inland empire hiking

Our First Visit to Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park – Riverside

November 13, 2018 by Ole 1 Comment

We love to hike, but sometimes we’re more interested in exploring wide-open spaces than climbing to the top of a hill. Last Sunday, my wife and I planned to spend the day roaming the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve in Murrieta, but decided to stay local and visit the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park in Riverside instead.

While Sycamore Canyon is tucked in between homes and businesses, it is much larger than we expected. From myscamorecanyon.com:

The Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park is a large 1,500 acre public open space park that is one of eight protected, core reserves. Designated by the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency (RCHCA) for the Federally-listed endangered species Dipodomys stephensi, the Stephens’ kangaroo rat (SKR), the park serves as both a habitat and a recreational hub.

We went for a 3.4-mile hike and only explored a small part of the park.

Since this was our first trip, I checked the internet to find out where to go. I found this map on mysycamorecanyon.com:

We started at the main trail head near The Ameal Moore Nature Center on Central Ave. According to the website, this is the only entrance with a dedicated parking lot. The nature center didn’t have any maps to hand out, so the attendant suggested we use Google Maps to navigate. We didn’t use any maps, but used one of the higher peaks as our landmark since the trails aren’t marked. There are also no bathrooms or drinking fountains out on the trails.

The peak near the middle of the picture is the one we used as our landmark while hiking.

This is the view from a rock formation near the Sycamore Highlands Park. We look forward to going back on a clear day.

My wife enjoying the view.

Even though we didn’t go further into the park, we still found ourselves surrounded by nature.

We even made some new friends.

We hope to get on the other side of this ravine on a future trip.

This is the view from the peak we used as our landmark.

This is me standing at the top.

Nice day. We will be back.

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

Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park
400 Central Avenue, Riverside, CA 92507
mysycamorecanyon.com

Diamond Valley Lake View Trail. I Hiked It. All 21.8 Miles. Ouch.

May 23, 2017 by Ole Leave a Comment

I drove out to Diamond Valley Lake a few days ago to hike the 21.8-mile Lake View Trail. Lake View Trail is a loop that runs along the shore of Diamond Valley Lake.

** Update – I went back again a week later and have updated this post. **

First Try – Out of Time:

On my first visit, I arrived at about 11:15 AM with the goal of finishing by 6:15 PM. The person who took my money at the marina ($9 for parking and $2 for a trail pass) told me that the marina closed at 6:45 PM. No problem.

At around 5:45 PM with about 3 miles remaining, I called the marina office to find out what would happen if I didn’t make it back by 6:45 PM. Normally, three miles in one hour would be no problem, but I was sore and almost out of water so I knew it was going to be rough.

I was told that I would be issued a ticket and fined $75 if I arrived after 6:45 PM, so I hung up the phone and kept going… until Justin and Stan picked me up about fifteen minutes later and drove me the last few miles back to the marina. My 21.8-mile hike had turned into a 19-mile hike.

Thanks to Justin and Stan for picking me up and being so cool about it.

Second Try – Mission Accomplished:

I went back a week later with three times the amount of water I took the first time… 6 liters in total. Mission accomplished.

Proper hydration made a HUGE difference.

Apparently, there aren’t a lot of people who try to complete the full loop. There should be a t-shirt.

Here are some pictures from my two visits:

The trail starts and ends at the marina parking lot. I assume you can go either direction, but I started at the west end of the parking lot (near the boat ramp) both times.

This is a “no body-contact reservoir” so there is no swimming, but you can launch your boat or rent one from the marina if you want to spend the day on the water.

I never really think about mountain lions when I see these signs, but I started thinking about them toward the end of my first visit. Adding up both days, I probably saw fewer than 10 other people out on the trail, and only a few cyclists on the far side of the lake. There were a few remote spots that had me looking over my shoulder.

I very rarely see snakes when I’m out hiking, but I saw this guy or girl on my second trip. My Google skills tell me that this might be a rosy boa.

There are mile markers along the trail so you can keep track of your progress.

When I reached the helipad on my first visit, I was ready for a helicopter to come pick me up. Wishful thinking.

There are small rest areas along the trail about three to five miles apart that mainly consist of picnic tables and some shade. There are also portable restrooms at many of the rest areas, but there is NO DRINKING WATER.

The view from the west dam looking back toward the marina in the east:

After about 9-10 miles, I finally reached the other side of the lake.

This big wall of rock is near the 17-mile mark, and is a fitting metaphor because I felt like I had hit a wall by this point during my first visit.

This was the view near the end of my second visit from the east dam looking west. I didn’t get to enjoy this view the first time I went. I’m glad I went back.

If you want to try the full 21.8-mile hike, here are a few tips:

If you’re not accustomed to walking long distances, don’t try it. The trail is mostly flat, but there are some inclines and 21.8 miles is a LONG distance.
Don’t try it when it is hot. It was in the mid 80s when I tried it the first time, and that was a mistake.
Bring a lot of water (and food, especially if it will take you all day). I took 64 ounces of water (2 liters) on my first visit and it was not enough. I took 6 liters on my second visit. There are rest stops with some shade and picnic tables about every three to five miles, but THERE IS NO DRINKING WATER ON THE TRAIL.
Bring your cell phone. Make sure to sign in at the marina so they know you’re on the trail.
Don’t go alone. I saw very few people on the trail, and I was the only person to try the full hike. I would have been on my own if anything bad had happened to me.
Bring sun protection.
Start early. Make sure you have time to finish or face a $75 fine.

If you have walked (or run) the entire 21.8 miles (or tried), share your experience in the comment section.

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

Diamond Valley Lake Marina
2615 Angler Ave
Hemet, CA 92545
www.dvlake.com
dvmarina.com

Tenaja Falls near Murrieta, CA. Sketchy road, pretty hike, slippery rocks.

April 8, 2017 by Ole 2 Comments

We visited Tenaja Falls near Murrieta for the first time today. Tenaja Falls is located in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness area of the Cleveland National Forest.

Here is a recap of our hike in pictures:

The Tenaja Falls trailhead…

Here is the trail map on the board at the Tenaja Falls trailhead (click for an online map). Notice the Teneja trailhead at the bottom of the map. We drove past that one, and headed to the Tenaja Falls trailhead at the top left of the map.

Here are the directions to the Tenaja Falls trailhead as provided by the US Forest Service:

DRIVING DIRECTIONS FROM I-15 TO TENAJA, FISHERMAN’S CAMP AND TENAJA FALLS TRAILHEADS:
I-15 to Clinton Keith road, go west. Clinton Keith becomes Tenaja Road after 2 miles. Stay on Tenaja Road for another 8 miles to Cleveland Forest Road. Turn right on Cleveland Forest Road one mile to Wilderness boundary and Tenaja trailhead parking. Road becomes South Main Divide (7S04). Fisherman’s Camp trailhead is another 3 miles north along road. Tenaja Falls trailhead is another 2 miles north. Ortega Highway (Hwy 74) is 15 miles north of Tenaja Falls.

The road to reach the trailheads is a single-lane road with turnouts, ruts, cliffs and blind curves. Cars going in the opposite direction can appear very quickly as shown in this video from our drive back from Teneja Falls…

A few rules and warnings…

The start of the trail…

Inside this box is a clipboard with a sign-in sheet…

We had no problems following the trail…

Over rocks…

Across a creek (I slipped on a loose rock on the way back, but I saved my phone and camera)…

A few more pictures along the trail…

Our first view of the waterfall…

This is located at the top of the waterfall. I assume that you could read the elevation at some point…

I saw this lizard hanging out at the top of the falls…

This is the top portion of the waterfall. Although the rocks are very slippery and the fall could be disastrous, a bunch of people climbed down to wade in this pool…

We didn’t wade in the pool, but we did climb down to stick our feet in the running water…

One last view on our way back out…

Since we went on a Saturday, there were quite a few people on the trail. Everyone we met was friendly. We had a few people offer to take pictures of us, and one person even gave us a hand climbing back up to the top of the falls. Our trail shoes work great on the dirt, but were horrible on the slick rocks. If you go, please be careful.

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

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

Happy New Year! A Few Random Pictures from the First Morning of 2017

January 1, 2017 by Ole 6 Comments

The first sunrise of 2017. The view from Lake Mathews in Riverside, California.

A seemingly fat and happy hawk overlooking “A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive in Riverside, California.

A millipede crossing “A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive in Riverside, California.

Hope everyone has a great 2017.

Is Your New Year’s Resolution to Exercise More?

December 29, 2016 by Mrs. Ole Leave a Comment

How about giving running a try? I know there are a lot of you out there who hate running, me included. I’ve never been a gym rat and I needed to find a way to get some exercise in a couple times a week. I tried walking, but unless I walked five miles a day it really wasn’t doing much for me.

I decided to give running a try, and so started my running adventure. By writing this article about my running experience, I hope that it might encourage you to try running too.

In the beginning, I started slow – more walking than running. I probably averaged a 5-1 ratio, meaning five minutes of walking to one minute of running. But hey, at least I was moving. I did this three times a week for about 40 minutes a day. I hated it at first but stuck to it. Now I’m running about three miles every other day, and I’m actually enjoying it. The benefits are great – more energy and I found my waist again.

There are a lot of great tools out there to help you get started. I found two apps that you can download on your phone that I really enjoy: Interval Timer and Runkeeper. Both of these apps are free, too.

The Interval Timer app has a timer you can set that tells you when to walk and when to run. For example, if you want to walk for three minutes then run for one minute you can set the timer for those times. Here is some info on the app from iTunes:

We’re proud to introduce this handy little app that helps you keep track of your work and rest periods during workouts. Whether your into cycling, running, lifting weights, exercise, workout, stretching, boxing, MMA or HIT, this interval timer will prove to be an invaluable asset to you.

The Runkeeper app is what I’m using now. This app uses GPS to track distance, location, time and more. Here is some info on the app from iTunes:

Everyone. Every run. Join the community that helps people get out the door and stick with running forever! Track exercise, set goals, sweat, and see progress along the way. Whether you’re working your way up to tracking a 5K goal or deep into marathon training, use the GPS app trusted by 50 million users and counting.

The only other things I’d recommend are a good pair of running shoes (I currently prefer Asics), ear buds and some good tunes. Give running a try. You might just enjoy it.

“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.

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

November 21, 2016 by Ole Leave a Comment

Update #1: Unofficially, I have heard that paving might begin the week after Thanksgiving.
Update #2: I have heard from the County that paving is scheduled to begin on 11/28/16, with an expected opening date of 1/1/17.
Update #3: Paving has begun…

———————————————
Some pictures of “A” Street / Citrus Heights Drive in the City of Riverside, California from a few days ago…

Looks to me like paving can’t be too far off. I will update this post with new pictures if paving begins this month. I have also sent an email to the County to get an update on the current estimated completion date.

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.