Sierra Club SMG Events

Sierra Club Santa Margarita Group

Mission Statement

To explore, enjoy, and protect the wild places of the earth;

To practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources;

To educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment;

and to use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.

Monthly Meetings

Our monthly meetings are held on the third Thursday of every month at 7:00 pm at Rancho California Water District. We cover a wide variety of topics of interest to our local area.

Looking for a different hike? We recently had the pleasure of having Joel Robinson, the founder of the non-profit Naturalist-for-you organization, speak and show some amazing slides of our beautiful Santa Ana Mountains. HIs organization leads hikes throughout the So Cal area. Check out their website at www.naturalist-for-you.org.

Upcoming Events

Thurs., Oct. 20	6:30 PM Monthly Meeting at Rancho Water Guest Speaker is Mark Wills
Sat., Nov. 5	8:30 AM Suicide Rock Hike See details and additional information below
Sun., Nov. 13	11:00 AM Pasadena Arroyo Walking Tour & Lunch See details and additional information below
Thurs., Nov. 17	6:30 PM Monthly Meeting at Rancho Water Guest Speaker is Christine Preston. Ms. Preston is a Conservation Biologist and will be speaking about the latest information regarding Climate Change.
Sat., Dec. 10	9:00 AM Morgan Trail Hike See details and additional information below

Hike/Activity/Outing Information

November 05, (SAT) 8:30 AM Suicide Rock HIKE
Enjoy a day in the mountains! Join us on a 7 mile out and back hike
To Suicide Rock. The hike is moderately difficult with about 1900 ft of
Elevation gain. I like this trail in the summer because much of it is shaded
By pines and oak and the view from the rock is breathtaking. The autumn colors from the peak are stunning.
Directions: From the Ranger Station in Idyllwild drive 1mile north on highway 243. Park
On the north side of the road across from The County Park Nature Center.
Bring plenty of water, a lunch, comfortable hiking shoes, dress in layers and don't
Forget the sunscreen. " Rain Cancels"
Leader: Gary Marsalone at (858) 663-1201 or hikesie@gmail.com SANTA MARGARITA GROUP.

Old Town Pasadena Arroyo Tour~Sunday, November 13th @ 11:00 am
We will be visiting a unique and often overlooked part of Pasadena in this walking Arroyo Tour.

The Arts & Crafts Movement was a rebellion against the Industrial Revolution and its effects on both worker and product. Proponents of the movement thought that mass production had replaced artistically designed hand-crafted items with shoddy, unattractive goods. Just as adversely, the worker was degraded from the status of artisan to that of a cog in a production line. John Ruskin and William Morris, the main spokesmen of the movement, sought a return to the past, to the medieval guild system where higher artistic standards and a society based on human creativity could be obtained.

While the wealthy lived in their mansions on Orange Grove and the surrounding streets, artists congregated on the banks of the arroyo, forming what became known as the “Arroyo Culture.” Plein-air painters such as Benjamin Brown, Elmer Wachtel and Marian Kavanagh Wachtel and Franz Bischoff frequently found inspiration in this untamed natural environment.

We will be meeting at the Murrieta Wal-Mart at 8:15 am for carpooling. RSVPs are required and the cost is $10/person. We will be having a late lunch/early dinner at a restaurant TBD before driving back to the Temecula Valley. Please call Laurie or email Laurie @ 951-760-2917 or laurie_r_w@yahoo.com to RSVP or with questions.

The Morgan Trail
December 10, (SAT) 9 AM The Morgan Trail HIKE
This is a easy/ moderate out and back hike of 9 miles.
Because the trail ends at the junction with the Bear Canyon trail, there is
An option for a shorter hike if 9 miles is more than you are looking for.
From the Bear Canyon Trail junction it is an easy 1 mile hike down to the
Candy Store on The Ortega Highway. You would need a car parked at the trail
Head parking lot on the north side of the road. A wilderness pass is
Required for the car. Those hikers could ride share back to The Morgan Trail
Head and pick up there cars (also displaying wilderness passes). From the
Morgan trail head we travel east through an oak woodlands with the sound of
A stream below the trail. After about two miles the trail opens up into a
Forest of chaparral with some great vistas of the mountains and valleys. The
Hike should take about 3.5 hours. Directions: From the Ortega Highway in
Lake Elsinore head west up the mountain. When the road begins to level out
There is a left with a turn lane. This is South Main Divide Road. Turn left
And the trail head is about 2.8 miles on the right. As always bring plenty
Of water, a lunch, comfortable hiking shoes, dress in layers and don't

Forget the sunscreen. "Rain Cancels." Leader: Gary Marsalone at (858) 663-1201 or hikesie@gmail.com SANTA MARGARITA GROUP.