Attractions and Recreation

Annual Events
Anza Days
Usually in June before the Fourth of July weekend.
Visit www.anzadays.info for details.

Wellness in the Park
Drug and Alcohol Awareness Fair in the Park
Contact the office of the Ramona Band of Cahuilla for more
information: 951-763-4105

Local Attractions
Cahuilla Creek MX – miles map
World famous CMX track in Anza, CA. YouTube: , 1, 2, 3
50100 Hwy 371
Anza, CA 92539
951-926-4646
dharvell@cahuillacreekmotocross.com

Hamilton Museum
39991 Contreras Rd.,
Anza, CA 92539
951-763-1350
Open to the Public every Wednesday & Saturday from 10 AM to 2 PM

Little Red School House & Park
Children’s playground, basketball, BBQ, etc.

High Country Recreation Field (baseball)

Gymkhana Field (Equestrian Events)
Dating back to the days of Colonial India, Gymkhana is a form of horseback riding that takes the riders through a timed obstacle course and is used for any place where sporting events take place and generally refers to any of various meets at which contests are held to test the skill of the competitors.

Horseback Riding, Camping, and Mountain Biking
Anza has miles of dirt roads and riding trails. Cahuilla mountain, Thomas Mountain, the Santa Rosa range west of Terwilliger Valley. Ask anyone in town and they’ll point you in the right direction. See the Campgrounds & Lakes orHiking Trails sections for details.

Casinos
LOCAL

Cahuilla Casino – West end of Anza on Hwy 371, 4.0 miles map
52702 Hwy 371
Anza, CA 92539
1-888-371-ANZA (2692)
clubcahuilla@cahuillacasino.com

REGIONAL – to name a few…
Agua Caliente – Rancho Mirage, 36.8 miles map
Barona Valley Ranch & Casino – Lakeside, 76.2 miles map
Harrah’s Casino – Valley Center, 50.7miles map
Morongo Casino – Beaumont, 63.1 miles map
Pala Casino – Pala, 40.6 miles map
Pechanga Casino – Temecula, 32.6 miles map
Red Earth Casino – Thermal (Salton Sea), 70.7 miles map
Soboba Casino – San Jacinto, 37.7 miles map
The Spa Resort & Casino – Palm Springs, 42.8 miles map

Nearby Tourist Towns
Palm Springs – 41.3 miles map
Restaurants, museums, airport, tours, tram, casinos, entertainment,
accomodations, theaters, and more.
See website for information.

Palm Desert – 31.4 miles map
Golfing, tennis, dining, tours, theaters, museums, College of the Dessert,
Living Dessert Reserve, art galleries, shopping. See website for more.

Idyllwild – 22.7 miles map
Restaurants, shopping, and a well-known cultural community for the arts.
See website for more information.

Julian 56.3 miles map
A quaint, mountain community fashioned after its 1870s beginnings and known for it’s fabulous apple pies and Buffalo burgers. Shopping, camping, hiking, romantic B&Bs, wedding sites, restaurants, wine tasting, and so much more.
See their website for details.

Oak Grove – Butterfield Stage Station 21.1 miles map
The Oak Grove Station is situated on Highway 79 about six miles south of Aguanga and 13 miles northwest of Warner Hot Springs in southwestern Riverside County. It is now occupied by a store.
According to the National Parks Service, of the 139 original Butterfield stations, Oak Grove is the only one still standing.
The gates are open on weekends, and there is no admission charge.
Sandy Stokes can be reached by e-mail at sstokes@pe.com or by phone at (909) 587-3140.
http://www.press-enterprise.com/newsarchive/2000/04/08/

Temecula – 35.1 miles map
Pechanga Casino, Baloon Festival, wine tasting, Old Town, ….
See website for information.

Warner Springs – 35.5 miles map
Resort Spa, Golfing, Gliding

Campground & Lakes
Anza RV Resort – 5 miles map

41560 Terwilliger Rd, #75
Anza, CA 92539
Toll Free: (888)763-4819

Cowboy Country Campground – 9.3 miles map
50005 Bradford Rd
Aguanga, CA 92536
(951) 763-1070

Diamond Valley Lake – 36 miles map
Boating, kayaking, fishing, hiking, wildflowers, etc.
The new Aquatic Center is open daily and houses a
play gym and water slide for all your water fun.
See website for details.

Hemet Lake Recreation – 15.6 miles map
Camping, boating, fishing

Hurkey Creek Park – 16 miles map
Across Hwy 74 from Lake Hemet
Reservation site map

Lake Cahuilla – La Quinta, 45.6 miles map
Camping, fishing, equestrian and hiking trails and picnicking.
Reservation site map

Lake Skinner – 33.9 miles map
Camping, boating, fishing

Vail Lake Recreation 24.5 miles map
Camping, boating, fishing, water slide, private parties, special summer events.
See website for details.

Hiking Trails
Ramona Trail / Thomas Mountain
Elevation: 6,825
Topographical Map: Anza, Idyllwild
Description: Moderately easy, well-maintained, 7-mile trail on the north slope of Thomas Mountain.
Trailhead: Take Hwy 371 east to Hwy 74. Turn left on Hwy. 74. Go about 14 miles to the signs for the Ramona/Tool Box Spring Trailhead (before Lake Hemet). The main trail is a few hundred yards from the parking lot. You can also drive to the campsite at the top of Thomas Mountain.

Cahuilla Mountain Trail
Elevation: 4,480 to 5,604
Topographical Map: Cahuilla Mtn
Description: Moderate. 2.5 Miles (4.17 Kilometers). Trail # 2E45.
Open: Year-round
Trailhead: Follow Forest Road 6S22 to the Cahuilla Saddle. The trail starts at the saddle.

Coyote Canyon
Elevation: 700 to 3,900
Topographical Map: Cahuilla Mtn
Description: Moderate. 5-7 hours. Soft sand trail with and initially steep descent of 3,200 ft. in the first 1/2 mile of the trek. Shuttle distance is about 68 miles between Anza and Borrego.
Open: November to May (Closed June to October for Big Horn Sheep.)
Trailhead: Take Hwy 371 east to Kirby, which turns left onto Wellman Rd. and then right onto Terwilliger Rd. Take Terwilliger Rd. about 1.25 miles to Coyote Canyon Rd. Turn left on Coyote Canyon Rd. and follow it right onto the dirt road.

Juan Bautista De Anza Trail
Description: This trail traces the path of a party of Spanish colonists, led by Col. Juan Bautista de Anza, who in 1776 sought to establish an overland route from Mexico to California.

Pacific Crest Trail
Elevation: Segment nearest to Anza – 1,190 to 9,030
Topographical Map:
Description: The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) stretches from Mexico to Canada across extreme elevation changes and passes through six of North America’s seven ecozones including high and low desert, old-growth forest and artic-alpine country. Perhaps it is this diversity of terrain that attracts some 300 hikers to complete this 2,650-mile trek annually. Of the segment nearest Anza, the Pacific Crest Trail Association website says this:

“…the trail dips into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park at Scissors Crossing, and then winds up, down, and around the San Felipe Hills and lesser mountains of the Cleveland National Forest before crossing Highway 74 at 4,900′ and climbing the backbone of the San Jacinto Mountains. Here it reaches its highest point in this section at 9,030′ shortly before it plunges to its lowest, crossing beneath Interstate 10 at (elev. 1,190′) in broad San Gorgonio Pass.”1

In addition, thousands of others experience short segments of the journey throughout the year. The small inset map including Palm Springs at the bottom of the page at http://www.pcta.org/maps.asp shows you the segment easily accessible to visitors to Anza. You can pick up the trail from Highway 74 in the San Jacinto Mountains. Accessed at http://www.pcta.org//about_trail/overview/southern.asp 03/14/06

Trailhead: Visitors to Anza would be most likely to travel the PCT from Warner Springs to San Gorgonio Pass. To learn more about the trailheads and planning a trip on the PCT, call the Pacific Crest Trail Association at 916.349.2109.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
Jasper-Trail, Grapevine Canyon, Glorietta Canyon, Font’s Point, Pinyon Mountain, Split Mountain, Butte’s Pass, Banner Toll Rd., Eagle Peak, Oakzanita, Noble Canyon, Los Coyotes Indian Reservation, and Palomar Mountain.

Regional Parks

Anza-Borrego Desert State Park 66.4 miles map
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is the largest state park in the contiguous United States with over 600,000 acres of washes, wildflowers, palm groves, cacti and sweeping vistas.

Joshua Tree National Park – 77.6 miles map

Mount San Jacinto
This 10,804 foot peak, the second highest mountain in Southern California, pushes dramatically out of the desert floor from Palm Springs and provides an amazing panoramic view spanning from the Mexican border to Catalina Island on clear days. It can be accessed via the Palm Springs Tram on the northeast side or from Idyllwild on the opposing side.

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument