Chino Hills State Park Loop

Right in the middle of a busy intersection between Riverside, Orange, and San Bernardino County, Chino Hill State park is a popular destination on the weekend. It is a multi-use trail that spans nearly 31 miles across from Santa Ana Mountain to Whittier Hills. The location serves as a critical link for wildlife corridor and a major botanical habitat reserve for resident and migrating wildlife. 

Visitors can walk, hike, run, mountain bike, and horseback ride in the majority of the trail even though there are some trails that are designated for hiking only for conservation purposes. There are also a couple campgrounds available within the park which tend to get full pretty early. There are some picnic tables available near the campground too. 

There are multiple entrances to the park. The most popular ones are by Chino Hills Discovery Center from the west and Bane Canyon road from the north where you can drive all the way to the campground. Other than these 2 entrances, there are multiple smaller entrances from the nearby neighbourhood. 

If you are into trail running, the best way to experience the state park is to do a big loop around where you get to run along the ridge, down to the valley through woodlands, sage scrub and grassland. Bring a map if you aren't familiar with the trails as there are lots of turns and connecting trails that can be confusing. 

In the spring, wildflowers are the main attraction where you can find the hills covered with orange, yellow, and purple colors. The invasive black mustard plant also can be found here during the spring, covering the hills in bright yellow color. 

Visiting the park earlier in the day during the summer is advisable since there aren't any water sources and very little shade along the trail. Rattlesnake is also common to be found here during the hot summer days.