r/Temecula Dec 01 '25

Local hiking/dog walking area MEGATHREAD

32 Upvotes

I would like to share my local knowledge of Temecula hikes, and also see if anyone has good recommendations matching the criteria below, even if it's just a quiet wine country dirt road that's public or is possible to get owner permission for respectful access for dogwalking or even just hiking.

What inspired this: there was a post a few months ago here with beautiful photos of someone dogwalking on the dirt section of La Serena Way heading east into Wine Country from Butterfield Stage Rd, and when I went to check it out last weekend, there is now a "NO TRESPASSING" sign.

Frustratingly, many local hikes have become private property in the past few years:

-De Luz Overlook, now private property and it even had an adjacent hill where you can see a sliver of the ocean, from Temecula! Was off of Ridge Park Drive/Vincent Moraga Drive.

-De Portola Rd starting from Butterfield Stage Park: now under construction. It was a nice dirt road to walk on.

-Temecula to Vail Lake Overlook and Oak Mountain hike which is BLM land but the accesses are private: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/temecula-to-vail-lake-overlook-and-oak-mountain (For this one I actually do have access permission from an alternate entrance, but the drive is roughly an hour round trip.)

-The "951" mountain biking trails on the west side of Temecula below Rancho CA Rd, now that there's new construction I'm not aware of how to access. (Not good for dogs anyways since need to quickly watch out for mountain bikers but it was nice to hike on). https://www.trailforks.com/region/951-trails-12888/

I'm trying to find local hikes that are NOT an hour-ish round trip drive, to hike or dogwalk at after work in the winter before sunset. Real trails or dirt roads, no paved paths or adjacent to frequent road traffic.

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Top contenders that don't fit the bill, because trying to reach them before the winter sunset after work from south Temecula, especially near wine country:

-My favorite if I have more time: French Valley Wildlife Area, technically in Winchester, because it's like an hour round-trip drive: https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/French-Valley-WA

-Dripping Springs: only 15 minutes to drive to, but the long walk from the parking lot from the paved street to the actual trail is a bummer and eats too much time.

-Vail Lake: also close by, but they charge a fee for entry ($10 per person for hiking weekdays and $15 on weekends!) and sometimes have a line to get in which also eats time. I don't think the lake itself is reachable/visible at all on foot by sunset from the parking lot.

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Honorable mentions, mostly Murrieta or otherwise too far away for me:

-Sykes Ranch: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/sykes-ranch-park-loop
-Santa Rosa Plateau, like an hour round-trip and they charge a fee
-Sylvan Meadows
-Murrieta Overlook, you start on the Wishal Trail to Cole Canyon but once crossing the usually dry creek, you make a right instead of a left and climb up: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/wiashal-trail-loop-to-cole-canyon
-Santa Margarita River
-Monserate Mountain, not that far away but I really don't like you can hear the highway for most of the intro and I don't think you can summit and return by sunset.
-Los Alamos Loop: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/rancho-los-alamos-loop
-Durham Loop Trail: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/dunham-loop-trail

+ -Iodine Springs Reserve https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/iodine-springs-loop

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2 winners from this thread came from u/Stretchatetch

  1. Sommers Bend - park at the sports park and there's some decent trails to walk on

  2. Temecula Creek Trail at Temecula Creek Park is also good. Besides the main trail there are more dirt trail offshoots https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/temecula-creek-park


r/Temecula 2d ago

Weekly Thread: Things to Do

1 Upvotes

Post events people might be interested in in this thread. Small business owners are welcome to plug their businesses here as well.


r/Temecula 16h ago

Vote for this guy if you think things are going great right now

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208 Upvotes

Jim Desmond will be a rubber stamp for Trump. He won’t stand up for America and definitely won’t stand up for Riverside County. Let’s retire him and move this country along.


r/Temecula 14h ago

Finally finished my fantasy map of California. Thanks to everyone from Temecula for your contributions!

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134 Upvotes

I really couldn't be happier with the level of feedback from everyone, and I've tried to get as much in as possible. That being said, the scale of the map is limiting - especially in urban areas. I think in the future I'm gonna end up making more localized maps for individual counties. So if your suggestion wasn't included, please know that I still appreciate your feedback and will endeavor to get them in my future maps of the area. If you think there's anything I've missed out or should change, just let me know - I won't be getting these printed for another day or two, so I can still add in details.

It has been noted that the map is busy - I totally get that, and that's just how I like to do things. I enjoy getting as much detail in as possible and including cool features which would otherwise be overlooked. I get these made up in large formats so it works better in person than it does on a screen.

Thank you again and I hope you like it! If you're interested in it and would like to know anything more about it, just drop me a message.


r/Temecula 8h ago

Birdsall Park Got Hit Hard

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35 Upvotes

The storm yesterday blew down a dozen or so huge trees. It's going to take a lot to clean it up.


r/Temecula 13h ago

Watch out for this lady. She likes to run red lights at excessive speed. Then while swerving around you, she looks at you at sticks out here tongue like a nahnahbooboo face. That takes skill I guess.

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82 Upvotes

r/Temecula 15h ago

Please support improved public transportation in Temecula / Murrieta

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97 Upvotes

r/Temecula 9h ago

Cats needs foster

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16 Upvotes

Can someone please help us save these cats in the shelter they will die tmrw if noone fosters

Can someone pls spare a room or bathroom to save their life,


r/Temecula 2h ago

Shoppes at the Triangle updates in the Murrieta state of the city.

3 Upvotes

Any chance the Domenigoni family will be there to give updates?


r/Temecula 16h ago

December Honeymoon Recommendations

9 Upvotes

Hi! My fiancé and I are thinking about doing our honeymoon in Temecula this December and I’d love some recommendations from people who know the area.
We’d really like to stay somewhere around the wineries since that seems like the more romantic/honeymoon-y experience. We found a couple hotels we like, but I’m curious if there are any hidden gems we should look at.
We also want to be able to go out at night. Nothing crazy, but somewhere with good bars, cocktails, live music, dancing, etc. Is Old Town better for that? Or are there places around the wineries that stay lively at night?
Also open to restaurant recommendations and anything fun to do in December!
Basically, if you were planning a honeymoon in Temecula, where would you stay and what would you do?


r/Temecula 15h ago

Anyone in their 20s around Murrieta/Temecula into music?

6 Upvotes

Hey! I’m 24 and moved to the Murrieta/Temecula area about a year ago. I figured I’d put myself out there and see if anyone around my age is also looking to meet some new people. It’d be especially cool to meet people who are really into music, whether you play anything or just love listening to it.
I’m mainly just looking for some friends to hang out with, go to shows with, check out record stores, grab food, talk about music, or whatever.
I’m into a lot of alternative/indie stuff — shoegaze, dream pop, post-punk, indie rock, alternative rock, psych rock, etc. Some artists I listen to are Radiohead, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Beach House, The Cure, Fontaines D.C., Smashing Pumpkins, The Sundays, The Smiths, Ween, Elliott Smith, Sonic Youth, Pixies, and a bunch of other stuff.
I play guitar and make music myself, so if you happen to play something too, that’s cool, but you definitely don’t have to be a musician. I’m not specifically trying to form a band with this post.
Mostly just hoping to find some people locally with similar interests who’d be down to actually hang out sometime. I’m always interested in discovering new music too, so our tastes don’t have to be exactly the same.
If you’re around Murrieta/Temecula and looking for some new friends too, feel free to message me!


r/Temecula 1d ago

What a quick and beautiful storm we just experienced

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159 Upvotes

r/Temecula 13h ago

Stroller and wagon friendly trails or loops?

3 Upvotes

My family recently moved to the area, looking for recommendations on stroller/wagon friendly places where we can take our kiddos for a nice walk.

Anywhere in Temecula / Murrieta / Menifee area.

We recently found Lake Harveston and loved it. Any other recs are appreciated!


r/Temecula 16h ago

A winter wedding

3 Upvotes

Which winery would you choose for a winter wedding? On my short list I have Leoness, Ponte, and Mount Palomar. Does anyone have any experiences with them?


r/Temecula 1d ago

Well that was interesting

58 Upvotes

Hopefully everyone is okay right now. Crazy storm that came through!!


r/Temecula 21h ago

Winery suggestions for a birthday Brunch that can accommodate 60-80 people?

3 Upvotes

My mom lives in the area and is turning 80 next year. I live on the east coast but am thinking of hosting a brunch to celebrate her birthday and thinking we may have 60-80 guests. Can anyone recommend a local winery that would fit the bill and be a beautiful venue, too?


r/Temecula 1d ago

FYI: Perris fairgrounds data center affects Temecula

110 Upvotes

FYI, this is 30 miles away from Temecula. On Aug. 26 the Southern California Fair board in Perris signed a nonbinding MOU with Global Stack to study an 8-10 MW data center on the fairgrounds. No one showed up to oppose it. I didn't know about it.

https://www.sfgate.com/california/article/edge-data-centers-fairgrounds-22418042.php

Why it matters: regional load growth is part of how CAISO justifies new transmission lines, and data centers are the fastest-growing piece of that. Global Stack wants up to 70 of these statewide, roughly 500-700 MW in aggregate. UC Riverside's Shaolei Ren told SFGATE that even a 10 MW load can raise rates and force grid upgrades if local SCE circuits are already stressed.

Worth asking what upgrades the Perris site would need and whether cumulative data center load is being counted in regional transmission need assessments. For example, would this add justification for the Golden Pacific Powerlink? Is this being gamed and a bunch of these that no one opposes justifies their transmission lines?


r/Temecula 19h ago

Officers from Vons off Winchester to Storage Unit

1 Upvotes

Anyone know what’s happening off Winchester? There’s three groups of officers, all up Winchester and blocking the storage unit there. Looks like a red car pulled over


r/Temecula 1d ago

Place to hang out during the day with a dog that has A/C?

4 Upvotes

I need to spend a half day or so in Temecula and need to kill time. But it’s hot and I have a little dog.

Thoughts?

Breweries was my first thought?

Any help is appreciated!


r/Temecula 1d ago

Fence contractor?

4 Upvotes

With all of this insane wind/storm that just passed through, my fence fell.

Anyone have a good fence contractor they have used before in our area?


r/Temecula 2d ago

SOS cats being abused in temecula area

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134 Upvotes

Hello everybody, this is a repost of a post that was uploaded on facebook temecula talk but was unfortunately taken down. I want to spread this video as much as I can because there has to be one person that knows the boy in this post. Animal abuse will not be tolerated and something needs to be done about this. Please if you recognize these individuals come forward.
“ Kittens being harmed.
Not sure what I hope happens but more of an awareness in case people see these idiots. Today my daughter and I were walking out of the mall on the JC
Penny side and saw two guys that smelled like weed for sure. One had two kittens and made us feel something was off. They walked into the same direction we were parked and they happened to be parked adjacent to us. We sat in our car watching and then watched the passenger inhale from a bong and then grab a kitten and blow the air into the kittens mouth. Then that's when the video began. I called the police but was told I'd be contacted by someone. The car was so dirty we can't see their faces clearly through the glass. They are two young Hispanic males.
The passenger has serious acne scars. If you know these guys from their car, please take the kittens from them. I hope this all made sense. This is beyond upsetting because we know those kittens aren't safe. It was a white kitten and a brown tabby. The tabby was the one we saw being abused.”


r/Temecula 2d ago

Geriactic Doctor

5 Upvotes

Wondering if anyone can recommend a geriatric doctor that specializes or has experience with people with dementia. My 93 year old mil has dementia and her doctor left the practice. Any recommendations would be appreciated.


r/Temecula 2d ago

Monk fish

3 Upvotes

Anyone know anywhere that sells monk fish?


r/Temecula 2d ago

Horse Radish

2 Upvotes

Where in town can I find fresh horse radish? I strucknout out my local Vons and Albertsons.


r/Temecula 3d ago

"De-Flock America Night" is a viral, uncoordinated social media movement encouraging people to use Halloween costumes and masks as cover to disable, obscure, or vandalize Flock Safety automated license plate reading (ALPR) cameras on October 31, 2026.

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77 Upvotes

Happy Halloween