Best Nature Preserve San Bernardino Near Me

4worldlovers: Three definite habitats form the 200 acres of San Timoteo Nature Sanctuary (STNS), in San Timoteo Canyon between Alessandro Road on the east and San Timoteo Canyon Road on the west: riparian, grassland, and hillside chaparral. Yes, riparian, with a dense cover of willows and cottonwoods – a year-round flowing stream runs through Redlands, along the south side, below the famed Smiley Heights. For millennia, home to and “highway” for regional indigenous peoples, today the Sanctuary gives Redlands residents and visitors an escape from the chaos of civilization.

Through STNS, two historic trails form a four-mile loop, end to end. The Cocomaricopa Trail, named for the original trail of the indigenous peoples through the canyon, follows close to the edge of the creek on an abandoned Flood Control District access road, while the Carriage Trail, built by the Smiley Brothers at the turn of the last century, traces in and out of the hills below Smiley Heights ridge where the brothers had established their world-famous botanical garden, Cañon Crest. The brothers built the Carriage Trail from the ridge into the canyon as a route for visitors to take when going on picnics in and beyond San Timoteo Canyon. The brothers lined the road with eucalyptus trees and planted eucalyptus groves to provide shade for carriage horses and guests as they traversed the land.


Long after the last guest passed through there, the brothers used the Carriage Road to access the grassland in the canyon bottom where they farmed dry-land crops.

The Carriage Road – now Trail – was used regularly through the entire 20th century by hikers, bicyclists, and horseback riders – just like it is today.

Redlands Conservancy holds the conservation easement on this City-owned land, giving the Conservancy legal interest in what happens there. Since the Conservancy obtained the easement in 2011, we have restored both trails for safe use, established way-finding signs, created the Bobcat Bowl Amphitheater as an Eagle Scout project to provide a pleasant gathering place for outdoor education programs, worked with County Flood Control District to maintain the riparian habitat, and worked with Inland Empire Resource Conservation District to reduce invasive vegetation and replant native vegetation.

Most of the 160 acres in San Tim are covered by non-native invasive grasses which have forced out the native vegetation which the wildlife depended on. The Conservancy has been charged with removing non-native plants and re-vegetating with native plants. Volunteer Land Manager Martin Lemon has worked since 2018 to do just that, with significant success. He has worked with Inland Empire Resource Conservation District and UC Extension to gradually make the replacement, most notably at the Alessandro Road entrance, along the trails and surrounding Bobcat Bowl.

The re-vegetation project over the entire sanctuary will take many years. As Martin and IERCD learn how their strategies work, the process will move faster. As you enter San Tim from the Alessandro Road entrance, watch for the signs that announce this very important re-vegetation project.

Many more projects await time and money: interpretive signage, trail-side benches, regular trail-care activities, more invasive vegetation removal programs, and construction of a safe, attractive parking area on the east end.

San Timoteo Nature Sanctuary is open every day, dawn to dusk, to hikers, bicyclists and equestrians. When you enter, please sign in at the wooden box; when you enter, you will disappear into a wild place to refresh your soul. Don’t disturb the wildlife.

4worldlovers: The Ameal Moore Nature Center sits at the main trailhead entrance to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park, a 1,500 acre park that is one of eight protected core reserves designated by the Riverside County Habitat Conservation Agency for the Federally-listed endangered Stephens’ Kangaroo rat. The center offers visitors scheduled naturalist-led nature walks, exhibits, opportunities for experiential, hands-on learning & other programmed events and is home to a naturalist based preschool.

Riverside Citizen Science seeks to engage the community in the observation & documentation of Riverside’s environment & foster an appreciation for the hidden natural world in our urban spaces. Through informal science educational activities & the free Riverside Nature Spotter app, participants in Riverside Citizen Science will ultimately help the Museum develop & maintain a more detailed record of how plant & animal life is changing over time in the park.