Additional Information About Lake Perris SRA
Lake Perris
Located 11 miles south of Riverside in northwestern
Riverside County, the Lake Perris State Recreation Area (SRA) is an
8,800 acre playground that has something for everyone, including the
2,200 acre Lake Perris, formed by Perris Dam. Lake Perris is the
southernmost reservoir of the SWP (State Water Project) and provides
water supply, fish and wildlife enhancement, and recreation. It is one
of the most popular recreational lakes in the SWP system.
Special note to birders: more than a hundred different species of birds
have been spotted at Lake Perris, some migratory and some permanent
residents. Larks, loggerhead shrikes, roadrunners, California thrashers,
quail, wrens, sparrows, hummingbirds, golden eagles, several varieties
of hawks, ospreys, and even bald eagles may be seen. In addition, many
varieties of waterfowl can be spotted, including pintails, widgeons,
teals, mallards, shovelers, various geese, and sometimes whistling swans
and pelicans. Also, blacknecked stilts, avocets, killdeer, willets,
kingfishers, egrets, and herons can sometimes be seen near the water's
edge.
Also occasionally seen are mule deer, bobcats, coyotes and badgers. The
area is also home to a wide variety of lizards and rodents...and
rattlesnakes. So please take care when hiking!
Activities within the park include:
• Hiking, biking, and horseback trails
• How about a picnic? Ramadas, tables, grills, and restrooms
(wheelchair accessible) are located at Moreno and Perris Beaches and at
the Bernasconi area. Pepper, eucalyptus, cypress, palm, and pine trees
have been planted for shade; playground equipment and large grassy areas
are also available.
• Fishing (shore, pier and boat) for rainbow trout, catfish, Florida bluegill and Alabama spotted bass
• Boating (sail and power boats, rentals available)
• Swimming, jet skiing, waterskiing, scuba diving and windsurfing
• Even rock climbing!
• In addition (yes, there's more!), Lake Perris SRA is home to the Ya'i
Heki' (Home of the Wind) Regional Indian Museum which focuses on life
in the Mojave Desert region as experienced by the Cahuilla, Chemehuevi,
Cupeno, Luiseno, Serrano and Vanyume tribes.
• And to get an interesting perspective of the lake, visitors can head
over to Alessandro Island, rising 225 feet above the surface of Lake
Perris. The island is a day-use, boat-in-only area and has picnic
tables and cooking grills.
• For more information, click here for the Lake Perris SRA website. And for specific information about the flora and fauna of Lake Perris, click here. For information on issues related to the level of the lake, click here. |
Lake Perris and Alessandro Island
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Additional Information About This Caravan
• Campsite hook-ups include water, electric and gray water dumping only. There is a dump station in the campground.
• There are restrooms and showers.
• Please obey all posted speed limit signs as the park rangers WILL ticket speeders.
• No early arrivals this Caravan because of budget cutbacks.
• A Hearing Screening Clinic will be held during the January and February caravans by our very own Joanne Wayne #2236!
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Joanne is a licensed audiometrist (as well as a public
health nurse and a member of our Health and Safety Team). She has
kindly offered her time and expertise and will do air conduction
audiometric screenings in her rig. An audiogram will be provided to
each participant at the end of each screening.
A sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board at the Host Tent.
We ask that anyone who wears hearing aids not sign up since your hearing
has already been assessed. The first sign-ups should be those who have
not had a hearing test in years and feel that they may be having some
hearing problems. Testing someone who has a loss in hearing takes a
little time; therefore, if there are a lot of requests for testing, this
service may take more than one Lazy Daze outing. |
Thank you, Joanne! |
Hey, Weatherman!
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Thanks to the wonderful world of technology
- and our weatherman Steve Tivy -
click here for the current conditions and forecast for Lake Perris.
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Additional Information about Perris, California
The area surrounding and encompassing what we now know as
Perris Valley was once home to various tribes of Native Americans
(culture buffs will love the Ya'i Heki' Regional Indian Museum located
right at Lake Perris SRA). Spanish and Mexican miners discovered gold
deposits in the hills surrounding the valley, and the gold mines soon
expanded to include tin and coal. But what really contributed to the
growth of Perris Valley was the railroad.
In 1881, the California Southern Railroad decided to lay their tracks
through the valley. A young British man by the name of Frederick Thomas
Perris was in charge of surveying and constructing the route. When the
route was completed in 1882, settlers began flocking to the valley.
By 1885, these same folks began discussing the feasibility of a creating
a town. Land for the townsite was purchased from the Southern Pacific
Railroad and Fred Perris returned to the valley to help. The future
citizens of this new town offered to erect a depot, dig a well, and
donate a number of lots to the railroad in exchange for establishing a
station in the new town.
The town of Perris, named in honor of the surveyor who contributed to
its construction, was officially designated as a stop on the
Transcontinental Route of the Sante Fe Railway. By 1887, six passenger
trains and two freight trains stopped in Perris every day.
Perris' resulting rapid growth was short-lived...in the early 1890s,
heavy storms repeatedly washed out the railroad tracks in the Temecula
Gorge. As a result, the railroad decided to abandon service to San
Diego by way of Perris.
Perris, Elsinore and other communities in what was, at that time, the
northerly part of San Diego County, were cut off from direct rail
service to the county seat. A movement began to form a new county, and
portions of San Bernardino and San Diego counties became Riverside
County in March of 1893.
The railroad played a vital role in establishing the new town; the good
citizens of Perris then turned to agriculture for their future
development. Because of limited ground water, dry grain farming was the
main crop before water was brought to the valley by the Eastern
Municipal Water district in the early 1950s. Alfalfa, the King potato
and sugar beets became the staples of farming in the valley.
The town of Perris was incorporated in 1911 and it now pays homage to
its heritage with several museums displaying artifacts from the 1800s:
the Perris Valley Historical Museum, the Orange Empire Railway Museum and the Ya'i Heki' (Home of the Wind) Museum.
Which brings us to...
Good Things To Do in Perris
If you read the list above about all the activities that
are available right in the park, then you know you don't really even
need to leave Lake Perris SRA to find things to do. But if you're
feeling in the mood for some exploring, here are some recommendations:
The March Field Air Museum
Jack Walker Rig #2999 is planning a Visit and Tour for Thursday morning, January 19th.
If you are interested in going, please contact Jack #2999 (aboutlazydaze@yahoo.com) to make arrangements.
Over 60 historic aircraft are on display, both in and
outside of the main museum building. Many famous record breaking planes
such as the Lockheed SR-71 "Blackbird" are represented, as well as the
strategic bombers and fighters of the Cold War Period. World War II is
well represented by planes such as the B-17 Flying Fortress, the B-25
Mitchell bomber, the Douglas A/B-26 Invader, and the B-29 Superfortress.
The March Field Air Museum is located just off the I-215 freeway at the
Van Buren exit in Riverside. Their orange and white checkerboard roof
is visible from the freeway.
Admission prices are $10.00 for those 12 years and up, $5.00 for chldren
ages 5 through 11, and free for children under the age of 5. Active
Duty and Reservist personnel in uniform (with military ID) are free.
Group tours may be scheduled by calling 697-6604.
The museum is open from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. six days a week (closed
on Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day and Easter).
For more information, click here for the March Field Air Museum website.
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The Orange Empire Railway Museum
From the museum's website: "Explore the West's largest
collection of railway locomotives, passenger and freight cars,
streetcars, interurban electric cars, buildings and other artifacts
dating from the 1870's.
Ride streetcars, interurban cars and trains on the museum railway.
Trolleys and trains operate every weekend and on many major holidays,
11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.
Access to the Museum Grounds is free. On regular weekends, an all-day
pass to ride the trains costs $12 for adults, $8 for children 5-11, free
for kids under 5. Parking is always free.
We recommend visiting on a weekend if possible, as this is when our
trains and trolleys are running and most of our display buildings are
open. If you're planning to visit during the week, consider calling
ahead to reserve a guided tour, available most weekday mornings for a
small fee."
The Museum is located at 2201 S. "A" Street in Perris. Call 951-943-3020 for more information, or click here for the Orange Empire Railway Museum website.
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