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Terri Peak
Lake Perris Recreation Area, California
February 4, 2025
Distance: 8.6 km (5.3 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 308 m (1010 ft)
Rising above Perris Lake and studded with huge boulders, Terri Peak looks appealing. Also attractive was that it can be hiked as a loop. Terri Peak lies in Lake Perris State Park, an hour's drive west of Palm Springs. Expect a $9 entry fee.
The forecast promised clear skies, but on our arrival, we found a stubborn low cloud, a haze that obscured far-ranging views. We looked forward to viewing Lake Perris from the summit, but details were lost although it lay less than a mile away.
After entering the park, Dinah and I drove a few kilometres and parked near the lake. A short walk back up the road brought us to a narrow path. We followed it as it ran through a meadow and headed toward the Indian Museum. The path fell short of reaching the museum, so we crossed the meadow to the road. We walked to the back of the museum to the trailhead.
We followed the trail as it climbed the ridge and wound through a boulder wonderland. But after passing through a natural landscape, we found vehicle tracks and spray-painted rocks had spoiled the broad summit.
After taking a break, we followed a dirt road down the northeast end of the mountain. Halfway down, we left the road and thankfully got on a trail running through pleasant scenery. Near the bottom, where the terrain levelled out, we followed a gravel road to the paved road we had driven down earlier. Rather than follow the road to our car, we ambled 2 km through quiet campgrounds and down empty roads. It was a bland finish to an interesting peak.
Terri Peak seen from the parking lot
After walking up the road a short distance, we started up a trail
A few flowers were blooming
We left the trail and made our way to the Ya'i Heki' Regional Indian Museum
Water that previously ran to the Pacific Ocean, was diverted to Lake Perris
The trail starts behind the museum. Dinah reads a warning sign (mouse over).
Going up the trail
Bell's sparrow
Lake Perris was shrouded in haze
The trail heads to a rocky slope
The ascent was very scenic
Continuing up the ridge
Looking back, there was little to see because of the haze
A false summit appears left, far in the distance
Passing the false summit
A board on a boulder reads: TERRI PEAK 2569 ft, but this is not the summit. A pile of rocks 30 m away is the highest point. I took my summit panorama here as I wanted to get the lake in.
The true summit is the rock pile behind the bush in the centre
We found a nice background to pose in front of
From the summit, we started down a road
A pilot died in a plane crash here. Mouse over to read.
When the road made a wide turn, we took a shortcut
Continuing down the road toward Lake Perris
Monkey-flower (mouse over for another view)
The road leads to a fork (far left) where we kept right
The trail becomes a single track as it heads to the lake
Looking back as we turned onto a road
Heading to the campground
Walking through the park back to our car
A last look at Terri Peak
Perris, Sunnymead (5.3 mi, 2569 ft, 997 ft)