Description

Rancho Jurupa Regional Park is a peaceful park and campground in the semi-rural bottom-land of the Santa Anna River, near Riverside, California. This quiet park has sweeping vistas of boulder-dotted Mount Rubidoux and the Jurupa Hills, as well as distant views of the San Gabriel Mountains. The park features many fun activities, like biking, running, fishing, disc golf and mini golf, as well as picnic areas and the Splash Pad water park. This is a great park to relax at or to use as a base to explore the many arts, entertainment and shopping venues offered nearby in Riverside.

Location

Rancho Jurupa Regional Park
4800 Crestmore Rd
Riverside, CA 92509
Park: (951) 684-7032
Latitude: 33.982397 N, Longitude: -117.411760 W, Elevation: ~755 ft (230 m)

Details

We have stayed many times at Rancho Jurupa Regional Park campgrounds since 2015.  Our stays are typically 10 or 14-days duration in the fall, winter and spring seasons. This is a clean, quiet and well-maintained park. The park has two campgrounds, Cottonwood and Lakeview. The Lakeview campground is older and more rustic, catering to RV and tent camping, while the Cottonwood campground is newer and caters to RVs, only. We prefer to stay in the Cottonwood campground, but can not always get a reservation there.

Cost

Cost varies between the Cottonwood and Lakeview campgrounds and by full or partial hookup rates. Weekly rates are available. For two-weeks at a 50 amp full hookup back-in site in Cottonwood, we paid about $39 per night, including tax and a $2 per pet per night fee.

Ratings (1-5)

Accessibility – 4/5

The campground is easily accessible via well-maintained paved roads. Traffic through Riverside is often heavy, depending on time of day. Park roads and lanes in the Cottonwood campground are well-maintained asphalt, while lanes in Lakeview campground are gravel. The park has both pull-thru and back-in sites and can accommodate large rigs. The campground facilities have provisions for Universal access. 

Note: Gates to the park are locked after hours – be sure to carry the current gate codes when returning late.

Facilities/Amenities – 4/5

The campground offers basic amenities, including full and partial hookup sites, tent sites, RV dump stations, restrooms and showers, laundry room, playgrounds, and horseshoe pits. The park has a small general store with basic groceries, household goods, camping & fishing supplies, souvenirs and tourist info for the local area.

The park also features picnic areas with shelters and barbecues, disc golf, mini golf, natural play area, Splash Pad water park, and fishing lakes. Activities include fishing, running, biking and disc golf.

Lakeview campground showers are coin-operated, requiring tokens purchased at the camp store. Facilities are reasonably clean and well maintained, although Lakeview campground bathhouse facilities are badly in need of renovation. Staff was friendly and helpful. 

Site quality – 4/5

Sites have full or partial hookups with 50/30/20 amp electric, fire ring and a picnic table. Site quality differs markedly between older Lakeview and newer Cottonwood campgrounds. Sites in Cottonwood have concrete pads and good separation between sites. Lakeview site pads are rough dirt and gravel, with fair separation between sites. Many sites have shade trees. 

Scenic Value – 4/5

The park is nicely landscaped with two lakes, large grassy areas and many sycamore and cottonwood trees. The park has sweeping views of cottonwood-lined Santa Anna River bottom-land, rocky Mount Rubidoux and the Jurupa Hills, as well as distant views of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Location/Isolation – 3/5

The campground is in a quiet semi-rural area near Mount Rubidoux and Riverside. The campground is generally quiet, except for the occasional drone of small planes flying overhead from a nearby municipal airport. This is a popular campground and is quite busy on weekends, holidays and during summer.

Paws Friendliness – 3/5

The campground is pet friendly and has cleanup bag stations, but does not have an enclosed pet run. The park is large enough for a long walk with your pet. There is a very nice dog park nearby at Mount Rubidoux Park.

Overall Rating – 4/5

Overall, the Rancho Jurupa Regional Park campgrounds are a nice place to stay, with many fun activities. The park is a good base for exploring arts, entertainment and shopping venues nearby in Riverside. We enjoy our stays here.

Additional info

Internet access

We received a weak to moderate 4G Verizon signal at this campground. We deploy our cellular antenna booster to improve MiFi hot spot internet access. The campground does not have WiFi service.

Water Quality

The water at this campground tested moderately hard – we added our water softener to the water filtration stack.

Nearby Amenities

Grocery stores, restaurants, automotive and RV services are nearby in Riverside (3 miles).

Nearby attractions

Here are a few local attractions and activities:

• Rancho Jurupa Regional Sports Park
• Mount Rubidoux Park
• Mission Inn Museum
• Fox Performing Arts Center
• Riverside Art & Metropolitan Museums
• Jurupa Mountains Discovery Center 
• University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens
• Santa Anna River Biking Trail
• March Field Air Museum
• Local Breweries

Photos