Lake
Perris offers a little relaxation
By Ramon Torres
On-line Forty-Niner
The
end of the semester is coming and in no
time students will be searching for an affordable
short winter vacation or a quick weekend
getaway.
Lake Perris State Recreation Area is the
perfect option. As a vacation destination,
it is closer than students may think, located
just a short drive 11 miles south of Riverside
via Highway 60 or Interstate 215.
Besides the swimming area, which is separated
from other parts of the lake by safety buoys,
this popular 8,800-acre lakeside park has
facilities for water-skiing, boating, sailing
and windsurfing. More than 5 miles of hiking
trails and 12 miles of horseback and bicycling
trails circle the lake, plus 430 camp sites.
Visitors have the option to go into the
park on a daily basis by just paying $6
for parking, or can stay for the weekend
by camping in the park.
Lake Perris offers two camp site areas:
one that costs $14 a night for a tent site
and another is $18 for a hookup site for
those who do not want to leave home without
electrical equipment.
Right away visitors can feel the immediate
benefits of being there, such as the absence
of noise and pollution of big cities. It
is the perfect place for campers to bring
a telescope to take advantage of the perfect
sky view.
The lake is large enough to support a wide
variety of boating activities and visitors
have the option of bring their own boat
or rent one at the lake. The fishermen have
their favorite spots, but they do not interfere
with the sportsmen who enjoy speed boating,
jet skiing or windsurfing.
An advantage of going to Lake Perris at
this time of the year is that visitors do
not have to wait over two months to get
a camping spot, as they do in the summer
time, which becomes very crowded and only
a certain number of people are allowed.
Visitors can also enjoy a variety of support
facilities, such as a boat ramp, supplies
and food service.
Lake Perris also coordinates exhibits, programs
and guided tours through the visitor’s center.
The approximate distance from Cal State
Long Beach to Lake Perris is around 65 miles
and travel time takes a little over an hour.
|
