Glen Helen Regional Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Glen Helen
Sycamore Grove Marker
Location	San Bernardino, California
Built	1851
California Historical Landmark
Designated	April 1, 1957
Reference no.	573
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).

Glen Helen Regional Park Location of Sycamore Grove 2

Glen Helen Regional Park is a large county park located in San Bernardino, California. It sits right next to the famous Cajon Pass. This park is well-known for hosting big events. It was home to the US Festivals in the early 1980s. It also has the Glen Helen Amphitheater, which is the biggest outdoor concert venue in the United States. The park has also hosted many exciting off-road races since 1985.

Sycamore Grove: A Historic Stop

Glen Helen Regional Park is home to California Historical Landmark NO. 573, called Sycamore Grove. This special designation was given on April 1, 1957. You can find it at 2555 Devore Road, about 0.7 miles west of Devore.

Sycamore Grove was a very important rest stop long ago. It was the first place travelers could rest after leaving the old Native American Mohave Trail. This trail crossed the San Bernardino Mountains at Monument Peak. Then it went down into Cajon Canyon. Famous explorers like Father Francisco Garcés in 1776 and Jedediah Smith in 1826 used this route.

Why Sycamore Grove Was Important

The Mormon colonists named this spot Sycamore Grove in 1851. It was later known by other names like Martin's Ranch and Glen Helen Ranch. It was a vital place for water and rest at the bottom of Cajon Pass. This spot was mentioned as a camp on the Old Spanish Trail by Antonio Armijo in 1830.

Sycamore Grove was also located at the start of a pass, sometimes called Devore Pass. This pass led travelers westward to the Mission San Gabriel. The grove was also part of the large Rancho Muscupiabe land grant from 1843.

Sycamore Grove and the Mormon Road

From 1848, Sycamore Grove became a stop on the Mormon Road. This was a wagon road connecting Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. In 1850, a lawyer named David W. Cheesman described the area. He said it was "the most beautiful spot; a small valley dotted with large sycamores and clover nearly waist high."

For several months in 1851, Sycamore Grove was a camp for Mormon colonists. They were working to buy the Rancho San Bernardino. This land later became the city of San Bernardino.

Glen Helen's History and the Mormon Pioneers

In 1847, a wagon road called the Mormon Road was created. It connected Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. A group of Mormons led by Captain Jefferson Hunt pioneered this road. This wagon road followed much of the Old Spanish Trail. It changed paths only when wagons needed to pass. Sycamore Grove was the main stop on this road at the foot of the Cajon Pass.

This wagon road was very important during the California Gold Rush. Many Forty-niners and other settlers used it. They wanted to avoid getting stuck in the snow-covered Sierra Nevada mountains during winter.

Between June and September 1851, Sycamore Grove was the first camp for Mormon colonists. These groups, led by people like Captain Jefferson Hunt and Amasa Lyman, went on to found the city of San Bernardino.

California Historical Landmark Marker 573

There is a special marker at Sycamore Grove. It tells about the history of this important place. The marker explains that this campsite was used by Spanish and American travelers as early as the 1770s. It was noted in records in 1806, 1849, and 1850.

The marker also mentions Michael White, who owned the Muscupiabe Rancho nearby in 1843. It states that the Mormon colonists camped here for about four months in 1851. During this time, leaders like Amasa Lyman and Charles Rich worked to buy the San Bernardino Rancho from the Lugo family. The marker was first put up in 1972 and later moved to Glen Helen Regional Park.

Motorsport at Glen Helen

Glen Helen has been a popular spot for off-road races since 1985. Its motocross track is famous for its steep hills, big jumps, and banked turns.

Major Motocross Events

The park has hosted rounds of the AMA Motocross Championship many times. It was a host from 1993, then from 1996 to 2009, and again since 2014. These races usually happen in May, often on Memorial Day.

Glen Helen has also hosted rounds of the Motocross World Championship. These races took place from 1990 to 1992, then from 2010 to 2011, and again from 2015 to 2016. The park has also hosted Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series races since 2010.

In late 2018, Glen Helen hosted the Robby Gordon Off-Road World Championships. This event included races from Gordon's Stadium Super Trucks series, along with motocross and other off-road vehicles.

Motocross Winners at Glen Helen

Here are some of the riders who have won motocross races at Glen Helen: