Laverna nature preserve9/5/2023 Trails are marked with a fence to keep you from straying into fragile areas. Cows graze on this land - some close to the trail - home to sprawling oak trees and boulder-strewn fields. Hiking trails at the preserve are short and exposed, with a pastoral feel. ![]() The drive along Highland Valley Road takes you on a pretty winding route past wineries (worth a stop before or after) through the Santa Maria Valley. Volcan Mountain Wilderness Preserveġ7430 Highland Valley Road, Ramona, Calif. The preserve usually requires dogs to be leashed, but at certain times they may be under “voice command.” There’s also a heat index chart that explains when it may be too hot to take your dog. Trails are well marked on a single-sheet map available at the trailhead (the nature center is closed due to the pandemic). You can press on and hook into more routes that overlook nearby Olivenhain Dam. Those who want views of the surrounding hills and mesas should head to the Way Up Trail, an uphill 1½-mile one-way hike to the Harmony Grove overlook at about 1,000 feet in elevation. From the parking lot, the walk to the grove is less than a quarter mile, with easy terrain suitable for young children. Oak Idyll, a small grove of oak trees with a stone bench that faces Escondido Creek, is a good place to relax or meditate. Eleven miles of trails are open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. It’s a sweet site where you can hike on trails along the creek or up above the canyon. “Elfin forest” refers to chaparral, which is the dominant habitat in this 784-acre preserve managed by the Olivenhain Municipal Water District. to half-hour before sunsetĭogs OK on leash and off-leash at posted times Santa Margarita River Trail PreserveĨ833 Harmony Grove Road, Escondido, Calif. Check out the hiking/biking map posted at trailheads for more options. Bicyclists can take the El Camino Viejo Bike Trail down the canyon, an easy 5.2-mile course each way. The more ambitious Tule Elk Trail, steep in places, climbs the other side of the creek to an overlook with sweeping views (4.6 miles each way). If you want to go farther, it’s 3.8 miles one way. When you’re ready to explore, take the easy San Emigdio Canyon Trail that follows the creek about a mile to Raven’s Landing, which offers good views of the canyon and the San Joaquin Valley. ![]() From California 166, follow a long paved road past a stone quarry to the well-marked entrance. Summer brings much higher temperatures, so get there early in the day to avoid midday heat. It has a year-round creek lined with sycamore and cottonwood trees, 40 miles of hiking trails, a dozen campsites, a small waterfall, considerable rock art and cultural treasures (off-limits to the public because they are fragile), and thousands of plant and animal species. Elevations in the preserve start with rolling grasslands at 600 feet and climb to juniper and pinyon forests at 6,000 feet. The site was a cattle ranch before the nonprofit bought the property more than two decades ago to protect and conserve the spot where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevada meet. “This is one of the most dynamic landscapes in California,” Peppel said, referring to the five eco-regions on the property, which require careful attention. It’s hard to believe the 93,000-acre preserve exists in the southern San Joaquin Valley, better known for oil fields and farmlands that stretch from Bakersfield to Stockton.
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