Location: Riverside, California
Distance: 3.2 Mile Lollipop Loop Time: 1.5-2 Hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation Gain: 400 Feet
Season: Year Round (Summer can be unbearably and dangerously hot)
Foot Traffic: Moderate to Heavy
Date Hiked: Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Overview
Mount Rubidoux is a fantastic hike in the hills of Riverside. This trail is extremely popular and is great for trail running and exercise, as the majority of the trail is paved. Depending on which path one decides to take, the hike will total somewhere between 2.5 and 4 miles. While the hike to the summit of Mt. Rubidoux wouldn’t be described as difficult, it will undoubtedly give hikers a great workout.
At the summit of Mt. Rubidoux, sits a huge cross that is visible from a distance and beckons hikers to reach the summit. The original cross was erected all the way back in 1907. Upon being installed, it was dedicated to Father Junípero Serra, founder of the California Missions. The cement cross that you see today was dedicated in 1963. Also at the top of Mt. Rubidoux sits a peace tower and a friendship bridge. The area at the top of Mt. Rubidoux is very spacious and fun to explore with multiple plaques providing more information on the area.
There are multiple trailhead options but it seems that the shortest and most popular starting point is from Ryan Bonaminio Park. Another starting option is from the Carlson Dog Park and that is the trip I will be describing below.
Trail Description and Scout’s Story
Mt. Rubidoux was not a trail that I was familiar with or had ever even heard of, despite its popularity with locals. For the past two weeks, my wife and I had been living at the Kaiser hospital in Fontana as our almost 2 year old daughter, Scout, had just undergone a nearly 10 hour tumor resection surgery on cancerous tumors in her liver and rectum. After nine months of treatment Scout had finally reached the juncture where her medical staff was comfortable operating on her. Scout has done incredibly well with her recovery and we are hopeful she will get to go home in the next few days, in time for her 2nd birthday. Additionally, we are nervous but hopeful and eager to receive her pathology results to better understand the outcome of the surgery.
Since Scout was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, our time and energy has been solely devoted to her and her treatment with very little time to focus on our well being or fitness. As Scout was recovering and sleeping on this day, I decided I had to get out of the hospital and exercise. The hospital staff was only allowing two visitors in the room at a time, so I decided this would be a good time to allow my wife’s mom to come in and be with her and that I would drive down the street to the nearest hike that I could find on google maps. The first trail that I happened to come upon was the Mt. Rubidoux trail.
Carlson Dog Park Trailhead to Mt. Rubidoux
The trailhead that google maps brought me to was at Carlson Park. Parking at the very back of the parking lot, the trailhead was now just in front of me. As I made my way towards the trailhead, I became a little apprehensive about leaving my car here. There were multiple shady characters hanging out inside of, or living out of their cars but I figured everything would be okay. I made my way to the back of the parking lot and through a little arch structure and then veered left onto some concrete stairs. I was a bit surprised at how overgrown this section of the trail was. The stairs turned into a dirt path and the trail was now steadily ascending. I could see the cross at the top, which I knew marked the end of the trail.
After a short stretch, I came to a junction and turned right and started zigzagging around some boulders and up the trail. At this point, the incline had drastically increased and I could feel a good burn. The hike didn’t seem too hard, but was offering up a reasonable workout and was making me realize how out of shape I currently was. After some more switchbacks, I eventually reached a paved, gravel access road.
Paved Walking Path to Mt. Rubidoux Summit
This marked the loop portion of the trail and I decided to head right (either direction works here). Around this time, I started really thinking about how great it was to be back outside and started imagining the days when my wife, daughter and I would be back on the trails together.
The trail was still gaining in elevation but this section was much more manageable. Views of the Santa Ana Riverbed and the Jurupa Valley were now below me. Following along the paved path, I came to a fence blocking further progress due to construction. I slid around the side of it and then came to a bridge, which I passed under.
The trail continued to wrap its way around toward the back of Mt. Rubidoux. The cross at the summit was visible for most of the approach along the paved walking path. At times it seemed so close but the trail kept circling towards the back of it.
In no time I had reached the final stretch and first opted to stop and check out the awesome views of the peace tower from the friendship bridge.
The setting was magnificent and the views into the valley below were more than I had been expecting.
Lastly, I made my way over to the stair section and climbed up to check out the cement cross. Not wanting to waste any more time I made my way back to the peace tower and crossed under the friendship bridge along the paved path to continue the loop in a counter clockwise direction.
Completing the Mt. Rubidoux Trail
As I was in a bit of a hurry to get back to the hospital, I decided to jog the path back down. The reality of this hike was that it took me longer than I thought. My ego took a bit of a hit on the way up and I was reminded that I needed to focus on my fitness a lot more moving forward. The following day I opted to exercise by hiking to Mt. Jurupa and two days later our daughter, Scout, would be released from the hospital. We would arrive home the day before her second birthday after spending over two weeks living at the hospital in Fontana.
My wife and I would also be informed that Scout’s pathology was back. Scout’s medical team scheduled an appointment for the day after her birthday. We would be discussing the results of the pathology and finding out our next steps in Scout’s fight. The day after Scout’s birthday we arrived at the clinic and sat down for a lengthy discussion with our Oncologist. Only two weeks after surgery and nearly 10 months after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, Scout’s cancer was being placed into remission. Our emotions were indescribable. The last year had been such a battle and nightmare. We were so thankful and overwhelmed to finally be seeing some light and to hear the word remission.
May 2, 2023
Getting to Mt. Rubidoux Trailhead
The Mt. Rubidoux trail starts from the Carlson Dog park, off of Mission Inn Ave. From highway 60, take exit 50 (from 60 east). Continue on Rubidoux Blvd before taking Mission Blvd. Turn onto Scout Lane and into Carlson Dog Park.
4727 Scout Ln, Riverside, CA 92501
Notes, Questions and Thoughts
Is Mt. Rubidoux a fee area?
- No, there is no fee to hike or park at Mt. Rubidoux
Are dogs allowed on the Mt. Rubidoux trail?
- Yes, dogs are allowed on the trail, however, they must be leashed and kept in control at all times. Please pick up and properly dispose of all animal waste.
Another great hike in the area, is the Mt. Jurupa trail.
Please recreate responsibly. Respect hikers, and all visitors and wildlife. Help make everyone’s experience better by keeping the nature experience as authentic as possible. Leave no trace and pack out everything that you pack in. Please remember that we are visitors and stewards of these special places. Help keep these places as wild as possible while not diminishing the outdoor experience of others.
