With rising spring temperatures, this is the time of the year that too-fluffy fleece can make the sheep uncomfortably hot. The flock roams a 70-acre pasture, mingling with free-range chickens and roosters, safely protected from coyotes and such by a Great Pyrenees named Bear. Highland Springs is now home to 123 Farm, which nurtures, harvests, and distills from the organic lavender fields and olive tree groves. as well as fountains, wishing wells, and figurines that have somehow survived the ranch's preservation and modernization efforts. Tucked away beyond the manicured lawns and amidst the groves of trees are whimsical and enchanted faux bois bridges, railings, and benches. and the basketball hoop could use a good dunk. though the tennis courts await a fresh serve. Today, the focus at Highland Springs is less on recreation, rehabilitation, rest, and repose. though the pool, jacuzzi, and bathhouse remain closed. Today, the historic structures that haven't burned down have been restored. and it attracted the likes of Wyatt Earp (and some lawless robbers and murderers, too), on their way eastward to Arizona.Īnd centuries before that, the 'Grand Oak'-a 1100-year-old coastal live oak tree-was just a sapling, with no white man in sight. In the 1920s, the property was known as 'Highland Springs Resort'-a health-minded wellness resort that drew the likes of Albert Einstein, Ernest Hemingway, Bob Hope, and Roy Rogers to stay for vegetarian meals, juice fasts, and colonics.Įventually, it attracted people who were so bad off, it earned the nickname 'The Last Resort.'īut decades before that, it was a stagecoach stop known as 'Smith Station'. The so-called ranch and inn at Highland Springs were built on the former San Gorgonio Rancho, a cattle ranch that was owned by the San Gabriel Mission and that shares its name with the highest peak in Southern California. and skulked around the tiny, time warp cabins-some vacant, some occupied, and all clearly with lots of stories to tell. It was the Olive Festival that first brought me to Highland Springs, where I perused the goods in the cottages known as the Organic Galleries. But its history of cherry-picking (reportedly the first to debut the popular 'U-Pick' during a shortage of farmhands) has given way to these new crops (and to the apples that send people through Cherry Valley on their way north to Oak Glen). The town of Cherry Valley is still incredibly rural, considering its proximity to the 10 Freeway. Or, if you're lucky, you can experience all three at once. It does not store any personal data.If you happened to find yourself at the Highland Springs Ranch & Inn in Cherry Valley, CA (about 30 miles east of the City of Riverside, in Riverside County), it probably would be for one of three things: olives, lavender, or sheep. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Performance'. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Other. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Necessary'. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Functional'. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category 'Analytics'. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly.

Highland springs ranch