riverside hiking

“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…

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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.

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

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.

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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: