The Heart of the Wilderness : Accessible San Mateo’s Fine Trails Are the Least-Visited

When the California Wilderness Bill was signed into law in 1984, one of its provisions was to create the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness Area, carved out of the wildest country left in the Santa Ana Mountains.

At 39,540 acres, the area occupies the southern third of the Trabuco District of the Cleveland National Forest, covering parts of Orange and San Diego counties but lying mostly within Riverside County. It’s accessible from a number of points, but to get to the middle takes some serious walking.

To Kenneth S. Croker, author of the “Santa Ana Mountains Trail Guide,” the wilderness area covers the “wildest part of the Santa Anas.” The San Mateo Trail, which follows San Mateo Creek through the heart of the wilderness, offers “the finest trail and scenery anywhere in the range,” he said.

Surprisingly, although the area is so accessible to such a large urban area, it remains probably the least-visited wilderness area in the Southland. “It’s still kind of an unknown wilderness for most of Southern California,” Croker said. “If you get a few miles in from the trail heads, you can be in there on a weekend and not see anybody. That’s pretty rare for a wilderness area.”

Note: By law, no vehicles are allowed in federal wilderness areas. That includes mountain bikes.

As a Sierra Club volunteer, Croker has supervised the construction of two new trails in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness Area in the last two years, the Tenaja Canyon Trail (in Riverside County, starting from the end of Clinton Keith Road off Interstate 15) and the Lucas Canyon Trail in Orange County.

These have helped round out a network of trails that makes some elaborate multiday trips possible. “You could do a three- or four-day backpack and hardly duplicate any of it,” Croker said.

Shorter strolls are possible as well. One is the Tenaja Canyon segment of the longer Tenaja Trail. This starts near the Tenaja Campground at the end of Clinton Keith Road off Interstate 15 in Riverside County, near Lake Elsinore. The trail goes 3.8 miles to Fisherman’s Camp, a camping area within the wilderness area.

The trail follows a lush mountain stream habitat, making it one of Croker’s favorite day hikes in the Santa Anas.

Another short walk is the Morgan Trail, which takes off from South Main Divide Road and finishes 5.2 miles later at the Ortega Oaks store on Ortega Highway. The trail follows the canyon bottom for about a mile before climbing the east ridge. It veers right at 2.1 miles and crosses the Tenaja Truck Trail at 3.2 miles. Stay to the right at the junction with the Bear Canyon Trail at 4.2 miles.

Permits are not required for day hiking in the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness, but are necessary for overnight treks (call the Trabuco District Ranger Station, (909) 736-1811, for information). There are no designated camping sites in the wilderness area, although there are several traditional sites, such as Fisherman’s Camp.

Check camping regulations with the Forest Service before departing on an overnight trip. A good map is essential for longer walks; the Forest Service issues a trail map, but a USGS topographic map is recommended (learn how to read it before you go). A good trail guide is handy; Croker’s is probably the best for this region.

Finally, bring a bathing suit. San Mateo Creek has some of the best swimming holes in the Santa Anas, and with all the winter rains some water will remain through the summer. Croker reports that one swimming hole near Fisherman’s Camp is about 75 feet by 100 feet, and as much as 10 feet deep.