FINALLY had the chance to visit the Jurupa Mountains Discover Center! I always see the iconic…read moremammoth statue passing by on the freeway and finally got to visit. His name is Eddy and he's a Columbian mammoth. Crazy cool that it's a life sized replica too.
At the entrance, you pay for parking and it's $10.
PRO-TIP: If you spend $40 at the gift shop, the $10 counts towards it and altogether it's actually only $30, which is great if you're buying a lot of goods there to support OR if you're a fossil and/or gem/mineral enthusiast since they have a LOT of that there, which is pretty neat.
There's 2 places you can park. One near the garden nursery where you can purchase plants or near the main parking where the gift shop is. The Critter Corner is in the gift shop where you can see lots of herps and aquatic critters as well. The volunteers are super informative and can answer all your questions about the critters they have there. Love that they have name tags and info about where they're from and information about the species. Love the monkey skink, emerald tree skinks, Argentinian tegu, and of course, the beardies.
Gift shop also has a great variety of affordable gifts ranging from toys, to small knick-knacks, decor, gem stones and minerals of all varieties and displays (loose, as earrings or necklaces, carved, etc.), locally sourced honey, actual fossils (there's a section where you're not allowed if you're under 16 without a parent or guardian), books, stickers, and much much more. While we were there, there was also a fun little S.T.E.A.M. corner where you can work on artwork you can take home or on some days I think there's science activities there too. The mural on the walls are also quite impressive too. Great for photos and a nice personal touch. I recommend getting the $1 grab bag! Kids love gacha/blind boxes nowadays and mine had 2 small fossils, a sticker, and 2 mineral stones. Pretty nice and super affordable.
There's a trail that goes through a cactus garden with lots of dinosaur sculptures, done by the local boy scouts which is pretty neat. It's $9 if you would like to go rock collecting. You get to meet all the dinos during this expedition as well. It's 12 rocks, minerals, or fossils which isn't bad. They also have guided tours that start at the gift shop, but my boyfriend and I were just there to free roam, which can kill a couple hours too depending on how in depth you are in reading and looking at everything.
They also have a separate Museum of Discovery with lots of fossil specimens and models ranging from dinosaurs, prehistoric creatures (aquatic, mammals, reptiles, etc.), indigenous/Native American artifacts and artwork (local artwork too), minerals and other geological structures. There's taxidermy on the wall too. Lots to look at.
Will definitely come back in the future. Super affordable way to learn and spend some time.