few pictures:

Harford Springs Reserve

We parked at a very small dirt parking lot at 21470 Gavilan Rd. in Perris CA, which is the address listed on the County’s website. Please note that there were no maps, so make sure you come prepared with a GPS device or a paper map. None of us had any cell service during our hike to see where we were, so we just winged it.

Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve

There are some trail markers, but the brush is too tall to get a good view of the trails up ahead.

Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve

If my google skills didn’t fail me, I think this orange stuff is called xanthoria parietina or common orange lichen. According to Wikipedia, a lichen “is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.”

If you know for sure what this is, please let me know in the comments.

Harford Springs Reserve

Because we didn’t have a map, we went old school and climbed to the highest spot so we could see the trails.

Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve

We went off trail for much of our hike and ended up finding this tiny cave.

Harford Springs Reserve
Harford Springs Reserve

It was a nice day for a hike.

Harford Springs Reserve

From the County’s website:

Harford Springs Reserve

Features:
Located at 21470 Gavilan Rd, Perris CA
Park hours 8AM- Sunset
2000 foot elevation
325 acres
Unique trails for all levels of hikers
Equestrian trails
Beautiful foliage and wildflowers

Filed Under: Hiking Tagged With: hike riverside, hiking, hiking trails - riverside county ca, hiking trails - southern ca

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