Halloween is almost here so it's not surprising that a lot of people suddenly want to see the Pumpkin Rock located in Norco, California. I actually didn't know about its existence until I came across several posts about it on Instagram a couple of weeks ago. Because it made me curious, I made plans to visit it with hubby and we were able to go there this past weekend.
Here's sharing some tips to make your trip worthwhile:
1. Plan to go there very early in the morning to avoid the crowds. I saw an IG post that said they had to wait two hours in line just to take a photo with the Pumpkin Rock! My husband and I left home at around 6:30AM and made it there a few minutes past 7AM. I wanted to catch the sun rise behind the rock but it was unfortunately cloudy that morning. Still, the cool air was nice as we hiked up. We were able to take photos with "Jack" after the two groups in front of us.
2. Check the weather forecast before going and wear an extra layer of clothing if it's going to be cold in the morning. A light jacket would be easy to take off and tie around one's waist in case you'll feel hot later on.
3. Wear comfortable closed shoes with good sole traction. Also, if you don't want to get your legs all dusty, wear pants instead of shorts. I don't recommend following my husband's example of wearing slippers! Being a barefoot runner, he sometimes tend to not wear shoes when he knows we're just going for a short hike. I only became conscious of it when a few hikers pointed it out and marveled how he was able to move easily along the dusty trail.
4. Park along Crestview Drive. It's a long curving street right beside one of the trail heads just up the Equestrian Center. Hubby and I found a spot a few yards from the yellow fire hydrant. Being first timers there, we mistakenly climbed the steeper trail near it but which surprisingly made for a faster hike up to the halfway point (around 10 instead of 25 minutes). I wouldn't recommend it though for rookie hikers. Going down, we chose the gentler route even though it was three times longer.
6. Carry your water in a REUSABLE bottle and bring a bag so you can dispose of your trash when you get home. Please don't leave anything behind. I found it sad how some people felt it was okay to leave their beer bottles and other garbage strewn all over the place!
7. Explore the surrounding areas beyond the Pumpkin Rock. Don't make that climb without maximizing your time up there. Enjoy the nice views, clamber up some of those big rocks, feel the cool breeze, and admire the pretty plants that survived summer's scorching heat.
8. Take nothing but pictures and leave only your footprints. I know this is cliche but there are irresponsible people who need to be reminded of it because the atrocious amount of bad graffiti shows that there are those who hike up the trail armed with spray paint to vandalize the environment. The Pumpkin Rock itself looks really dirty so I opted to "clean" the writings using a photo editing app as you can see in my pictures.
Lastly, don't forget to wear a mask and be mindful of social distancing protocols. Let's help each other make California's hiking trails safe and enjoyable for everyone.
If this blog post encouraged you to visit the Pumpkin Rock and if found these tips useful, please leave a comment below and let me know. Thank you and happy hiking! 😊
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