Inland Empire

The Inland Empire is a land of peaks and valleys, a place where you can ski in the morning and skate in the afternoon. Yet when asked where they like to skate, local in-liners invariably cite the beach boardwalks of San Diego, Orange, and Los Angeles counties. Why? Heat and smog, for one: the urge to escape to the cooler cost could explain why this region has so few dedicated pathways for folks on wheels.

The best Inland in-lining can be found in the Moreno Valley and up at Lake Perris, especially on a clear spring day when the view and the wildflowers are at their finest. The small mountain ranges have a rocky beauty that hints at what you?ll see when you visit the San Bernardino and San Jacinto ranges--their bigger brothers beyond.

For the determined street and hill skater, a few bike routes are worth considering: Lytle Creek Road, about eight miles northeast of downtown San Bernardino; San Timoteo Canyon Road, bordering the southwest edge of Redlands; and the Lake Gregory loop up in Crestline. But since their pavement and road-shoulder space are too dicey for enjoyable and safe skating, they aren't described in this book.

Trail	City	Distance	Scenic	Ability	Pavement
Iris Street and Moreno Beach Drive	Moreno Valley	10 mi
Lake Perris East	Moreno Valley	11.5 mi
Lake Perris Sidewalks	Moreno Valley	5 mi
Lake Perris West	Moreno Valley	6 mi
Bordwell Park	Riverside	1 mi
Seccombe Lake	San Bernardino	3 mi