The tour trail winds along Stone Creek through a shady riparian oak area and offers breathtaking vistas of pristine chaparral habitat and the portion Santa Margarita River known as Temecula Gorge. The area is a wonderful place to sight birds, native vegetation and wildlife, but more importantly, tours offer the opportunity to learn about the research conducted on the reserve.

As access to the reserve is limited to educational or research purposes, the guided tours offer an opportunity for members of the community to experience and learn about an area not generally open to the public. Weekend tours can be scheduled up to twice a month with a minimum of 4 participants and a maximum of 15 hikers or 10 riders. Riders must provide their own well-behaved horses.

Educational tours of varying lengths and difficulty are currently available. All tours are "out-and-backs" and are lead by docents:

1. Stone Creek Tour (1.5 miles) — Southside field station through research orchard to oak riparian area in Stone Creek.
2. North Gorge Tour (1.7 miles) — Northside field station past research eucalyptus grove to Temecula Gorge.
3. Rainbow Glen-Gorge Tour (2.5 miles) — Rainbow Glen (some tours begin with a visit to an organic farm) through chaparral and coastal sage scrub, over SD Aqueduct to Temecula Gorge.
   
4. Reserve Traverse (8.2 miles) — Southside field station through oak woodland, chaparral and coastal sage scrub, over SD Aqueduct, and across Temecula Gorge to Northside of reserve.
5. South Gorge Tour (6.5 miles) — Southside field station through oak riparian area, chaparral and coastal sage scrub, over SD Aqueduct to Temecula Gorge.

Docents participate in a six-week training session (four-hour classes for six weekends) prior to leading reserve tours. Trained docents conduct educational foot or horseback tours of the reserve.

To arrange for a tour, please contact Dave Bailey at (760) 723-9446.