Touring * Fitness * Slalom * Artistic *

From State Highway 60 at Moreno east of Riverside, take the Moreno Beach Drive exit, south. This is also the Lake Perris State Recreational Area exit. Proceed across the valley and climb the hill. Almost three miles from Highway 60, Moreno Beach Drive turns left to go over the hill to Lake Perris. The day-use fee is $6 per car. Head toward the lake and take the second parkinglot driveway for lots 11 and 12. You'll drive past the trail as you enter the lot.

The path through the wild side of Lake Perris State Recreational Area is a real gem. At least half the trail is out in the middle of nature and also out of earshot from the shriek of the ubiquitous Jet Skis. Better yet, there are no pesky intersections! And in spite of these sterling qualities, it is highly possible that you will have this skate all to yourself. It might be due to the $6 Lake Perris entrance fee, or the one or two steep hills on the back stretch; the more likely reason, though, is that most people come here to play in the cool water. The Lake Perris Recreational Area is set in exceptionally beautiful country and is especially pretty in spring, when wild grasses and blossoms serve as colorful foreground to the rugged Bernasconi Hills and Lakeview Mountains to the south and the Badlands to the northeast (whose dry, craggy ridges may evoke memories of old Hollywood westerns in more imaginative folks). Start by skating east from the trail as it passes above the parking lot, and roll down your first warm-up hill. As you pass the last beach, the eight-foot-wide asphalt takes you away from the shady parking lot and group picnic area, and into the waving grasses of a big open area. San Gorgonio Mountain, sometimes topped with snow, peeks out between the hills of the Badlands ahead, and a wide field hides a flurry of small furry critters to the left. As you round the bend to skate along the east side of the lake, the obnoxious hubbub of human activity is almost entirely muted by the thick trees along the shore. At the same time, you also lose sight of the lake itself. The first little pit stop soon appears, a portable toilet and a picnic table under a semishaded wooden structure. Similar pit stops are placed at miles two, three, and four, but none of them have drinking fountains, so if it's a hot day make sure to bring your own water. At pit stop number four the pavement is particularly rough with some surprise sunken spots, so keep your eyes on the trail as you pass. At about 3.5, the trail climbs the first hill, and on the right you can get a glimpse of the lake. Coast down close to the water, and climb another hill in a narrow section between the lake and the base of the high ridge to your left. One last fairly steep climb brings you in view of a half-mile-long beach that's less developed than the ones across the water. More important, there's a plenitude of rest rooms, picnic areas, water fountains, and shade. Enjoy the fast sprint downhill, and then take a right fork just before the trail ends at a road next to the parking lot. Skate through the picnic area on the sandy asphalt path to reach the far side of the beach/picnic area. Now the trail gives way to a limited access road leading to the lake's powerhouse. Skaters, hikers, and mountain bikers share this road with rock climbers, who bring in ropes and other gear to ascend the granite slab wall just ahead on the side of the Bernasconi Hills. Just around the corner from the climbers you meet the state's chain-link fence, through which you can see the three-quarter-mile section of shore occupied by the lake's power-generating facilities--the only obstacle to entirely circumnavigating the lake on your skates.