Lake Mathews Estelle Mountain Reserve Corona, CA 92883

"The flowers and the birds make this area so beautiful it’s a shame that so many folks use this area as a dump site. The amount of garbage was disgusting. The roads are a bit weathered if you have access to an off-road vehicle it be fun to experience this. I had the luck to be in this position and no matter how far or deep one goes into this area they will find trash, abandoned mines, random folks shooting at targets, and some others who seem more sketchy than not. Found a lot of abandoned and shot up vehicles — some not yet fully scrapped for material. Weird place given that the natural beauty while reduced is still abundant enough to look past the issues I’ve detailed."

"I brought my son hiking here to see the desert blooms. I went on Sunday morning (3/17. Happy St. Patrick's Day!) I drove in from LA, took me about an hour and a half. I got to the preserve at 8 am, about an hour later than was convenient to find a parking spot. I hiked about a half mile to get in to the preserve. It is very, very crowded on the weekends. The blooms are stunning and it's absolutely worth a trip out, but get there by 7 am to find a reasonable parking spot. I left at 11 am and traffic was just awful going the opposite direction (toward the preserve). Most people arrive late, so get there early...you'll get better pictures, parking, and you'll be leaving as the madness I'd beginning! I'm going back on Thursday, so I'll update then!"

"Went early this morning to see the super blooms, and had the place to myself! Arrived around 7am. Saw no one until one other car arrived around 8.45am. Great flowers, nice easy hike to see them. Plus nice views of the lake and snow capped mountains."

"Just discovered this hidden natural gem tucked away in the hills south of Lake Matthews. It's very secluded and peaceful. A great place to go for a nice day hike."