Think of Southern California as palm trees and beaches only? Just an hour east of downtown Los Angeles, the Inland Empire will change your mind. This sprawling region stretches across San Bernardino and Riverside counties, where the flat suburban grid gives way to soaring mountains, alpine lakes, and pine-scented air.
The San Bernardino Mountains climb to over 11,000 feet at Mount San Gorgonio, the highest peak in Southern California. Up in the mountains you will find ski resorts, hiking trails, and the lakeside resort community of Big Bear Lake. At lower elevations, Riverside preserves the legacy of the citrus industry that once defined the region, anchored by the magnificent Mission Inn. San Bernardino sits at the foot of the mountains along historic Route 66, while Temecula in the south has become the state's youngest wine country.
The Inland Empire is also where Hollywood first came to vacation. Hot air balloon festivals, Old West towns, orange groves, and wineries round out a region that offers far more than the freeway sprawl most people associate with it.
