Explore the best rated trails in Fontana, CA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Santa Gertrudis Creek Trail and Southern Avenue Greenway. With more than 54 trails covering 333 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Arroyo Seco Bike Path runs about 2 miles between South Pasadena and northeast Los Angeles, offering views of the LA skyline and the distant mountains. It begins south of Pasadena Avenue and...
The Compton Creek Bike Path crosses Compton along the east bank of its namesake creek, offering access to precious open space for the urban neighborhoods along the way. Compton Creek itself is a...
The Hoover Bike and Walking Trail is a utilitarian path adjacent to an active rail line in the western Orange County city of Westminster. Also paralleling Hoover Street for its entire distance, the...
If you believe the setting makes the trail, you won't quibble with the brevity of the path through Seal Beach's Electric Avenue Median Park. Ensconced in a beautifully maintained linear park, the...
Yorba Linda's El Cajon Trail courses through the city on a former irrigation canal that was abandoned and filled in after a flood made it impractical to use. Paved with a parallel equestrian and...
The Peters Canyon Trail runs northeast from Bill Barber Community Park to Portola Parkway. The trail closely follows Peters Canyon Wash, a channelized tributary of San Diego Creek. Much of the...
The San Diego Creek Trail is the spine of the City of Irvine's extensive system of trails and bike lanes. It begins in Newport Beach, joining the Upper Bay Trail near where San Diego Creek empties...
The Venta Spur Trail travels along the narrow corridor of a former rail spur that began serving the Frances Packing House—a major citrus processing facility—in 1916. Today, the popular trail serves...
The scenic Huntington Beach Bicycle Trail runs along the Pacific Ocean waterfront of the most populous beach city in Orange County. Paved over its entire length and remarkably wide at some points, the...
The Santa Gertrudis Creek Trail is a 3-mile paved trail that serves as both a recreational amenity and an active transportation alternative for locals looking to get to nearby locations without...
The Woodbridge Trail, while short, is one of the most scenic in Irvine's extensive trail network. Views of two lakes and surrounding mountains unfold around each bend. It's a great route for families...
The paved Los Angeles River Trail—also known as the Los Angeles River Bike Path, Los Angeles River Bikeway, Los Angeles River Greenway Trail and Lario Trail—is open in two disconnected segments along...
The Victoria Avenue Bike Path parallels a scenic parkway dotted with palm trees that was built in 1892 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The northeastern end of the trail...
The Shady Canyon Trail is an incredibly scenic route along Shady Canyon Drive in southern Irvine. Extending through the southern reaches of the historic Irvine Ranch and protected Irvine Ranch Natural...
The Watts Towers Crescent Greenway is a short but pleasant rail-trail in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The trail's central attraction is the Watts Towers Art Center, home of the striking and...
The Bellflower Bike Trail runs for more than 2 miles on the right-of-way of the old Pacific Electric transit system—also known as the Red Cars—across Bellflower. At its zenith in the 1920s, Pacific...
Open space is precious in South Gate, and the Southern Avenue Greenway—which runs under overhead power lines—provides an off-street walking and biking route, as well as play areas for the community....
To the trail user, the West Irvine Trail and Peters Canyon Bikeway are one continuous trail with two names in three cities. The northern component of the Peters Canyon Regional Trail, both paths...
The Aliso Creek Riding and Hiking Trail passes through the heart of Mission Viejo from South Laguna to Rancho Santa Margarita along an 18.5-mile corridor. The trail features many parks in Orange...
The San Gabriel River Trail extends from the base of the San Gabriel Mountains all the way to the Pacific Ocean. A key component of Los Angeles County's transportation infrastructure, the trail...
Open space is precious in South Gate, and the Southern Avenue Greenway—which runs under overhead power lines—provides an off-street walking and biking route, as well as play areas for the community....
Experience the easy life of the West Coast on Orange County's Bud Turner Trail. Set in a quiet neighborhood in the city of Fullerton, the trail is ideal for all types of trail use and uniquely caters...
To the trail user, the West Irvine Trail and Peters Canyon Bikeway are one continuous trail with two names in three cities. The northern component of the Peters Canyon Regional Trail, both paths...
The Bonita Canyon Trail is a sidepath along Culver Drive and Bonita Canyon Drive linking the Orange County cities of Irvine and Newport Beach. Near the trail's midpoint, pick up the Shady Canyon Trail...
The Venta Spur Trail travels along the narrow corridor of a former rail spur that began serving the Frances Packing House—a major citrus processing facility—in 1916. Today, the popular trail serves...
Yorba Linda's El Cajon Trail courses through the city on a former irrigation canal that was abandoned and filled in after a flood made it impractical to use. Paved with a parallel equestrian and...
The paved Los Angeles River Trail—also known as the Los Angeles River Bike Path, Los Angeles River Bikeway, Los Angeles River Greenway Trail and Lario Trail—is open in two disconnected segments along...
The Shady Canyon Trail is an incredibly scenic route along Shady Canyon Drive in southern Irvine. Extending through the southern reaches of the historic Irvine Ranch and protected Irvine Ranch Natural...
To the trail user, the West Irvine Trail and Peters Canyon Bikeway are one continuous trail with two names in three cities. The northern component of the Peters Canyon Regional Trail, both paths...
The Peters Canyon Trail runs northeast from Bill Barber Community Park to Portola Parkway. The trail closely follows Peters Canyon Wash, a channelized tributary of San Diego Creek. Much of the...
The Freeway Trail, as its name implies, parallels the San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405) on its brief route through Irvine. With power lines overhead and neighborhoods blocked by sound walls to the...
The Whittier Greenway Trail occupies part of an abandoned railroad right-of-way in its namesake town, running parallel to Whittier Boulevard and Lambert Road between Mills Avenue and Pioneer Boulevard...
The Shoreline Pedestrian/Bicycle Path is a scenic multipurpose trail that runs from the tip of the breakwater opposite Island Grissom at the Long Beach Shoreline Marina to Long Beach's Belmont Shore...
The Compton Creek Bike Path crosses Compton along the east bank of its namesake creek, offering access to precious open space for the urban neighborhoods along the way. Compton Creek itself is a...
The Harvard Trail is a short sidepath along Harvard Avenue in Irvine. Beautifully landscaped, lit and featuring smooth concrete, the trail is a much more pleasant experience than your average roadside...
The Woodbridge Trail, while short, is one of the most scenic in Irvine's extensive trail network. Views of two lakes and surrounding mountains unfold around each bend. It's a great route for families...
The Hoover Bike and Walking Trail is a utilitarian path adjacent to an active rail line in the western Orange County city of Westminster. Also paralleling Hoover Street for its entire distance, the...
The Rio Hondo River Trail runs for more than 17 miles through Los Angeles County along its namesake waterway, a partially channelized tributary of the Los Angeles River. The trail extends northeast...
The Tracks at Brea Trail provides a 4-mile route across the city of Brea, which lies about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The trail consists of a two-lane paved bikeway for wheeled users and a...
The Duarte Recreational Trail is made up of paved and parallel dirt trails. Located in Southern California's San Gabriel Valley, Duarte is named for Andres Duarte, a Mexican soldier who was granted...
The Walnut Trail shares a wide corridor with an active railroad line, a BNSF route, through a section of Orange County known for producing oranges and strawberries. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe...
If you believe the setting makes the trail, you won't quibble with the brevity of the path through Seal Beach's Electric Avenue Median Park. Ensconced in a beautifully maintained linear park, the...
The Watts Towers Crescent Greenway is a short but pleasant rail-trail in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. The trail's central attraction is the Watts Towers Art Center, home of the striking and...
The Shoreline Pedestrian/Bicycle Path is a scenic multipurpose trail that runs from the tip of the breakwater opposite Island Grissom at the Long Beach Shoreline Marina to Long Beach's Belmont Shore...
The Robert McCollum Memorial Bicycle Trail, also known as the Trabuco Creek Trail (East Bank), is a short paved path along Trabuco Creek in San Juan Capistrano. The trail begins at a junction with the...
The San Juan Creek Trail starts where the creek meets the Pacific Ocean at Doheny State Beach in scenic Dana Point. From there, it runs on the levee along the western bank of San Juan Creek to its...
The San Diego Creek Trail is the spine of the City of Irvine's extensive system of trails and bike lanes. It begins in Newport Beach, joining the Upper Bay Trail near where San Diego Creek empties...
The Compton Creek Bike Path crosses Compton along the east bank of its namesake creek, offering access to precious open space for the urban neighborhoods along the way. Compton Creek itself is a...
Experience the easy life of the West Coast on Orange County's Bud Turner Trail. Set in a quiet neighborhood in the city of Fullerton, the trail is ideal for all types of trail use and uniquely caters...
The Hicks Canyon Trail is a short but scenic blacktop trail along the landscaped Hicks Canyon Wash. It starts at the Peters Canyon Trail near Hicks Canyon Community Park and climbs up the wash to end...
The Turtle Rock Trail meanders its way through the neighborhood of the same name in southern Irvine. The path is a short—but serious—aerobic workout, as it features climbs to the trail's high point at...
Open space is precious in South Gate, and the Southern Avenue Greenway—which runs under overhead power lines—provides an off-street walking and biking route, as well as play areas for the community....
The Bellflower Bike Trail runs for more than 2 miles on the right-of-way of the old Pacific Electric transit system—also known as the Red Cars—across Bellflower. At its zenith in the 1920s, Pacific...
The Oceanfront Boardwalk begins in West Newport Beach at the end of 36th Street and runs nearly 3 miles down the Balboa Peninsula. Along the way, trail-goers will find restaurants, dory fishermen,...
The Tracks at Brea Trail provides a 4-mile route across the city of Brea, which lies about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The trail consists of a two-lane paved bikeway for wheeled users and a...
The Santa Ana River Trail is a 12-foot wide path following the Santa Ana River, a waterway that is cement-lined through much of Orange County but free flowing in Riverside and San Bernardino counties....
The Juanita Moe Trail—formerly known as the Quail Hill Trail—is a short path along Interstate 405 south of downtown Irvine. Forming a link between the University Trail and Jeffrey Open Space Trail in...
The Woodbridge Trail, while short, is one of the most scenic in Irvine's extensive trail network. Views of two lakes and surrounding mountains unfold around each bend. It's a great route for families...
Hugging one of the most picturesque shorelines in Southern California, the San Clemente Beach Trail is one of the premier rail-trails in the area. The trail itself is technically a rail-with-trail, as...
Irvine's Jeffrey Open Space Trail, currently open in three disconnected segments, has won awards for its landscaping and innovative design incorporating a series of intaglio panels in the concrete bed...
It was nice and shady, took the bike and dogs ¿
My wife and I started out at the Seal Beach Trailhead and rode north to Alondra Blvd. The trail is pretty well maintained and dips below most crossroads where they cross the river. We rode on a Wednesday morning and were surprised by the number of other bike and trike riders on the trail. Appears to be very popular with the locals. Came across a couple of homeless folks, but no problems.
The trip starts at my house getting on PET from Campus Ave. in Upland. The distance is 17.5 miles one way from where I start. The trail goes east and at about two miles into the trip there are two brief climbs and from there on it's pretty much level. At the Foothill Blvd. trailhead there is restroom access. It's important to mention that unlike the Santa Ana River Trail,, there are many intersections you have to cross. With some short and some long stretches. After about nine miles, starting from the under the 15 fwy you will be on a mile stretch that is very bumpy with the concrete slabs. Not very pleasant at all for road bikes. This section ends with a rest area in Rancho Cucamonga. I look at this portion as the first half of PET. It's now mile 10.
The second half of PET begins across Baseline Rd. where you enter Fontana. You are now going southeast. The trail takes on a different character where you are in a community setting and many portions of the trail have a neat accent to them. There's a park at Oleander Ave. with a nice restroom right off PET to your left. Other parks and exercise equipment are alongside the trail, along with a number of historical buildings. Once you enter the city of Rialto, you see neat signs telling you you're at Rialto with numerous cement benches and water fountains. The trail ends at Cactus Ave. at mile 17.5.
I gave this trail a four because in Fontana and Rialto I noticed that the trail isn't being kept up regarding weeds growing inbetween the concrete slabs you're riding on. Those weeds often have thorns that can puncture tires. I recommend you check the weather forecast for wind. Cucamonga, Fontana, and Rialto are know as "wind tunnels" so better to be safe than sorry. On my second trip, I did notice signs of the homeless with trash and other items associated with them. It wasn't much but I suspect it's going to get worse because on my first trip I didn't see anything. That's not good. Hope it doesn't get too bad!
My experience with this route is excellent. Going up and back is approx. 30 miles. The trailhead is at 4995 Green River Rd., Corona. It has ample parking. I hit the path going south with the river to my right and the 91 fwy to my left. Once I get to the first park, Featherly Regional Park, you end up looping so that the river is now on your left and riding alongside E. La Palma Ave. for a couple of miles.
Shortly after you cross Yorba Linda Blvd. going south, you're now led to the dedicated bike path for the remainder of the ride and much closer to the river. The riding surface is in very good condition. Yorba Linda Regional Park is on your right. It's a long beautiful park. You may want to stop and explore it. Right after the park ends you cross a bridge with a wooden surface and now have the river on your right. You're now at approx. mile 5.
As you proceed south, you go under several overpasses and there are some nice wide curvy sections with beautiful vegetation on both sides. At approx. 12 miles there's a mini park rest area with benches and water fountain on your right. It's a nice place to stop and have a snack for a few minutes.
It starts to gets more barren as you go further south. Looking ahead you can now see the Honda Center, Anaheim transportation center, and Anaheim Stadium a few miles away. When I get there its mile 15 and I turn back.
As I end, I do want to say that it's best to check out the weather forecast mainly for wind. There have been a couple of times when I had to turn back because of strong winds! I recommend you start in the morning around 7-9 am. From the trailhead at Green River to the Honda Center it's mainly going downhill. So, just keep in mind that you'll be returning going uphill. But it is a moderate climb. During my rides I did not see any homeless encampments. If you prefer it on the quiet side, it best to ride the bike path on weekdays. I did go on it one Sunday and it wasn't too bad but there was noticeably more traffic with bikers and walkers. Well, I hope you enjoyed my review of the Santa Ana River Trail from Green River to the Honda Center.
I've been riding this path for years and it's become unsafer each and every year. There are several homeless and at times have confronted me while riding the path. It's extremely dirty and need of many repairs.
If you do choose to use this path I would highly advise NOT to ride it alone. This is a dangerous area and certainly do not ride this at night. The city/state needs to maintain this historical bike path and make it safe for all users. It's a sad state of affairs....unfortunately.
My husband and I rode this trail again today for the fourth time. It was cold and windy. 25 mile ride from Aliso and Wood canyon nature preserve to cooks corner and back. Not much bird activity along the creek yet. Too cold I think. The parks were all full of soccer and Little League baseball activity. The trail is still closed at the I-5 due to construction. Be sure to take your GPS so you can navigate the detour through Lake Forest.
My husband and I rode from Aliso Wood Canyon nature preserve to Cook’s corner and back today. 25 miles total. It was a cold and windy ride today but this is still one of my favorite trails. Because it was Saturday, and we hit the trail at 9 AM, we ran into a 5K run, lots of walkers, and other bike riders. It still felt like winter along the trail. Not much bird activity on the creek yet. The trail is still closed at I-5 due to construction. Be sure to take your GPS to maneuver the detour through Lake Forest.
I ride it quite often, by often I mean almost every sunday morning year round...
But I ride the north portion only and not all the way for a combination of reasons.
First reason is, because of the river and the freeway, the path is pretty much a wind tunnel, so you waste a lot of energy when you have crosswind or front wind just fighting the wind.
Second reason is the fact the only shades you have on most of the path are from the bridges you cross, otherwise prepare to be frying specially between June and August.
Third reason are the homeless, I never had problems with them, but probably because Sunday mornings are relatively busy so they stay put, some are not even there by the time, but I wonder if that's the same on different hours with less traffic.
So what do I do them? First I stay on Riverside and ride the Zoo Drive all the way to the Crystal Spring Dr. until I reach the Los Feliz Blvd. and that's where I join the path, yes you have to share the road with some cars trying to reach the I-5, but if you use the crossing paths on traffic light and pay attention it's all good.
From there I ride to the end of the Greentrail (Near the Dodger Stadium) and return... On my way back I always stop by the Spokes Cafe around Atwater Village area. It's a nice cafe/bike shop focused on cyclists, not the cheapest place to stop by, but the food is high quality and the environment and staff are really nice and is a great place to meet other cyclists (before the pandemic was even better to share experiences and talk about cycling and making friends).
People that drive to the path, can park by the Griffith Park or another suggestion I would give if you wanna add some miles to your ride (specially if you have a EV this tip is golden cause that's what I sometimes do when I have to charge my car), park at Burbank Town Center (so you can leave your car on one of the chargers or superchargers for tesla owners) and ride from there through the bike lanes on San Fernando Blvd. to Riverside Dr. bike lane and them join the Bike Path or do as I do going thru the Griffith Park on Zoo Dr.
I start at Citrus and ride to Claremont. Nice ride, only one detour where a portion is being rebuilt; have to detour up to Arrow but it takes you thru the Colleges campus to the village.
Recommend to walk or ride bike on this trail. Relax and enjoy nature! :)
The trail is nice, but you have to stop at every street, and in most cases get off your bike as there are a lot of nuisance barricades and signs. It really detracts from the enjoyment of the trail, especially on the east end, where it's so frustrating that it's almost better to take the streets. I think this is a much nicer trail for walking than for cycling. The west end is a lot better, and I will probably ride it sometimes, west of santa fe springs.
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