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THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Peak experiences

Riverside's hills are alive with spectacular views

Written by Mark Petix, Photos by Gabriel Luis Acosta

Sunrise on Mount Rubidoux.

Sunset on Pachappa Hill.

Crowning moments on a city treasure: the hills of Riverside.

Peaks and buttes, mountains and mounts, the city is ringed by hills, and saving them from development is one of the goals of the Riverside Land Conservancy.

Through donations of money and land, the nonprofit organization hopes to preserve the area's remaining treasures, says executive Director Gail egenes.

A big part of that effort is letting people know what they have — and what they have to lose.

Egenes says that led to "The Hills of Riverside," an eight-and-a-half minute DVD written and produced by board member Frank Heyming, a principal with the real estate and property management firm of Heyming and Johnson Inc.

"This is his pet project," she said.

It's obviously a labor of love.

Heyming compares the hills of Riverside to the hills of Rome. And while it's almost impossible to find a decent gelato in Riverside, his video makes a strong case.

Set to soaring music and picture-postcard views of the hills that crown Riverside, Heyming's script pays homage to the natural wonders so often overlooked in the bustle of city life.

"Riverside is known as the city of trees," the narrator says," but a part of Riverside we may take for granted is our hills." Among them: Mount Rubidoux, home to the city's famous Easter sunrise services since 1909; Sugarloaf, Sycamore Peak, Coyote Hills, Pinkerton Hill, Lion's Head, Twin Buttes, Lizard Hill.

Riverside is rich with hills.

Thanks to the city's wise land-planning efforts and the work the conservancy has done since 1988, many hills have avoided the development that now obscures hillsides throughout the region.

"Everybody seems to be in agreement that we need to learn from the mistakes our neighbors made to the west," Egenes said.

Not too long ago, the conservancy bought about six acres at the top of Pachappa Hill, which Egenes says will save the pristine view for all, and not just a fortunate few.

Since 1999, the conservancy has worked to save San Timoteo Canyon from plans for high-density residential development, recently joining with the Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority to buy 1,888 acres of the canyon.

From the Mecca Hills Wilderness to the Mojave National Preserve, the conservancy has bought more than 9,700 acres and protected 368 more through conservation easements.

And the work continues, as Heyming's video makes clear. There are no hills like the hills of Riverside, he writes.

"We must all work together to preserve this legacy for future generations."

Riverside Land Conservancy
4075 Mission Inn Ave., 951-788-0670, www.riversidelandconservancy.org

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