Tin Mine Canyon- Stroll a Secluded Vale Minutes from Downtown Corona

By Bruce Ueno

Morning in Tin Mine Canyon

A stroll in the Santa Ana Mountains is perhaps the most under appreciated perk of living in Corona.  It's understandable- from a distance, the Santa Anas appear as dry parched hills cloaked with a blanket of thick chaparral.  Hot, dusty and forbidding, they seem an improbable spot for recreation.  But take a closer look: hidden wonders await your discovery, if you know where to look for them!

The Tin Mine Canyon nature trail is just one of the surprises our mountains have to offer.  The trail can be accessed from Foothill Parkway about a half mile west of Lincoln Avenue.  Park on Foothill, and locate sign to skyline drive.  Follow the bike path toward the hills. After following the trail past a tract of houses, you will arrive at the locked “tank gate” on the dirt road at the mouth of the canyon.  Here’s where your adventure begins.

As you enter the canyon just past the gate, look closely at the debris that has tumbled down from the canyon wall.  You may come across pieces of conglomerate containing fossilized clam shells, a remnant from a time when the area was under a shallow sea. In short order, the signs of civilization pass beyond view and you are delivered to a wild and primitive place seemingly unchanged for millennia, a place far removed from the city beyond.  After a half mile or so, you will see the forest service sign that marks the entrance to the nature trail.  Depart from the roadway, and follow the well-marked path.  Interpretive signs highlight points of interest along the way.  In the early spring, a small creek flows through the vale, and the aroma of local flora fills the air.  Take a moment to linger beneath a canopy of California live oak and sycamore in the cool recesses of the canyon, and see just how far the travails of the city have become.

Ferns grow in the cool canyon depths

Further along the trail, you will see the folded strata of the Bedford Canyon formation in the canyon wall.  It was from this material that the commercial extraction of tin and other materials was first attempted.  The mining boom began in the early 1900’s when a find in Trabuco canyon, on the opposite side of the range, unleashed a frenzy of speculation in the area.  Though fortunes were invested in the ventures, they were ultimately abandoned as unprofitable- the ore proved to be of low quality, and the Bedford Canyon formation too fragmented for productive veins to be mined.   Near the trail's terminus, a number of shallow exploratory tunnels can still be seen; the old claims remain as a testament to this short-lived boom era, their stark and silent adits bearing witness to the failed dreams of a bygone era of prospectors.

Old mine entrance.  The barrier was installed to preserve the habitat of native bats.

If you are feeling particularly ambitious and have the afternoon to spare, try follow the winding course of Skyline Drive, the dirt track to the right of the trail head, to the top of the ridge above you. The nearly 4000-foot-high vantage point offers “top of the world” panoramic views of the Corona valley and the Pacific Ocean to the West.  Be sure to bring plenty of water and supplies, as the trail is dry with almost no shade.

The Tin Mine Canyon nature trail is an easy jaunt over relatively flat terrain, and is a good destination for a morning family outing.  Early spring is the best season for hiking, as the trails do become quite hot in the summer, and the canyon is prone to flooding during the rainy season.  Watch for poison oak, which is common in the area.

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