Day Trip to Oak Glen: Recommendations + Tips
Oak Glen is an absolute favorite fall destination for many SoCal families, including mine! Being a fall baby, there’s nothing I love more than escaping to the mountains to truly experience the season (such a Californian thing to say).
We prefer visiting when it’s colder, but the cooler weather warmed up at the last minute, so this year’s visit was in the 70s. It was still a wonderful visit and we enjoyed all of the things we usually do!
Keep in mind that Oak Glen can get very busy during this season. We’ve gone during the week before and rarely wait in lines or feel crowded. We did go on a Sunday this year and it was extremely busy. We left Orange County around 8am to get there by 9:30am and Los Rios’ parking lots were already filling up. I recommend going on a weekday if you can, but if not, be prepared for lines and crowds in some areas.
Here is the rundown of all of the *toddler-friendly* things we love to do in Oak Glen:
Grab a coffee at Dutch Bros
Okay, technically this isn’t in Oak Glen, but it’s a must for us on our way there. Depending on where you’re coming from, you can visit either the Eastvale or Yucaipa location. I don’t know if it’s the espresso or the employees’ lively personalities, but a visit to Dutch Bros will give you the energy you need for the rest of your adventure. (Need an order rec? I get an iced Golden Eagle, my husband an iced 9-1-1, and my toddler gets a kid’s strawberry smoothie.)
Swing by Snow-Line Orchard for their delicious mini apple cider donuts
My husband grew up going to Snow-Line with his family and we are continuing the tradition with our toddler. The mini apple cider donuts are delicious, and you can pair it with cider, hot chocolate or coffee. They also have wine tasting available. While they don’t have apple picking, you can pick raspberries here until about mid-October, depending on the season.
Spend time wandering Los Rios Rancho + the Oak Glen Preserve
After picking up mini donuts from Snow-Line, we head straight over to Los Rios Rancho. Last year, we went with the intention of apple picking, but decided against it after seeing the family in front of us spend $80 on apples. If that’s your thing, definitely do it! It isn’t a must for us, so we just pick up a bag or two of apples in their store before leaving.
I highly recommend checking out the Oak Glen Preserve. It is free (as is parking at Los Rios Rancho). You can grab a map at the front before walking the trails. The Children’s Trail is, of course, toddler-friendly and a pretty walk. After that, we head to the Wetlands Boardwalk/Red Wing Pond to sit and take everything in.
If you want to go for a longer walk/hike, you can follow the trail down, passing the Deciduous Forest sign on your right. My toddler loves to collect fallen leaves and read the signs along the way. We do take our stroller with us here, but it can be bumpy. I wouldn’t go further than the stream turnout (detailed below) if you have your stroller. Keep in mind that there are typical things to look out for when in nature: mountain lions, black bears, rattlesnakes and stinging nettle. You’ll pass some stinging nettle along the boardwalk. During our 2022 visit, there was a ton of bear poop and one recent sighting. Not to scare you, just be cautious and alert as always!
At the end, you’ll see a sign with the latest mountain lion sightings and a sign that says Stream Trail. We briefly continued past that until we came to a turnout on the left and walked a few steps down to the stream. Once we were done there, we walked back up the way we came along Stream Trail. Families with older children do continue on, but this is usually enough adventure for my toddler.
We take the boardwalk (it will be on your right) on the way back to the start of the pond. It is filled with berry bushes, which have thorns so definitely keep an out if you have a curious toddler. On the way back, you can check out the grove to your left before passing the apple picking on your right back to the entrance.
Before we leave, we always stop by the store to buy a bag of apples, apple pie and cider. There are plenty of other paid things to do at Los Rios on the weekend (i.e., hayride, petting zoo, carriage ride), if you prefer.
Lunch options:
You can always pack a picnic and enjoy it at the tables across from the Farm Kitchen (BBQ). Our friends usually do this. You can also try their Farm Kitchen for some BBQ, which was fairly priced when we ate there in 2022. There was a LONG line for it this year on a Sunday.
We went to Wilshire’s for the first time, and it was so good! There was a wait of about 30 minutes for our pizzas and salad, as expected during the weekend. My toddler frolicked around the open space, played with other kids and collected acorns, leaves and sticks while we waited. We ate at the wooden picnic tables under the beautiful fall foliage. Wilshire’s is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We spent $90 on four pizzas, one salad, and five drinks for our group of 5.
Another option is visiting Oak Tree Mountain (Apple Annie’s, jungle gym, axe throwing). We haven’t been but I’ve read great things!
I hope you found this post helpful and have a wonderful visit to Oak Glen. Be sure to tag @raising_little_explorers on Instagram if you visit any of our favorite spots.
Happy exploring!
