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Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological, Murrieta

4.8

#1 of 8 in Things to do in Murrieta

Wildlife Area Nature / Park

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The Santa Rosa Plateau is an upland plateau and southeastern extension of the Santa Ana Mountains in Riverside County, southern California. It is bounded by the rapidly urbanizing Inland Empire cities of Murrieta to the northeast, and Temecula to the southeast.The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve preserves approximately 8400acre of the plateau, and includes the Moreno and Machado Adobes, Riverside County’s oldest standing structures, and other buildings from the 19th century Mexican land grant Rancho Santa Rosa.HabitatsThe Santa Rosa Plateau is home to several native plant communities and habitats, including purple needlegrass prairie (Nassella pulchra), California oak woodland (Engelmann Oaks—Quercus engelmannii), montane chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and vernal pools, which are increasingly rare in urbanized Southern California.

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Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reviews

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TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

197 reviews

Google

4.7

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1 like

• By TheMikeKirkpatrick

  Changes with the seasons. There are many trails to explore for all age levels. Check out the cowboy Adobe. This was built in the late 1850s. Pretty cool building.  more »

• By Janis I

  We have lived in Temecula ( next door to Murrieta) for 15 years and did not know this place existed. Wish we’d known sooner. It is a gorgeous place to hike. My husband and I went with our son, daughte...  more »

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Google

• By Tony Chavez

  This is a great place to relax and unwind. It’s not easy to find but well worth the trip and relaxation. The vistas and oak trees are breathtaking. The vernal pools are the largest I’ve seen in many years. Look for tadpoles, frogs, turtles, and fairy shrimp. In the fall tarantulas can be found on the trails so be careful. Respect the preserve and enjoy!

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• By Martin Spencer

  Whenever I can get my family up early I try to get them out to the Plateau for a nature walk. Lots of wildlife and just a nice hike. No difficult terrain just beautiful scenery that you have a hard time finding in Southern California. There are always a lot of people there but you could walk for hours and not run into anyone because the plateau is so vast. Come and check it out but please keep it beautiful.

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