Santa Ana River Trail is a 12.8 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Riverside, California that features a river. The trail is good for all skill levels and offers a number of activity options. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
The Santa Ana River Trail extends from San Bernardino through Orange County. This section goes from Fairmount Park in the City of Riverside to Van Buren Avenue. Well traveled by bicyclists, joggers, and walkers, this section is entirely paved. It is generally well-signed, albeit broken up by the streets around Ryan Bonaminio Park. The route parallels the Santa Ana River Wildlife Area with views of Mt. Rubidoux. It winds through Martha McLean / Anza Narrows Park which marks the area traversed by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza and his party in 1774. From the park, the river channel becomes a large woodland. The trail continues past Van Buren Avenue to Hidden Valley Nature reserve near Norco.
Parking is free in the designated parking areas in Fairmount Park.
City of Riverside (951) 826-5311 or Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District (951) 955-4310
From State Highway 91 (SR-91) take Mission Inn Avenue north through the City of Riverside to Redwood Drive. Turn left onto Dexter Drive at the entrance to Fairmount Park. Lake Evans will be on the right and the beginning of this trail will be on the left just about a hundred feet past the intersection.
Best part is by the nature center. Can get sketchy otherwise.
Loved it!! some shade here and there, great for dogs, and well kept. definitely coming back!!
Trail is closed from 9/3 - 9/20/2019. If cycling, jogging or mountain biking beware of trucks using the trail as a short cut or even quads driving on the trail.
I ran about 2 miles of this trail (each way, out and back) from the southern end of the construction closure in Riverside. At least in this section, the trail is built alongside or on top of a sewer main, and my run was punctuated by regular mouthfuls/lungfuls of sewer gas. For almost a mile just north of Van Buren the trail runs a gauntlet between two high chain link fences protecting a sewage treatment plant on one side and the section of the river that the plant dumps into on the other. I'm hoping another section of the trail is better; I won't be on this one again.