This hike is definitely a short one. The time it will take you to drive to the trailhead will far exceed the time it takes to make this roundtrip trek, but if you’re looking for a picturesque romantic spot to take that special someone look no further.
Heart Rock Waterfall
The Heart Rock Falls trail is only 1.75 miles roundtrip. This is a trail that anyone can do with only a 200 foot elevation gain.
The trail winds through the pine forest and is always within a stones throw of the creek.
Directions:
Take the 210 and exit at Waterman Avenue. Take Waterman north for about 11 miles to Highway 138. Take 138 for 2.5 miles. This road will take you through a small town and past several cabins. It’s easy to accidentally veer off of 138 so you want to keep checking street signs along the way. You will see a sign on the left for Camp Seely. Make a left into the camp and follow the road to the left and across the small creek. You can park in the small dirt lot directly across from the camp playground. The trailhead is to the left of the lot. You will need an Adventure Pass.
I came across this sad story in the Orange County Register. I can’t really imagine that this had anything to do with the conditions of the trails as Peters Canyon has always been very well maintained.
The stinging nettle is one plant you don’t want to mess with. I’m not sure if I’m just extra sensitive to it or what, but my skin’s reaction to the stinging nettle was nearly identical to when I encountered poison oak. The only current being that I knew immediately that the nettle had stung me.r
The stinging nettle is covered in fine hairs. When they come in contact with your skin you will definitely feel the sting. It feels like little needles jabbing you. The hairs can easily pierce thin layers of clothing too. When these hairs break of, like tiny splinters, they inject toxins which cause itching, redness and in my case blisters.
I have read that most over the counter itch fighting creams can provide relief, but I guess I’m just an odd ball because nothing seems to be giving me any relief!
I would never have guessed that a desert hike would crack my top ten list, but the Ladder Canyon is by far the most visually stunning hike that I have personally experienced in Southern California. I would definitely mark this as a must do for all hikers of all experience levels.
Big Ladder Canyon.
This trail is located in the the Mecca Hills of the Coachella Valley which border the northern shore of the Salton Sea. You probably would not want to attempt this hike during the Summer seeing how the temperature regularly surpasses 110 degrees during those months. We happened to catch a great break in the weather over the Thanksgiving weekend and the high temperature barely hit 80. This area is also known for very windy conditions and is also prone to flash flooding.
A portion of the Little Painted Canyon.
The four mile road into the trail, Painted Canyon Road, is unpaved and quite sandy. A 4-wheel drive vehicle is recommended but not necessary as long as you avoid the sandy patches of the road. We did see someone attempt to take their Mercedes coupe up the road for some unknown reason, and they wound up getting stuck in the sand. You should also pay close attention to where you park your vehicle. Try to select the more compacted soil to avoid getting stuck when trying to make your way out of the canyon.
The Ladder Canyon trail is a 4.5 to 5 mile loop, depending on the route you take, that actual begins and ends in the Big Painted Canyon. The slots of the Ladder Canyon are about 1/4 of a mile from the mouth of the Big Painted Canyon and are accessible only with the use of ladders that have been left by previous hikers. I have heard that the ladders can be swept away during flash floods. If we had not had the ladders present on the day of our hike I am confident in saying that the slots would be impassable.
One of the 3 ladders of the Ladder Canyon slots.
The slots only make up about 3/4 of a mile of this trail and then you make your way up 450 feet to the crest which supplies a beautiful view of the Salton Sea. From here you can choose to loop around through either the Little Painted Canyon, to the left, or the Big Painted Canyon, to the right. We came through the Big Painted Canyon and were treated with the opportunity to do a little repelling. The rock-scape in the canyon is not something I expected to ever find in the state of California. You can thank the San Andreas Fault for the spectacular scenery that is around every curve of the canyon. Overall, this is a very family friendly hike. We observed kids of all ages making their way through the slots….not necessarily making it the entirety of the loop. This was a very awesome experience and I will definitely be out there again in the very near future.
The County Board of Supervisors voted to purchase the privately owned portion of the Santiago Truck Trail and in doing so have saved a popular access point to the Cleveland National Forest.
The County has also announced several initiatives underway to increase public access to some other popular OC trails, including Holy Jim and Blackstar….
When most people think of Corona they think of hot weather and dusty and dry trails. At least that’s what I was thinking. The Tin Mine Trail was none of the above. The actual trail is very well maintained and marked.
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There are signs that point out the poison oak and there are information posts about the mining history of the area. The Tin Mine is all of a mile into the hike and it is right along side the trail. It is closed off to the public with metal posts of course for safety reasons.
The real fun of this hike takes place after the end of the actual trail. You can follow the creek for an additional two miles or so into the canyon. The vegetation is very dense and the canopy protects you from the sun. On the day that we ventured out here it felt more like a rain forest than the desert.
This hike is definitely only kid friendly up to where the marked trail ends. After that it becomes a hike for the more adventurous adults. For those that are extremely adventurous, you can actually make your way from this trail up to Beek’s Place on top of Blackstar Canyon Road.
Directions to Tin Mine Canyon Trail Head
We decided to take a short Monday morning hike out to the red rocks of Whiting Ranch. To our surprise we came across a number of deer. I was able to catch a couple with my phone’s video camera.
The Borrego Trail when combined with the Red Rocks Trail is a 5 mile hike round-trip (2.5 miles in 2.5 miles out). This is a great beginners hike and a hike that even the youngest family member can participate in.
Your Favorite Hiker 