Nature has a way of creating a magical world for those that want to participate in its offerings. The beauty and peace that it often offers are often within simple reach. For Rocklin residents, the ability to take in nature is available in all shapes and sizes. One great place to visit for time spent walking groomed trails is False Ravine. Whether it is on foot or bike, you'll be glad you took the time to take nature upon its beauty-filled offering
Easy Access and Easy Going
False Ravine trail is a four-mile in and out trail. It's very easy to find and easy to access as well. But you do have to know where to look. From Interstate 80, it's easy to find it by exiting Sierra College Blvd and going south toward Roseville. Be sure to take the time to look at Sierra College's impressive sports field on your right-hand side. Something else to keep in mind as you pass the college is that it’s the location for weekend RV, boat, and car sales. For people wanting to buy or sell directly, this is a fantastic way to save money. Once you cross Rocklin Road intersection, turn right on Scarborough St and stay on it until you see the False Ravine Trail on your left-hand side. The trail is clearly marked with two lanes with plenty of room for people walking and those on bikes. If you drive to the trails, please plan on parking your vehicle in one of the residential side streets off Scarborough Drive. There is no parking on Scarborough Drive itself.
Oaks Posing As Art
Taking the time to walk in nature means answering the invitation to be mindful. Because of how well-groomed the trails are, I found myself being able to look around me without feeling distracted by my footing. Like so many beautiful places in Rocklin, False Ravine Trail is loaded with majestic oak trees. These timeless beauties are the perfect subjects for pencil sketching. I recently started carrying a pad of paper and drawing tools in my backpack for opportunities to draw scenes that present themselves spontaneously. Sketching trees is a great way to relax and an easy place to start drawing if you’re new to it. I suggest starting with a pencil set with the full spectrum of graphite grades so that you can go from light to dark without much effort. As tempting as it is to just start with ordinary pencils, you won't be happy with the results and probably get discouraged. A decent set of pencils isn't expensive, but it makes a world of difference in promoting your enthusiasm.
I also suggest drawing on an 8X10 pad of paper. There are many inexpensive drawing-grade paper choices. Using drawing paper will do your pencil values justice and gives you a sense of mastery quickly. Finally, I love to use two types of erasers. One is a gum eraser that lifts every bit of graphite off the paper so that I don't fear going too dark and erasing to the point of holes in the paper. The other eraser I love to use is shaped in a triangle because it allows for tiny bits of erasing or a while swatch all at once. The last, but for obvious reasons, not least is a pencil sharpener. My favorite is a very inexpensive sharpener that comes attached to a round plastic container. It's easy to hold, doesn't fling shavings everywhere, and distributes the sharpening evenly. Very handy and again, very inexpensive. A sketch artist's materials are light in weight, few in number, and easy to track. I strongly recommend allowing yourself to study the many beautiful oaks along False Ravine Trail to see which one calls your name.
A Trail Alive With Variety
False Ravine Trail is so rich in diversity. On the day I walked it, I was fortunate to see a flock of wild turkeys foraging around among leaf litter. These underappreciated birds are absolutely beautiful when you take the time to look at them. It’s worth it to make a point to time your False Ravine Trail in the morning or evening, so you get to see them. While the females are somewhat small birds compared to the males, they're larger birds and can weigh up to 22 pounds. Males tend to have showier fathers that have an iridescent sheen to them. A word of caution, while these are peaceful creatures, they have been known to become territorial in the spring during mating rituals, so please always exercise respectful caution and don't approach them.
While this trail is named False Ravine Trail, it isn't because of the absence of a ravine, but instead it's because there's a small river than runs across it. It's not only a refreshing sight, but it's also home to small fish and ducks.
History in Nature
Nisenan, the southernmost of three linguistic groups of California’s Maidu culture, have significant evidence of their lives in Rocklin. While on False Ravine Trail, you’ll see a marker indicating that there are grinding stones along the trail. These bedrock mortar sites where Nisenan women and children pounded acorns with anvils. The smashed acorns were then leached with water from the water of False Ravine and later served as a soup or fried cakes. The abundance of oak trees and fresh water made False Ravine Trail one of several areas where Nisenan lived in the Rocklin area.
Another place where you sense history as you walk False Ravine Trail is within enormity of some of the oak trees. While the formula varies a bit from one source to another, in general, tree experts estimate the age of trees by measuring the circumference of a tree at about five inches up the tree’s trunk. Using this formula, the first ten inches in diameter indicate an age of 76 years. Each inch after ten inches, add six and a half years to the tree's age up until the age of 154 years. After that, each inch adds six years of age. This means that some of the trees seen in Rocklin today can be 1,000 years old!
Stanford Ranch Self Storage Is Here For Rocklin, Roseville, and Lincoln
Rocklin is a beautiful place to live and has such an array of things to do outdoors while enjoying nature. As your neighborhood self storage facility, Stanford Ranch Self Storage knows many of the ways to enjoy nature involve equipment that requires space to store. Our state of the art storage facility is a great place to store everything you use to store everything needed to take advantage of spending time outdoors. From backpacks to walking sticks, store everything in a clean, organized storage unit at Stanford Ranch Self Storage. We're open for business and practicing social distancing, so please come by and let us show you how self-storage can be the answer to all your storage needs.
False Ravine Trail does not have an address that I could find. Here are directions in Rocklin:
From Interstate 80, exit Sierra College Blvd and go south toward Roseville. Once you cross Rocklin Road intersection, turn right on Scarborough Drive. and stay on it until you see the False Ravine Trail on your left-hand side. If you drive to the trails, please plan on parking your vehicle in one of the residential side streets off Scarborough Drive. There is no parking on Scarborough Drive itself.
