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WWW.VISITINLANDEMPIRE.COM
HEMET · IDYLLWILD · SAN JACINTO
"The view from San Jacinto is the
most sublime spectacle to be found
anywhere on earth." -- John Muir
The majestic 10,800-foot Mt. San Jacinto towers above the
beautiful San Jacinto Valley. During the Ice Age, mastodons and
wooly mammoths roamed here--they're dramatically shown big-
as-life at Hemet's Western Center for Archaeology &
Paleontology. Native Americans lived here for thousands of
years. Their influence, and that of the early 19th century Spanish
settlers, still resonates in The Valley's culture.
The San Jacinto Valley is ideally located for short trips to
Southern California's most popular attractions--Palm Springs,
mountain ski resorts and sunny beaches.
But The Valley is a major tourist destination in itself, fast be-
coming the Southland's premier outdoor recreation area. There's
plenty to do--hiking, riding horses, camping, rock-climbing, fish-
ing, cross-country skiing, sailing, hunting, biking, skydiving, golf-
ing, and hot-air ballooning.
Add to that exploring historic
downtowns and fascinating museums, exciting casino action and
fine dining. The Valley is growing in popularity for budget-priced
vacations and weekend getaways.
The Valley's crown jewel is Diamond Valley Lake, Southern
California's largest freshwater reservoir. Completed in 1999 in the
largest earthworks project ever constructed in the US, the reser-
voir's deep depth makes it an ideal
cold-water fish lake, perhaps the best
in the West. Besides world-class fish-
ing, the trails around the lake are ab-
solute nirvana for bikers, hikers, and
equestrians.
During the massive dig to create
Diamond Valley Lake, workers un-
earthed an enthralling collection of
Native American artifacts and Ice Age
fossils,
now
exhibited
at
the
Western Center for Archaeology
& Paleontology, a state-of-the-art
museum just east of the reservoir.
continued on page 29
Diamond Valley Lake