If you're searching for the single most intriguing spot in the Chino Hills, this is probably where you'll find it. Concealed in the inky depths of upper Water Canyon, massive sycamores and oaks reach skyward, casting a perennial chill. Except for the occasional buzz of a small aircraft, or the rustle of leaves in the breeze overhead, the silence and stillness are absolute.
The round-trip distance to Water Canyon from the parking area at Rolling M Ranch is 5.5 miles, but you may be able to save a mile or so by parking at the camp- ground or the equestrian staging area--ask first. Pass through the pipe gate at the south end of the campground, and walk south along the old road that cuts across a large flat just west of the line of sycamores and willows in Aliso Canyon. Dotting the flat are handsome "trees-of-heaven." Originally from China, these ornamental trees have become naturalized throughout California.
About 0.5 mile from the campground, you dip to cross Aliso Canyon's small creekbed. On the other side is a T-intersection of roads. Turn right and continue west up Water Canyon. Lining Water Canyon is a narrow finger of riparian willow and sycamore growth, flanked by grizzled oaks, wellproportioned walnut trees, and a few graceful trees-of-heaven. On the right bank, you pass a thicket of prickly pear cacti so dense it forms a trailside wall.
After a mile of up-canyon strolling, the road ends in a small flat. During a recent visit, we watched a bobcat bound away through the tall grass here. The canyon divides into three branches ahead, and a narrow footpath continues west up the densely shaded middle fork. The path can be followed (watch for poison oak) about 0.4 mile to a silted-up water tank that once stored water for the cattle herds. Water trickles by in the creek bottom during the rainy season. This is a good place to settle into the oak leaves for a spell and lazily enjoy a little peace and quiet.