Monument Hill and Poppy Hill

Hiked: 11/2/2017
Distance: 5.7 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 2046' (Monument), 1981' (Poppy)
Elevation Gain: 774'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 0.62
Round trip time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Recommended water: 20 oz.
Parking/Fees: $4 Riverside County Parks (per adult)
Difficulty: Easy

Monument Hill was added to the Lower Peaks List in October, 2017. It resides in the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve near Murrieta. It is a popular area and there are several trailheads from which to choose. I parked at the Hidden Valley trailhead on Tenaja Road. The trailhead has a portable restroom and a couple of benches. Payment of the day hike fee is on the honor system. I looked for an envelope to enclose my fee, but ended up stuffing a $5 dollar bill instead into the slot. I didn't take one of the available maps thinking the network of trails would be well signed, and it mostly was. I took off on the Coyote Trail turning around after passing the junction with the Trans-Preserve Trail. Really, all the trails appeared to be "coyote" trails based on the amount of scat. At the next junction, I followed Monument Hill Road the rest of the way to the summit. I saw Poppy Hill on the way and came back for it later. The gentle rolling grasslands and oak trees reminded me of the nearby Oak Flats area in the San Mateo Wilderness. It was quite relaxing. Monument Hill had a beaten up benchmark and two reference marks all stamped "VAIL". I think the area was originally part of Vail Ranch after Walter Vail, but I'm not sure about the history. I didn't find a register. After a few quick photos, I started back toward Poppy Hill.

At the base of Poppy Hill, I found a use trail and followed it directly up. The use trail disappeared about half way leaving me to wade through knee high grass. It only took a few minutes to reach the top. I spent maybe a minute taking more photos before dropping down a better use trail on the longer ridge. A sign at the bottom of the long ridge indicated the area was closed. A short trail spur took me back to the Trans-Preserve Trail. I jogged about half of the trails out and back completing the entire trip in less than 90 minutes. Before leaving, I picked up one of the maps in case I decide to come back for the seasonal vernal pools or adobes. It was an easy trip and because of the addition, my second Lower Peaks list finish of the year. The addition of this peak removed (at least) nine other people from list completion.