Tenaja Trail is a 4.7 mile lightly trafficked point-to-point trail located near Lake Elsinore, California that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking, walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
California Travel and Tourism Commision, P.O. Box 1499 , Sacramento, CA, 95812-1499, Phone: 800-862-2543
Directions from Temecula, CA: Travel Interstate 15 to the Clinton Keith Road exit and go west, then south on Tenaja Road for a total of 9.9 miles. Turn right on Cleveland Forest Rd (FS 7S01). Continue 0.8 miles to Tenaja Trailhead.
January 10, 2021January 4, 2021Great trail. Slightly overgrown. Beautiful views and lots of shade. Rocky at times. Narrow most of the way, but most people were masked when they met others on the trail.
January 3, 2021out to fishmans camp was great but wish I had done an out and back rather than come back by the road
December 23, 2020Adventure Pass required to park in the lot: $30/year or $5/day. Must purchase and print for vehicle display prior to entering parking lot. You can park outside the lot for no charge, but I wouldn't recommend it because parking availability is limited. I hiked the trail to Fisherman's Camp today and it is a beautiful journey. As many have noted, the trail gets narrow next to canyon drop-offs, so be very careful. The trail also crosses the creak-bed at a couple spots where it is unclear where the trail resumes; look for small human-made rock formations to guide you in the right direction. As others have noted, the return hike is much more strenuous than the hike in, so plan accordingly. Finally, watch for ticks! I got home before realizing one had latched onto the interior of my hiking boot; fortunately it died there. I haven't spotted any others, but beware they are there. Cheers!
October 24, 2020I absolutely LOVE this hike in the Fall and winter. Go after the rains when the waterfall is raging. The hike itself is short, and in the beginning you have to cross a small creek to continue up into the mountain to reach the top of the falls.
October 14, 2020Pleasant
August 7, 2020Started at 8. Made it 2.5 miles in. Was aiming for the fishermen’s camp but the last mile must be a creek of rocks! Not marked so we turned around. Definitely a hard hike back. Had to take it slow. Amazingly 2 groups of people were on their way down! Would love to do this hike in cooler weather and knowing where to go exactly/how far with the rocks. Doused myself in bug spray. They’d still swarm around but didn’t land! Didn’t come across ticks. One snake slithered in the sticks so I couldn’t identify it.
July 27, 2020July 11, 2020Bit overgrown on the sides but the views are worth it. It was nearly 100 degrees when I went and I almost died but what a pretty place to go. Make sure to bring plenty of water if your walking in the summer and because this is an out and back if your feeling worn out turn around because the walk back is harder.
June 8, 2020April 14, 2020Amazing trail and views! Going back to the lot is way more difficult than going in so make sure to bring water or snack if you need. The creek and all the little streams connecting to the creek along the trail were all flowing and it created a vibe that took me out of California completely. Loved to see the waterfalls and succulents growing in the mountainside (see pic)!
April 5, 2020Nice trail! Due to COVID, a bunch of the driving roads are closed within Cleveland National Forest (like the road to Tenaja Falls trail) but this trailhead was open. You walk for a couple miles and you reach fisherman’s camp. I enjoyed my Sunday afternoon!
March 21, 2020Very nice nature hike. Beautiful flowers, running creek, and small waterfalls. Wanted to find Tanaja falls at the end of the trail but could not find it. I got to the creek at what seemed to be the end of the trail about an hour into the hike and didn’t know where to go. Seemed like the trail had ended there.
February 10, 2020Very nice hike, somewhat overgrown. I didn’t get to finish it bc half way through I noticed ticks crawling on my dog. I would definitely recommend leaving your pups at home for this one. I at least pulled 20 ticks off of him on the way back down to the car.
September 18, 2019Its not a bad trail, quite overgrown. They do need better trail markings. Today we tried to go from Fisherman’s Camp trailhead to meet up with and do Tenaja Falls hike but when we chose the fork to “Tenaja Creekside” split I stead of the High Trail we ran into a “dead end”. Perhaps the sign should tell you this so as not to waste time. I also feel that the mileage listed should be more accurate. With a little work, it could be great!
September 12, 2019Tenaja trailhead Top five best trail. Came early around 9:00 with my dog. Tree blocking path half way; walked around it. I had to stop myself from walking it was so breath taking. This is waterfall forest. I’ll be back after rain to here and see it in action.
July 1, 2019So this hike is 8.5 miles. very overgrown and it's kinda easy to get lost in when you make it to the creek at the bottom. and on top of it all you have to deal with the constant swarm of bugs chasing you, while also looking out for big spider webs overhead. but other than that it is a very humbling hike. I would rate it moderate but uncomfortable due to the overgrowth and bugs. make sure to not do this one alone.
May 4, 2019only did about 3 miles due to didn't plan on this hike. only 3/4 liter of water no food. beautiful hike I would call it an easy hike.
November 26, 2018Fun little hike
October 28, 2018good one! good trail running
May 13, 2018I liked this trail. It was a decent elevation shift but smooth trail. there are longer routes and you can connect with the falls trail to extend your hike distance.
