Our Mission The mission of California State Parks is to provide for the health, inspiration and Chino Hills education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and hino Hills State Park is State Park cultural resources, and creating opportunities C for high-quality outdoor recreation. an island of tranquility in a sea of urbanization.
California State Parks supports equal access. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at (951) 780-6222. This publication can be made available in alternate formats. Contact [email protected] or call (916) 654-2249.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 For information call: (800) 777-0369 (916) 653-6995, outside the U.S. 711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
Discover the many states of California.™ Chino Hills State Park 4721 Sapphire Road Chino Hills, CA 91709 (951) 780-6222 www.parks.ca.gov/ChinoHillsSP
© 2002 California State Parks (Rev. 2012) After the Spanish founded Mission San with an initial acquisition of 2,237 acres. C hino Hills State Park, a premier natural Gabriel in 1771, the Chino Hills were used In 1984 the State Park and Recreation open-space area in the hills around the Santa extensively for grazing by mission cattle. Commission officially declared the area a Ana Canyon near Riverside, is a critical link During the Mexican Republic era, the hills unit of the State Park System. Since then, in the Puente-Chino Hills biological corridor. were used as spillover pasture from such numerous land acquisitions from various This “bio-link” stretches nearly 31 miles from surrounding Mexican ranchos as Santa Ana private landowners have expanded the the Santa Ana Mountains to the Whittier Hills. del Chino and La Sierra Yorba. After Mexico park to its present acreage. The park’s 14,100 acres of rolling, grassy hills ceded California to the United States in 1848, and valleys are dotted with stands of oaks the land continued to be used for cattle. Wildlife and sycamores. Private land acquisition here began in Because of its great The park is also a place where people the 1870s and continued into the 1890s. variety of habitats can escape everyday pressures and find Some late nineteenth- and early twentieth- and microclimates, peace and solitude in a natural setting. century oil exploration and mining activity Chino Hills State Visitors can camp for a few days or enjoy also took place in areas now within the park. Park is an ideal walking, horseback riding or bicycling over In 1948 the 1,720-acre Rolling M Ranch was location for trails that meander along ridge tops and established, and the land was leased to observing many through valleys, woodlands, sage scrub and nearby landowners for cattle grazing. A ranch wildlife species grasslands. More than 60 miles of trails offer house, historic barn and several windmills native to southern excellent opportunities for and watering troughs California. Bobcat viewing wildlife and native serve as reminders More than 200 plants. Other features of the cattle-ranching species of birds consist of the visitor center, days. and mammals, campground, picnic areas In 1977 the numerous reptiles and equestrian facilities. California legislature and amphibians, and thousands of Park History passed a resolution directing California types of insects and Over the centuries, many State Parks to other invertebrates people have made use Coastal cactus wren conduct a study on live in the park. of the open spaces and acquiring Chino Some of these animals—including plentiful water, plant Hills land for park the least Bell’s vireo, the California and animal resources of purposes. A local gnatcatcher and the coastal cactus the Chino Hills. Before citizen group, wren—are considered rare, threatened European contact, the Hills for Everyone, or endangered. The diversity of native Tongva (Gabrielino) Indians, worked closely with plants and animals found in this region who lived along the Santa California State Parks is greater than in any other area of Ana River basin, set up and the legislature comparable size in the United States. temporary camps here for to create the park gathering food. Windmill at Telegraph Canyon Geology end of the Santa Ana Mountains and the Peninsular Ranges in southern California. Ranging from 430 feet to 1,781 feet in southeast portion of the Puente-Chino Hills, This formation interrupts the generally flat elevation, the park straddles the north which together form the northern end of the Los Angeles Basin with a variety of rolling hills, mountains and canyons on its south and east sides. The hills are a result of What is a biological corridor? The Chino Hills bio-link offers people uplift and folding along the Whittier and Development has claimed large tracts a refuge from urban life while connecting Chino faults. of wildlife habitat. Biological corridors the park’s plants and animals to other The Puente-Chino Hills are made up link the remaining habitats by acting natural areas. Since Southern California is of sedimentary rocks of the Puente as passageways between designated so heavily urbanized, it is impossible to Formation, deposited from five to fifteen open spaces. preserve the huge tracts of land needed million years ago. Associated with this When small patches of wilderness are to ensure species diversity. However, by formation are petroleum resources that cut off from other open-space areas, providing a major biological link between have been explored and exploited in many of the species present at the time islands of open space, Chino Hills State the Los Angeles region since the late of isolation will inevitably disappear. Park effectively enlarges habitats. Water 1800s. Fine clay soils are found in these Biological corridors help to maintain Canyon Natural Preserve, Coal Canyon and formations and in alluvial deposits that healthy populations of plants and the rest of the park are part of a biological wash down from the hills and mountains animals by allowing for genetic exchange, corridor that allows wide-ranging species during winter rains. species migration and repopulation like bobcats or mountain lions to avoid after a catastrophe such as fire. becoming walled off in isolated habitats. Plant Communities Vegetation habitats include riparian, woodland, coniferous, scrub and chaparral. In the park’s riparian zones, willow and sycamore woodlands stand above understories of wild rose, stinging nettle and mule fat. Cattails grow along seasonal and year-round creeks. These areas provide habitat for a variety of wildlife, among them red-winged blackbirds and many nesting birds that come from Central and South America each spring to raise their young. Southern California black walnut trees join coast live oaks above creeks on north- facing slopes. These walnut woodlands are another important and rare plant community preserved in the park. Only a few thousand acres of this California habitat still exist, with Please Remember just over 1,000 acres in Speed limit—15 mph for all vehicles preserves. Several hundred and bicycles. acres are protected at Chino Motor vehicles—Off-road or backcountry Hills State Park. driving is not allowed. The Tecate cypress is a Smoking—Smoking is prohibited outside member of the conifer plant of the campgound and throughout the community that is found entire park during fire season. only in a few places in Campfires—Permitted only in designated the United States. Tecate fire rings; not permitted during fire season. cypresses are found in Coal Canyon, near the larger Trash—Pack it in; pack it out! ecological reserve managed Weapons—Weapons of any kind by the California Department are prohibited. Discovery Center of Fish and Game. Trails—For safety’s sake, stay on Scrub and chaparral communities found designated trails and don’t hike alone. Be along the hills, slopes and canyons include year. Check the park website or call first for aware of wildlife, especially rattlesnakes. coastal sage scrub, mixed chaparral, alluvial park hours and closures. Collecting—All natural and cultural sage scrub and mule fat scrub. Many Park volunteers assist with guided features are protected by law and may wildlife species depend on this vegetation nature walks, operation of the native plant not be disturbed or collected. for survival. nursery, and various natural resource Dogs are welcome on Bane Canyon Grassland species native to California, projects. Mounted assistance volunteers, Road and in the Rolling M Ranch and the such as purple needle grass and giant rye, bicycle volunteers, and natural history campgrounds. They must be on leash at can be found among the park’s annual volunteers help provide public safety, all times and, except for service animals, non-native grasses. The park’s restoration information and resource protection. For are not allowed in the Discovery Center program is returning native grassland volunteer program openings, call the park. building, in the backcountry or on trails. to its natural dominant state. Pets must not be left alone at any time. ACCESSIBLE INFORMATION Park closure—The park will close RECREATION AND The Native Plant Trail, the Discovery following rain of more than one quarter interpretive programs Center and nearby interpretive trail, and inch and remain closed until road and the Rolling M Ranch day-use area are all Sixty miles of multi-use trails wind trail surfaces are no longer saturated. accessible. The campground has accessible through the park. Day use and High clay content in the soil causes campsites and restrooms with showers. first-come, first-served camping “greased” conditions when wet. Trail use Accessibility is continually improving. are available for a fee. Campfires, during this time causes severe erosion For updates, please visit the website at school programs, nature hikes, and rutting of trail and road surfaces. http://access.parks.ca.gov. Junior Rangers and educational The park is also closed during times of talks are offered throughout the extreme fire danger. Cattail Nearby State Parks • California Citrus State Historic Park 9400 Dufferin Avenue, Riverside 92504 (951) 780-6222 • Lake Perris State Recreation Area 17801 Lake Perris Drive, Perris 92571 (951) 940-5600