Chino Hills State Park
Encyclopedia
Chino Hills State Park is a state park
of California
, USA, in the Chino Hills
, foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains
. It is a critical link in the Chino–Puente Hills
wildlife corridor
, and a major botanical habitat
reserve for resident and migrating wildlife.
Visitors can walk, horseback ride, or mountain bike on trails through valleys and along ridge tops through woodlands, sage scrub and grasslands. 60 miles (96.6 km) of trails and fire roads also offer opportunities for viewing wildlife
and native plant
s. Facilities consist of a picnic
area, camping sites, equestrian staging area and corrals, a historic barn, water and restrooms. Most of the trails are multiple mode use. A few trails are designated for hiking only for safety or habitat protection.
, sycamores and rolling, grassy hills that stretch nearly 31 miles (49.9 km), from the Santa Ana Mountains to the Whittier Hills encompassing the Puente Hills
. Chino Hills is vitally important as a refuge to many species of California native plants
, and as a link between natural habitat areas essential to the survival of many animal species. The park is located near the intersection of Orange
, Riverside
, and San Bernardino
Counties.
The park is located 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Corona
, and lies almost entirely in the city of Chino Hills
in the southwest corner of San Bernardino County. Small parts of it spill over into Yorba Linda
in northeastern Orange County, and into extreme western Riverside County, near Corona.
ecoregion
of the California Floristic Province
. The native plants here are in the chaparral
and oak woodland
plant communities, with remnant stands of native grasses of California. The predominant native tress are Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), California Black Walnut
(Juglans californica), and California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa).
basin for 8,000 years, set up temporary camps in the hills for gathering acorns, elderberries, walnuts and other seeds.
After the Spanish founded Mission San Gabriel
in 1771, the Chino Hills were used extensively for grazing by mission cattle. During the Mexican Republic
era, the hills were used as spillover grazing from such surrounding Mexican ranchos as Santa Ana del Chino
and La Sierra Yorba
. After Mexico
ceded California
to the United States
in 1848, the land was still used primarily for grazing.
Private land acquisition began in the 1870s and continued into the 1890s. In 1848 the 1720 acres (696.1 ha) Rolling M Ranch was established and the land leased to nearby landowners for cattle grazing. Some late nineteenth and early twentieth century oil exploration
and mining
activity also took place in the northwestern section of what is now the park. A ranch house, barn, and several windmills and watering troughs serve as reminders of the cattle
ranching days.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA, in the Chino Hills
Chino Hills
The Chino Hills are a mountain range on the border of Orange, Los Angeles, and San Bernardino Counties, California, with a small portion in Riverside County...
, foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains
Santa Ana Mountains
The Santa Ana Mountains are a short peninsular mountain range along the coast of Southern California in the United States. They extend for approximately 36 mi southeast of the Los Angeles Basin largely along the border between Orange and Riverside counties.- Geography :The range starts in the...
. It is a critical link in the Chino–Puente Hills
Puente Hills
The Puente Hills is a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:...
wildlife corridor
Wildlife corridor
A wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
, and a major botanical habitat
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
reserve for resident and migrating wildlife.
Visitors can walk, horseback ride, or mountain bike on trails through valleys and along ridge tops through woodlands, sage scrub and grasslands. 60 miles (96.6 km) of trails and fire roads also offer opportunities for viewing wildlife
Wildlife
Wildlife includes all non-domesticated plants, animals and other organisms. Domesticating wild plant and animal species for human benefit has occurred many times all over the planet, and has a major impact on the environment, both positive and negative....
and native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
s. Facilities consist of a picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
area, camping sites, equestrian staging area and corrals, a historic barn, water and restrooms. Most of the trails are multiple mode use. A few trails are designated for hiking only for safety or habitat protection.
Geography
Chino Hills Park's 14173 acre (57.36 km²; 22.15 sq mi) encompass stands of oaksCalifornia oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
, sycamores and rolling, grassy hills that stretch nearly 31 miles (49.9 km), from the Santa Ana Mountains to the Whittier Hills encompassing the Puente Hills
Puente Hills
The Puente Hills is a chain of hills, one of the lower Transverse Ranges, in an unincorporated area in eastern Los Angeles County, California.-Geography:...
. Chino Hills is vitally important as a refuge to many species of California native plants
California native plants
California native plants are plants that existed in California prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists in the late 18th century...
, and as a link between natural habitat areas essential to the survival of many animal species. The park is located near the intersection of Orange
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
, Riverside
Riverside County, California
Riverside County is a county in the U.S. state of California. One of 58 California counties, it covers in the southern part of the state, and stretches from Orange County to the Colorado River, which forms the state border with Arizona. The county derives its name from the city of Riverside,...
, and San Bernardino
San Bernardino County, California
San Bernardino County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, the population was 2,035,210, up from 1,709,434 as of the 2000 census...
Counties.
The park is located 10 miles (16.1 km) northwest of Corona
Corona, California
Corona is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 152,374, up from 124,966 at the 2000 census...
, and lies almost entirely in the city of Chino Hills
Chino Hills, California
Chino Hills is a Los Angeles suburb located in the southwestern corner of San Bernardino County, California, United States. The city borders Los Angeles County on its northwest side, Orange County to its south, and Riverside County to its southeast...
in the southwest corner of San Bernardino County. Small parts of it spill over into Yorba Linda
Yorba Linda, California
Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, approximately northeast of Downtown Santa Ana, and southeast of Downtown Los Angeles....
in northeastern Orange County, and into extreme western Riverside County, near Corona.
Flora
The Chino Hills are in the California chaparral and woodlandsCalifornia chaparral and woodlands
The California chaparral and woodlands is a terrestrial ecoregion of lower northern, central, and southern California and northwestern Baja California , located on the west coast of North America...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of the California Floristic Province
California Floristic Province
The California Floristic Province is a floristic province with a Mediterranean climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora that bears similarities to floras found in other regions experiencing a winter rainfall, summer drought climate like the Mediterranean...
. The native plants here are in the chaparral
Chaparral
Chaparral is a shrubland or heathland plant community found primarily in the U.S. state of California and in the northern portion of the Baja California peninsula, Mexico...
and oak woodland
California oak woodland
California oak woodland is a plant community found throughout the California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion of California in the United States and northwestern Baja California in Mexico...
plant communities, with remnant stands of native grasses of California. The predominant native tress are Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia), California Black Walnut
Juglans californica
Juglans californica, the California black walnut, also called the California walnut, or the Southern California black walnut, is a large shrub or small tree of the Juglandaceae family endemic to California....
(Juglans californica), and California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa).
History
Over the centuries, many people have made use of the open spaces and plentiful water, plant and animal resources of the Chino Hills. Prior to European contact, the Tongva-Gabrieliño Indians, who lived in settlements along the Santa Ana RiverSanta Ana River
The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...
basin for 8,000 years, set up temporary camps in the hills for gathering acorns, elderberries, walnuts and other seeds.
After the Spanish founded Mission San Gabriel
Mission San Gabriel Arcángel
The Mission San Gabriel Arcángel is a fully functioning Roman Catholic mission and a historic landmark in San Gabriel, California. The settlement was founded by Spaniards of the Franciscan order on "The Feast of the Birth of Mary," September 8, 1771, as the fourth of what would become 21 Spanish...
in 1771, the Chino Hills were used extensively for grazing by mission cattle. During the Mexican Republic
History of Mexico
The history of Mexico, a country located in the southern portion of North America, covers a period of more than two millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, the country produced complex indigenous civilizations before being conquered by the Spanish in the 16th Century.Since the...
era, the hills were used as spillover grazing from such surrounding Mexican ranchos as Santa Ana del Chino
Rancho Santa Ana del Chino
Rancho Santa Ana del Chino was a Mexican land grant in the Chino Hills of present day San Bernardino County, California given to Antonio Maria Lugo in 1841 by Governor Juan Bautista Alvarado...
and La Sierra Yorba
Rancho La Sierra (Yorba)
Rancho La Sierra was a Mexican land grant in present day Riverside County, California, United States. In 1846 governor Pio Pico issued the grant to Bernardo Yorba...
. After Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
ceded California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1848, the land was still used primarily for grazing.
Private land acquisition began in the 1870s and continued into the 1890s. In 1848 the 1720 acres (696.1 ha) Rolling M Ranch was established and the land leased to nearby landowners for cattle grazing. Some late nineteenth and early twentieth century oil exploration
Oil exploration
Hydrocarbon exploration is the search by petroleum geologists and geophysicists for hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface, such as oil and natural gas...
and mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
activity also took place in the northwestern section of what is now the park. A ranch house, barn, and several windmills and watering troughs serve as reminders of the cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
ranching days.