Black Star Canyon : Mountain Road to Be Reopened Temporarily

Black Star Canyon Road, a twisting dirt track that winds through some of the county’s most rugged terrain, will be open for public use beginning May 15, county officials announced last week.

The rocky 20-mile road climbs the Santa Ana Mountains from Silverado Canyon Road, near Irvine Lake, into Cleveland National Forest. At the Riverside County line, it becomes Skyline Drive, which snakes above Tin Mine Canyon, then down the mountainside to the orange groves of South Corona.

Orange County officials open their end of the scenic road only briefly each year, in between the flood and fire seasons, said Bill Reiter, public works operations manager. Once the county Fire Department declares that fire season has begun, the road will again be closed.

In Riverside County, Skyline Drive has traditionally been open year-round, but supervisors there recently voted to close the road to public use, citing dangerous turns, potential county liability for accidents, and illegal shooting and vandalism by irresponsible visitors.

Later this year, the Riverside County Road Department will install heavy-duty gates at the road’s eastern end--near Chase Drive in Corona--and at the county line in the mountains, said LeRoy D. Smoot, road commissioner.

So this spring may be the last opportunity for many people to take the route all the way through the northern Santa Ana Mountains.