Hidden Valley Wildlife Area (Santa Ana River Trail)

This morning I took my horse down to the Hidden Valley Wildlife Area. It is one of Riverside's forgotten parks. It is an amazing place to spend a summer morning. There is the Santa Ana River Trail that runs along the river bottom where people can bike, run or hike. This section of the trail runs from around Yucaipa to Arlington Ave in Riverside, then stops and restarts again around Green River in Corona and goes all the way to the beach.

The Hidden Valley Wildlife Area has a Nature Center that is open on Saturday's. In addition to the paved bike trail there are many dirt hiking and riding trails that go through the river bottom and many of the ponds in the area. When I was riding a coyote crossed my path only about 15 feet in front of me. There were rabbits, squirrels, and many varieties of birds that I saw during my ride. I passed other people on horses, people on bikes, joggers, and hikers. The Wildlife Area is open from 7am-7pm during the summer. I would suggest going early in the morning or later in the afternoon, and bring water to avoid getting affected by the heat.