Upcoming Hikes Planned with Loma Linda Parks and Historical Society

Join your friends and neighbors in a hike through the backcountry of Loma Linda’s South Hills Preserve. The Loma Linda Parks and Historical Society is organizing its second community hiking event, called “Head for the Hills,” to increase public awareness of the Preserve and its miles of trails. The first hike, led by Bob Ziprick, will be a strenuous one, taking hikers up the Jedi Trail to the highest point in Loma Linda. That hike starts at 7 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 8. A second, less taxing hike starts at 8 a.m. This one, led by local biologists and teachers, will concentrate on the flora and fauna of the Preserve. This leisurely hike will stay on the relatively level terrain of Scott Canyon. Both hikes should end about 10 a.m. Hikers should gather at the South Hills Preserve trailhead in Hulda Crooks Park at the extreme south end of Mt. View Avenue. The trailhead is located in the lower level of the park, near the dog parks. Once inside the park, take the left fork and park between the dog park and the tennis courts. Loma Linda’s South Hills contain miles of trails where you may expect to find people hiking, mountain biking, or horseback riding. The City has been collecting land in the hills since 1995, and the city-owned land is now a wildland preserve totaling nearly 2,000 acres. There are 22 named trails in the South Hills Preserve, ranging in difficulty from easy to very difficult. The Preserve is a favorite destination for Southern California mountain bikers, and popular for local day-hikers. The Parks and Historical Society will have a booth at the trailhead from 7 through 11 a.m., where hikers may pick up trail maps and a trail guide that details all the trails in the Preserve. Participants can join the organized hikes or set off on their own to explore the Preserve. “One of the great things about the Preserve is that if the going gets too tough, you can always go back the way you came, which is usually downhill,” says Jim Shipp, president of the Loma Linda Parks and Historical Society. Hikers who join the 7 a.m. hike will travel up Scott Canyon, climb the difficult Jedi Trail, famous to local mountain bikers, then continue on to hike the West Ridge Trail, a difficult trail that leads to the highest point in the Preserve, an unnamed peak that rises 2,166 feet above sea level and gives a panoramic view of the San Bernardino Valley. Bob Ziprick, the leader of the 7 a.m. hike, will share information about the unique fault-produced geology of the South Hills at points during the hike. The hike at 8 a.m. will not subject hikers to that level of difficulty. Hikers may see rabbits, deer, coyotes or burros. There have been very infrequent sightings of bobcats and wild boars. Rattlesnakes are seldom seen out during cool weather months, but should be left alone if encountered. Bathrooms are located in the upper level of Hulda Crooks Park, but there are no bathrooms and no water available in the Preserve. Hikers are advised to wear sturdy walking or hiking shoes and carry a walking stick or sticks, if needed. The trails are gravely to sandy, hard in some places and loosely packed in others. “It’s a good idea to take some water with you, but probably not to drink more than you need, since the bathrooms are back at the Park,” says Shipp. “At this point there are no boulders, and only one bench to sit on inside the Preserve,” says Shipp. “We’d like to have a few rest stops set up without detracting from the natural beauty of the Preserve.” Interested hikers or mountain bikers may download a trail map at the Society’s website, www.lomalindahills.org, or contact Jim Shipp at 909-796-9622 for more information about the Preserve or the Dec. 8 hike.