Distance: 8 miles round trip on trail
Summit Elevation: 2060'
Elevation Gain: 2176'
Elevation Gain (in Empire State Buildings): 1.7
Round trip time: 3 hours 30 minutes
Recommended water: 64 oz.
Parking/Fees: Free on Two Trees Road
Difficulty: Moderate
Leisa and I drove to Riverside for a training hike on Box Springs Mountain. Using caltopo and open street map, I created a track that attempted to mirror Ellen Coleman's loop hike starting at Two Trees trail to the Box Springs Mountain Lookout, down the Horse Trail, then down a use trail toward Islander Park, then back to the start. We found one of the few parking spots open at Two Trees on Saturday morning, then started up in low clouds. We had plenty of company on the trail. Two Trees had a steady upward grade amidst the boulder stewn slopes. We heard donkeys braying near the start but could not find them. In about a mile, we reached the top of the trail and followed the dirt road past the main parking area. Before long, we reached the junction with the Spring Trail and met three donkeys. One was youngish, and all were friendly, curious, but cautious. We were just more passing hikers. We took some photos and continued our ascent toward the Lookout.
The road on Box Springs made a few tight switchbacks, then we reached the Lookout Site. I poked around outside the fenced radio towers looking for the high point. We took a break there, reading the warning signs about high electromagnetic radiation and 24-hour cameras. With some hints from the GPS, we located the top of the Horse Trail, and started our way down. We were alert for snakes as the temperature warmed up and sun burned through the lingering haze. The Horse Trail was not as well maintained as others, but was perfectly usable. It dropped us on a dirt road near a low tower of some sort. We went around the tower and found a use trail heading down. A few hundred feet down that trail, I got a stern rattle from a beautiful red diamond. I leaped two giant steps away and turned around to see the snake retreating while Leisa laughed at my overreaction. I tried to get a video, but he was lost in the grass before his tail disappeared under the rock. My second rattlesnake in two days. I composed myself and we continued following the trail until we reached a small pile of boulders. A faint trail continued over the boulders into what looked like a steep drop. A more defined trail veered to the right, but it also faded as it rolled over the next rise. I scouted ahead a little, but it was heading away from my track and there was no sign of a trail where I expected. After looking at Google Earth afterward, the trail over the boulders was the way to go, over the big C and down to the road. I didn't want to lead us into snake infested tall grass, so we headed back up to the dirt road and took the Edison Trail back to the parking lot. From the top of Two Trees, we ran into a larger herd of donkeys. That was some consolation for breaking our original loop. The rest of the trip back was easy and uneventul.
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