California Parks: Fairmount Park in Riverside

Decent parks without hefty entrance and usage fees are rather rare in many parts of populous southern California, but the nicely designed Fairmount Park in Riverside is an exception to this. Situated off of 60 (Pomona Freeway), the park offers year-round recreation for the whole family.

Fairmount is a great example of a carefully planned park, with many activities for the whole family. Designed by the famous park designer, Frederick Law Olmsted, Fairmount stands as an excellent example of his work.

Fishing is my favorite activity at Fairmount Park. There are three ponds in the park, all connected via pipes under the park roads. The Department of Fish and Game stocks Fairmount every year, often with rainbow trout or channel catfish. Fairmount is mostly a warm water fishery, with largemouth bass, bluegill (and other sunfish), carp and catfish being the predominant species. Unfortunately, the ease of fishing access at Fairmount contributes to fairly high fishing pressure from the many anglers that frequent its shores, so fishing can be tough at times. Nevertheless, my first outing at Fairmount resulted in a nice largemouth bass and I have seen others catch many fish there. It is a tricky set of ponds to fish but can be rewarding if you fish it correctly.

Please release the bass you catch here-taking all the big ones will quickly ruin this fishing spot. Supposedly there are many large carp in the ponds as well (called Fairmount Lake, Brown Lake and Evans Lake) but the poor visibility also makes fishing for them fairly challenging. The city of Riverside spent $2 million to dredge the ponds from silt that has accumulated over the years and the lake is considerably cleaner than before. Still, the lake is fairly murky, making fishing a little bit tricky. Paddle boats are available for rent on the 2^nd largest pond at the boathouse.

Fishing is not the only activity available at Fairmount Park. The city hosts many different events at Fairmount throughout the year and many local groups will meet there. Biking and walking trails cover the park. Tennis courts, a playground, lawn bowling, bbq equipment, picnic facilities and a rose garden are all to be found at this fun park in Riverside. There is even a golf course on the northern side of the park! The park has lots of parking spaces for vehicles, but these still get crowded very quickly during peak visting hours, especially in the summertime. While I do feel the park is relatively safe, make sure to lock your vehicle and remove any valuable belongings to avoid break-ins.

Fairmount Park is located at:

2601 Fairmount Blvd

Riverside, CA 92501

Facility rentals: (951) 826-2000.