Honda Valley overlook near Hesperia offers a perfect place to hike, unwind

My hiking partner and beloved 8-pound Chihuahua came with me on a windy Thursday afternoon to explore Honda Valley's dozens of crisscrossing mountain bike and dirt-biking trails.

Also known as Summit Valley, Honda Valley lives between Interstate 173, Summit Valley Road, and Arrowhead Lake Road in Hesperia.

Avid wheelers, whether powered by manual cycling or an automatic throttle, should explore the valley while they can before development consumes the hungry High Desert area. For nearly a decade, local Hesperians started referring to the area as "Tapestry" for the controversial and massive Tapestry Housing Project, now called "Silverwood," that's being constructed in the area.

Soon enough, dirt roads and native Hesperia juniper will be plowed under as a cropping of 15,663 new homes will sprout up as DMB Development waters them.

In the meantime, Honda Valley desert is home to the native arroyo toad, singletrack biking trails, and empty dirt roads that are perfect for a solo gal and her four-legged pal.

Driving to the entrance of Honda Valley is like forcing your car up the side of a deep wash. The road is so eroded that one tire into the dirt crevasse almost completely inverts the entire car. Not wanting to get stuck, I parked on the side of the road at the first sign of inconvenience and walked to my unofficial starting point.

When we set out on the unofficial hiking trail, my Chihuahua and I weren't aiming for a distance record; rather, we wanted somewhere quiet where we could stretch our spines and exercise off the morning's writer's block.

No motorized quadrupeds bothered us that morning, or should I say we didn't bother any off-roaders. The only other signs of life on the trail were discarded tires and the occasional Western Fence Lizard.

Lupe, the Chihuahua, ran ahead of me as we hiked nowhere without a purpose. Red dirt roads were in the foreground and spiked Joshua Trees defined the middle ground, backdropped by a snowed-over San Gabriel Mountain range.

The path we took that morning emulated my literary mindset. It zigzagged a little in this direction, then to that, then up the side of a hill—watch out for those goat heads—until the cartoon maze finally concluded, and the car came back into view.

Nearly 12 miles of off-road trails define the Honda Valley area. Tackling the exposed terrain is more of a meander than a hike, however, as the trails follow short dirt roads as opposed to steep mountain cliffs. The area is ideal for walking unsociable dogs or for a quick stretch on a lunch break.

Honda Valley is technically not an established hiking trail, but in an area with so few options, it's worth checking out. Don't knock it 'til you try it.

Want a specific High Desert trail review? Keep McKenna and Lupe in shape by suggesting what trail they should hit next. McKenna can be found at mmobley@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Discover a new Hesperia hiking trail: Honda Valley