I had a couple hours to kill in Corona CA while my husband attended an art class the last couple weeks — and luckily discovered this wonderful area in the Cleveland National Forest. Nice, mature chaparral, lots of birdlife during my dusk walks, and beautiful scenery. There are issues with parking (see below) [Read more...]
Great hikes: Head to the Crafton Hills
April 24, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
I’m always on the lookout for hikes that feature our area’s rich California native habitat and wildlife — and Crafton Hill’s Grape Street Trail in Yucaipa provides plenty of that. It’s an intermediate trail that takes you up a not-too-steep hill to nice views [Read more...]
Great Hikes: ‘Wild’ Wildwood Canyon State Park
March 7, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
I discovered another great, secluded hiking area in the inland area - Wildwood Canyon State Park – tucked away off Wildwood Canyon Road in Yucaipa, California. In another example of the importance of land conservation [Read more...]
Great hikes: Oakmont Park (Redlands CA)
February 21, 2013 by · 1 Comment
In 2010, Carol Blaney moved with her family to the Inland Empire from Yosemite National Park, where as an interpretive park ranger she worked with Yosemite’s stunning scenery as her backdrop. The transition was helped when Blaney came across Redland’s Oakmont Park – she felt she had discovered a wild place. [Read more...]
Great hikes: Coachella Valley’s McCallum Trail
December 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
I finally made it out to Coachella Valley Preserve in Thousand Palms CA (near Palm Springs) to check out one of the hikes, the McCallum Trail, which in only two miles takes you through two palm oases, across the San Andreas Fault zone and through a desert wash. [Read more...]
Great Spots/Hikes: Grout Bay in Big Bear CA
July 19, 2012 by · 2 Comments
I’ve stopped several times at Grout Bay on the north side of Big Bear Lake – and always want to come back. The last time was Tuesday morning where except for one person reading at a picnic table, and one person fishing, I had the place to myself.
What I like: There are hills to explore, great views of the lake, plenty of picnic areas, and no shortage of ducks and other wild fowl. [Read more...]
Great Hikes: Steep but Satisfying Frankish Peak (Upland CA)
June 1, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Note: I’ve started a new category “Great Hikes” which features especially good hiking experiences in native habitat and wildlife (for now in Southern CA.)
I tend to prefer hikes where I have the place to myself. Frankish Peak north of Upland CA satisfies that need, and a recent May late afternoon hike resulted in zero fellow hikers but multiple wildlife sightings amidst beautiful scenery. It’s very steep however, rising 1900 feet in 2 miles, so keep that in mind. (it’s also why there are so few people…) Highlights: the hilltop effect of mating butterflies, [Read more...]
