Box Springs Two Trees Trail

Very beautiful scenery. A little tough to find the trail head if you’ve never been and try and go in the morning or evening as there is very little shade. Can be some steep incline but not too bad. Great workout close to home!

A really nice workout for the knees, thighs, hips & buttocks: D
It’s nice to have 2 trails in one; it’s actually over 3hrs. I Loved the scenery & wished I could have jumped in that Private community lake down below Box Springs trail on the way up to the M.

Great walking trail. If you’re in decent shape then you can complete this hike. The scenery along the route is the greatest reward. Mountain lion and rattlesnake warning signs but did not see any. Take plenty of water with you because i did not see any public fountains at the finish line.

Love this trail! Although it is steep in places, it is family-​friendly enough to bring the kids (and of course the dogs). Kids will have a blast climbing up the boulders and posing for photos. There are lots of neat boulders you can stop and have a picnic on along the way, with some incredible views. There is almost always wildlife out, lots of birds, hawks, lizards, rabbits, and more. The main trail can get a bit crowded, but not so bad, especially if you go mid-​week. There are also some side trails you can choose to go on if you’re good at pathfinding, in which case you are sure not to run into anybody. The trail does have some good shade, but bring lots of water anyways because it can get hot at times. It is a great way to «get away from it all» without having to drive too far.

The Box Springs Two Trees Trail is a cool little hiking trail located in the Box Springs Mountain Reserve between Riverside and Moreno Valley, California. Most people refer to it simply as Two Trees and since you can get to the top by driving up Pigeon Pass Rd from Moreno Valley, there’s sometimes some confusion about where the trailhead is or where to start.
No problem, I’ve got you covered. For this hike, just park your car in the little dirt parking lot at the end of Two Trees Road in Riverside. The approximate street address for the trailhead parking is 430 Two Trees Rd, Riverside, CA 92 507 and the GPS is 33.985 393, –117.306 382.
As for the trail, be prepared for a good strenuous workout because this trail is fairly steep, climbing 1000 feet in only 1.5 miles (3 miles round trip). The trail descends downward briefly at the start, but then climbs unrelentingly from the base of the hill to the top of trail at Box Springs Mountain Road.
The Two Trees Trail has a 667 feet gain per mile which is equivalent to some mountain hikes. For the sake of comparison, real mountain hikes like the Icehouse Canyon Trail has a 758 feet gain per mile and Ontario Peak has a 602 foot gain per mile from the Icehouse Saddle to the summit, although both are admittedly much, much longer.
In any case, the views along the Two Trees Trail are outstanding when you consider that it’s just a hill on the edge of town. And thankfully, unlike other portions of the Box Springs Mountain Reserve, there is no trash and graffiti on this portion of the trail.
Although the trail technically ends on a dirt road called Box Springs Mountain Road, you’ll probably want to walk south a couple hundred feet to the covered picnic tables located next to the large dirt parking lot and take a break before you hike back down.
If you live near Moreno Valley, you can also do this hike it in reverse, making it an upside down hike. In that case, you would simply drive up Pigeon Pass Rd from Moreno Valley to the junction with Box Springs Mountain Rd and then follow Box Springs Mountain Rd to the dirt parking lot next to the picnic tables and porta-​potty.
There are other hikes you can do on either side of the parking lot if you have the time, but the Two Trees Trail is worthy enough to do by itself if you’re just looking for is a great workout in a reasonably short amount of time.