Place · Outdoors

Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve & Visitor Center (Murrieta)

When
Visit on your scheduleVisitor Center 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Tuesday–Sunday; trails 7:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Where
Santa Rosa Plateau Visitor Center39400 Clinton Keith Rd., Murrieta, CA 92562Open in Google Maps ↗
Ages
All ages; child/youth is age 12 and under; under 2 free
Cost
$6 per adult; $3 per childNo dogs allowed on trails.
Organizer
Riverside County Parks (RivCoParks)

A Riverside County Parks nature reserve and visitor center at about 2,000 feet on the southern end of the Santa Ana Mountains, west of Murrieta. Trails wind through ancient oak woodlands, rare bunchgrass prairie, vernal pool wetlands, riparian areas and chaparral, and the visitor center explains the plateau's plants, animals, geology and the history of the Luiseño people who lived here. It is a good half-day outing for families with school-age children who can manage a few miles of hiking; dogs are not allowed on the trails. The visitor center is open 9 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Sunday and the trails 7 am to 6 pm. Fees are $6 per adult and $3 per child (age 12 and under), and children under 2 enter free. The reserve's 2026 fall activity list includes free-standing programs at the visitor center such as 'Unearthing the Past: A Geologic Journey' (October 24 and November 21, 2–3 pm) and 'Bike the Meadows' (November 14, 2–3:30 pm).

Plan your visit on the official site ↗
Official sources checked2026-10-20

Published details checked online. Contact responsiveness and live booking availability have not been confirmed.

What was checked & what still needs confirmation

Page read via Cloudflare Browser Run (rivcoparks.org blocks curl). Fall program titles/dates/times from the PDF flyer (curl works for the PDF); the flyer gives no descriptions, ages or fees for those programs. Child age definition from the district rules on the same page.

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