r/Temecula • u/ihearthogsbreath • 19h ago
r/Temecula • u/formerDigger220 • Dec 01 '25
Local hiking/dog walking area MEGATHREAD
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
Sommers Bend - park at the sports park and there's some decent trails to walk on
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 • u/ReallStrangeBeef • 1d ago
Weekly Thread: Things to Do
Post events people might be interested in in this thread. Small business owners are welcome to plug their businesses here as well.
r/Temecula • u/damascus_33 • 13h ago
Kitties need home
A bonded pair❤️ anyone willing to adopt these two kitties
They are in a coyote infested area want them off the streets before anything happens to them
Theyre extremely friendly 💔
Temecula
r/Temecula • u/aclgetmoney • 1d ago
I built a free senior resource directory for Temecula Valley — what am I missing?
I’ve been working on a free local resource called Senior Support Finder for seniors, caregivers, and adult children around Temecula Valley and Southwest Riverside County.
The idea came from how scattered senior resources are. If you’re helping a parent, you might be looking for home care one day, transportation the next, then meal assistance, caregiver support, home safety, Medicare/Medi-Cal help, or someone to help with downsizing.
I’ve been trying to put all of that into one searchable place instead of making families hunt through Google and a dozen different agency websites.
It currently has 80+ local providers and community resources, plus guides on things like transportation, meals, caregiver support, aging at home, and home safety.
It’s completely free to use:
seniorsupportfinder.com
I’m still building it out, so I’m actually more interested in feedback than promotion:
If you’ve helped an aging parent or older family member locally, what was surprisingly difficult to find?
That’s been the best way for me to figure out what needs to be added next.
r/Temecula • u/Woody4Water • 15h ago
More free axe throwing!
William Woodrome for Rancho California Water Board. #2 on the ballot.
Tonight, Tuesday, October 13th, at Murrieta Hot Springs, I'm offering free axe throwing as a meet and greet for my candidacy for the water district.
Free Axe Throwing for all 16+ with ID and closed toe shoes. 4-9pm.
It will have your favorite AI generated food menus!
I will also be at Foodie Friday at the MSJC campus on Friday October 16th for Free Axe Throwing.
Free Axe Throwing for all 16+ with ID and closed toe shoes.
r/Temecula • u/BadFez • 1d ago
Thanksgiving Volunteer
Are there any opportunities to volunteer for thanksgiving day locally? It’s always been a tough holiday for me. I don’t want to be alone again this year and would like to do something productive.
r/Temecula • u/return-zero • 1d ago
Best barber for beards?
Any barber recommendations for a guy with a beard and shaved head? Thanks in advance!
r/Temecula • u/ParticularGood2793 • 1d ago
Any recommendations or reviews on gyms and personal trainers in the area?
Basically I've been a workout at home person for the last few years. My goal has been to just maintain what I have and stay active. But I'm ready to take it to the next level and be more serious with my training. However I've never really been to the gym and I definitely need guidance on what to do, how to do, and making sure my form is good. I've been sorta looking at Metroflex Gym because it's close to me and it seems to have a cool vibe.
But I would really appreciate any recommendations on gyms and personal trainers!!
r/Temecula • u/Jesuslovesu293 • 2d ago
Anyone else noticing how no one is decorating for halloween this year?
I have only seen a couple houses in my neighborhood with decorations this year which is pretty rare
r/Temecula • u/La_Nintist • 1d ago
Need help with finding location for simple wedding ceremony
Hello! This is my first time posting here as well as planning for my wedding. I am moving from Boston, Massachusetts to Temecula, CA in December and plan on getting married to my wonderful fiance a few weeks after. I was born and raised in Massachusetts all my life and already California is a whole new world and culture. So I hope the people of this subreddit can enlighten me on places where we can have a simple wedding.
We plan on getting married on December 27 (can be somewhat flexible), and I would like it to be at a park preferably with flowers and/or water (mostly the water). People would be limited to approx. 20-30 people. Trying to keep it simple yet memorable. I know it might be short notice but I had to move my date up because of my military obligations. If anyone knows any locations or people that would allow me to possibly have an intimate wedding for a few hours preferably under $500 that would mean a lot to me...
Thank you!
r/Temecula • u/EasternConflict5953 • 1d ago
baby formula
not sure if this is allowed but i have a unopened brand new similac 360 total care use by jan 1 2028 retails $53 (34 oz can) will sell for $30 can dropoff if you live nearby
r/Temecula • u/EasternConflict5953 • 2d ago
loving cats
i hate to be posting this and am hoping for a judgement free post. please pm for details, but i am unfortunately looking to rehome 2 cats who are brothers (so they must be kept together) a little over 1 year old, they are amazing and will come with everything we currently have for them including litter box small cat tree and food. there is a "fee" to make sure they are going to a loving home and would need details anout yourself, household, etc. they are great with kids not sure about other animals but they seem like they could be social.
r/Temecula • u/john_marstondagoat • 2d ago
Eldorado Hotshots
I saw some eldorado hotshots trucks at the Best western plus next to the 76 Temecula parkway.
(Sorry for the bad image)
r/Temecula • u/butch_mp3 • 3d ago
are there any 18+ queer/sapphic spaces to find friends in temecula/murrieta?
i've been looking all night but i've been unable to find anything. i just want to know if there are any locations that host anything, if there are any young queer folks wanting to be friends, or if there's any ongoing/future events regarding lgbtq.
please be kind, this is a bit of a last resort for me and my friend as we're quite young and have great difficulty making friends.
if you are queer, feel free to comment under this!! i want to know if we're alone in this or if we have community! thank you
even if youre not queer, please comment if you know anything about the queer scene!!!!! thank you!!
r/Temecula • u/Candid-Chemistry8150 • 3d ago
The storm is coming ☔️
I personally think this tropical storm is going to be a real test of how prepared Temecula is for what’s potentially coming with this year’s and next year’s El Niño conditions.
With how much Temecula has grown over the years, I’m curious how well our roads, drainage systems, and infrastructure are actually going to hold up during some serious rainfall.
I’ll be out DoorDashing today and tomorrow, so I’m sure I’ll see some interesting stuff around town.
What do you guys think? Is Temecula prepared for a major rainy season, or are we about to find out where the problems are?
r/Temecula • u/BobLog3rd • 3d ago
Power Outage Paloma/Paseo Del Sol
SCE's outage site says 719 homes affected since 10:38pm. Sounds like the whole neighborhood is down. Cell towers keep going back and forth from LTE to 5G.
r/Temecula • u/ForeignCanary9943 • 3d ago
On a Saturday afternoon in Temecula 🍻 💯
galleryr/Temecula • u/mamawantsallama • 3d ago
Border Patrol stop leads to seizure of meth worth $1 million in Southern California | KTLA
ktla.comLoki looks pretty proud of himself
r/Temecula • u/BadFez • 3d ago
Fence Repair/Replace Megathread
Thinking this might be a need for a lot of us sooner rather than later.
If you had a fence installed/repaired and you were happy with the service, feel free to make a recommendation here.
r/Temecula • u/nammerones • 4d ago
Why are all these birds moving north away from Temecula?
I feel like Tippi Hedren.
r/Temecula • u/BadFez • 4d ago
California wineries selling discounted premium bottles at Costco
nypost.comAnyone know if there are any local wineries in this? I know there are lots of wineries are for sale here.
