Mt. Rubidoux Park

Who loves going on hikes??? Not this girl. 😂 But I do love new adventures! And honestly, after this experience, I think I will start trying to explore more hikes. The view was incredible and this spot is totally worth it. 

Where is it? Well this is Mt. Rubidoux Trail and Memorial Park in Riverside, California. It is a short hike that is less than 3 miles for the whole hike (up and back). The path is paved the whole way, which is really nice if you have little ones and want to take a stroller or wagon. At the top is the beautiful Peace Tower and Friendship Bridge, along with a gorgeous view of the city.

I wanted to share a few tips for those who may not be experienced in hiking, like myself, because I was not as prepared as I should have been and these few tips would have made it an even better experience. 

My first tip would be to pay attention to the arrows. Yes it seems obvious, but they stop right before the path splits. When you first start up the path there are arrows pointing up on one side and down on the other. The older kids went ahead of us so we just followed the direction they went which was to the left. There was also a truck and some workers that we thought were blocking the other path (straight ahead). So we ended up taking the steeper path up the hill instead of the path that is a little longer but an easier hike. So when you get to the split where there is a little resting spot with tables, be sure to go to the right path (keep going straight) and not the left unless you want the steeper path. It wasn't too bad, we survived. Lol. But thankfully my cousin and sister were with me to help take turns pushing Ledger up the hill in his trike or I honestly don't think I would have made it. haha.

We laughed when we saw Almost There written in chalk. It was like someone knew we needed that little boost to help us keep going. Like I said before, hiking isn't my thing and clearly not Landon and Luke's either hence the picture of them sitting. 😂 

My next tip is check the weather and then plan for it to be warmer than that. We should have gone in the morning or evening instead of middle of the day. Yes I know that should be obvious too, but it was a last minute plan and by the time we got everyone out of the house it was close to lunch time. Shorts and a t-shirt or even work out attire would be my recommendation. I wore jeans because I pretty much live in jeans, but I was sweating my booty off. If you want to take some cute pictures, I would bring something with you and put it on once you get to the top.

The views are incredible and definitely photo worthy. Landon even found a rock that he wanted a picture with because he said it looked like a lion's face. Do you see it?

We put in Mt. Rubidoux park as the destination and it took us to the entrance of the trail, but that isn't where parking is. Parking is the easiest at Bonaminio Park. It is a nice park with baseball fields, basketball courts, picnic tables and restrooms. We made a quick stop at the bathrooms before we walked up the street to the trail entrance. Keep in mind there are no bathrooms at the top of the hike.

Bring lots of water and some snacks or maybe even a picnic lunch to enjoy the beautiful views at the top. There was a nice cool breeze up there that felt so good after the big trek up the hill. There is a big shaded area with cement rows for you to sit and cool off. 

Here are some more pictures from the hike so you can see how truly beautiful this spot is.

My beautiful (inside and out) nieces.

It was a great experience and a fun outing with family trying something new. Overall, I would definitely recommend this hike, even those of you who may be like me and aren't big into hiking. It was a beautiful adventure and I hope to find more like it for our family. Please share in the comments if you have been on any hikes in the So Cal area that you really enjoyed. Thanks for reading about our little adventure and I hope you all have a beautiful day!

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