Friends of Loveland Reservoir Hike
June 21, 2025
This past Saturday, we had another lovely hike at Loveland Reservoir, hosted by the board members of Friends of Loveland Reservoir. The weather was “San Diego perfect”, as we met in the parking lot at 9am. There were about 20 cars parked there all from like-minded people excited to enjoy the day. Of those, we had 5 hikers attend, along with our FOLR board members. Our goal was to hike to the floating dock.
We stuck to the trail and scrambled down sandy gullies and over rocks and mostly stuck to the water’s edge. We heard native birds such as the wren tit, with its characteristic “dropping ping-pong ball” call and the spotted towhee, with its “mewing” calling. We saw the common chaparral resident, the California towhee as well as a turkey vulture soaring above.
While I’m waiting for identification confirmation, I’m happy to report that the 3 plants we observed in the water and along its edge are common in California wetlands and may support some butterfly species as well as stabilizing soil and reducing erosion. Unfortunately, with the water level low, many of these plants are now in areas subject to the dry heat. When they die off, that will leave the area open to the invasive plants, such as mustard and horse weeds, as we have often seen in this area.
Along the way, we also encountered many people enjoying what the reservoir has to offer: we noted several families and groups of friends fishing. Several commented on how their catch was for dinner, and the relief to be able to escape grocery prices!
By the end of the hike, we all appreciated the oak canopies over benches where we chatted about the beauty of the area and how important Loveland is for east county residents to enjoy and appreciate nature.
