1401 Iowa Ave, Riverside, CA 92507
Hours: Monday-Sunday (Dusk to Dawn)
Restrooms? Yes. Directly in front of the parking lot. Locked outside or park hours
Playground Surface: Mulch
Parking Lot? Yes. Big, dedicated parking lot close to playground
Gated/Fenced? No
Overview
Located in Riverside, is the massive 32 acre, Hunter Hobby Park. In addition to its multiple ball fields and expansive lawn areas, Hunter Hobby Park boasts two fabulous playgrounds including a train themed playground for younger kids. The train themed playground is keeping in touch with the rich train history of Hunter Hobby Park. The first thing that most visitors will notice are the train tracks that wind through the park. Twice a month, on the second and fourth Sundays of the month, The Riverside Live Steamers offer free rides to the public on miniature 1/8 scale trains. It’s a great time and the volunteer only live steamers are incredibly enthusiastic and kind.
Although the train rides only take place twice a month, the park is still a great place to walk or to bring the kids to play on the playgrounds at.
One major downside to Hunter Hobby Park is that there tends to be a good amount of homeless people sleeping in their cars here. I want to stress that the park still feels like a pretty safe place, in my opinion. Typically, most of the “car campers” are out of the parking lot by 10 or 11. On my last visit there was also an angry camper (literally) that was sleeping in her tent on the far side of the lawn area and wasn’t very happy when I walked by to watch my daughter riding on the train. This is still a great park, so don’t be deterred when visiting. Just be aware of what it is, until it isn’t anymore.
Features
2 separate playgrounds including a train themed playground for kids ages 2-5 years old and a Western themed playground for kids ages 5-12 years old
Train Themed playground and Play Structure (Kids Ages 2-5 Years Old)
- Train structure with 3 slides including a race slide and a tunnel slide
- 2 tunnel crawlers, steering wheels on the train, a vertical ladder climber and a bedrock climber
- Toddler clubhouse
Water Stop/Water Station Play Structure
- Train water stop station play structure with 2 slides including a race slide and a spiral slide
- 4 Baby (bucket) swings and 3 horse spring jumpers
Western Themed Playground (Kids 5-12 Years Old)
- Western themed play structure a short walk from the train themed toddler playground
- “Hunter Hobby Hotel”
- Wagon wheel climbing ladder, snake climbing ladder, cactus climber and wall climber with rope chain
- 4 bench swings and a moving bridge
Other Amenities
- Covered picnic shelters with picnic tables in between the two playgrounds
- Tons of green lawn space
- Multiple baseball fields
- Walking path around the park
- Home to the Riverside Live Steamers. Free train rides are offered on the miniature scaled train on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 10 AM-3 PM.
Scout’s Story
As the New year has arrived, my wife and I have been looking for train related activities to involve our daughter in. Although trains were never my thing when I was younger, our daughter, Scout, is absolutely obsessed with them. She spends a ton of time playing with her wooden magnetic train toys. If she’s not doing that, she’s watching train videos on youtube or doing something else train related. For some time now, my wife and I have wanted to take Scout on an actual train. For the past 5 months Scout has been fighting a battle against stage 4 cancer. Scout was diagnosed with yok sac tumors in her liver and pelvis on August 18th of 2022. Public places or crowded spaces, such as trains, just aren’t safe for her as she receives chemo and her body battles to stay healthy.
Scout’s Day at Hunter Hobby Park
This is where these outdoor miniature trains have become such a delightful event for us. Starting early in the morning, has generally helped us to avoid any major crowds, allowing Scout to stay safe. We arrived a little before the train rides started and the park was empty. We decided to let Scout play on the train themed playground before we lined up for the train rides. Scout had a great time running up and down the slide and crawling through the tunnels on the train play structure.
Finally, it was time to get on the train. Scout was so excited and was frozen as we rode around the park. Every time we arrived back at the start, she immediately asked to go again. This was not just an incredible experience for Scout, but for my wife and I as well. The miniature train rides are so amazing and are such a great service that the volunteers do for the community and the kids by offering them.
