came here a couple of weeks ago & my baby carrier apparently fell out of my stroller. I called and someone turned it in when they found it. I asked if I could pay to have it shipped back to me and they refused. I then confirmed with the office that I could come by and pick it up this week. I drove 2 hours there and the office has "misplaced" it. They were careless and lacked any form of compassion to make the situation right. read more

The Wildlands Conservancy - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oak Glen, California

I discovered this spot while exploring the area and asking a local business for suggestions on pet friendly hikes. I live in Orange County and visit family near Loma Linda and make time to drive through Oak Glen and hike with my dog and cat at the Wildlands Conservancy. This is such a magical place and brings me much peace. It is beautiful, peaceful and from the tall sequoias to the tropical rainforest like trees, wild birds flying and chirping through them, sound of the woodpeckers and the fog rolling over the lake, it feels like a fairy tale. My pets love hiking here as well. Both entrance and parking at the Conservancy are free. It is very family and pet friendly with a petting zoo and food stands toward the other side as you drive in. There are also areas with picnic tables near the trails. The trails are very scenic and fairly easy with a portion that is somewhat steep which I would consider slightly moderate but not difficult. I highly recommend taking the time to visit this hidden gem. read more

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Wonderful open space for a hike. Free to enter.  Staff at entrance is very friendly to answer any questions you may have.  Did not spend to much time here, just a quick walk through the manicured gardens and out to the tree line.   Plenty of parking.  Bathroom available on other side of parking lot. read more

I love walking through here! It's nice to see that people care enough to preserve some of the property up here in this beautiful area. Walking along these paths you will see flowing water, a variety of flowers, fruit fields, wild animals, and old farming equipment. Here are some helpful pointers to throw out there for anyone looking to go: 1) It's free, but, they do accept donations. Donate! 2) Do not wear sandals. Not only will your feet be caked in dirt, but, rattlesnakes like it here too and so do cougars. You need running shoes that also protect from potential snake bites. They're seen here and there on the property so don't be discouraged about going. 3) They have a kids trail that doesn't take you far out where the wildlife is seen more often so if you have lil ones, stick to that path. You'll be safe. 4) There's a parking lot just outside the entry so it's not much effort to get here. You make entry on the Los Rios Rancho. When you first pull onto the property, park in the lot to the right of the BBQ place, not in front, and you'll see it. read more

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The Wildlands Conservancy - Oak Glen Preserve is located next to Los Rios Ranch in Oak Glen, where they share the same parking lot. When you pull into the driveway, the entrance is to the right side with a large wooden archway sign that reads "Southern California Montane Botanic Garden" and "Children's Outdoor Discovery Center". This preserve is absolutely beautiful with walking trails throughout the property. This is a good size preserve that offers everything from small lakes, a deciduous forest, an apple-picking orchard, a botanic garden, and a variety of educational elements for children and adults alike. They even have a boardwalk trail, which was really neat! One of my favorite areas at The Wildlands was the Conifers of California, which included a few General Sherman Sequoia Trees and tons of shade! It was absolutely glorious to be surrounded by these massive trees that are known to only grow in Northern California. The Wildlands Conservancy also provides seating throughout the preserve for those who want to soak in the view and admire the natural surroundings. They also had a good amount of wooden picnic tables so I assume you can also bring some lunch to enjoy inside the preserve, considering you pick up after yourself. Because the terrain is different in each sector, having the proper footwear is essential. Other necessities may include a hat and sunscreen because the sun overwhelmingly beats down on you. No matter where you look, it is very picturesque! Overall, this is a great gem in the IE and a perfect place to teach the young about nature and its beauty at no cost (free entrance). If you really enjoy this place, you may make donations at the entrance to help keep places like this running. There's not enough time to explore the preserve in one day if you stop-and-go like me. I will definitely be back to admire more of Oak Glen Preserves offerings! read more

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Great place to bring the family! Or a date! It can be an all day affair here at The Nature Conservancy. Before or after Apple Picking (Riley's or Los Rios' or who really knows to whom this orchard belongs) Red Delicious apples, try out this nicely-kept trail. We arrived late in the day, yet had a whirl wind of a time gathering apples then flew down the trail. There are rustic signs, benches to rest on and dry creek beds to ponder about. Watch out for wildlife! There was a bear sighting two days before! Also spotted haha mountain lions and snakes! It's still worth the risks as you can get a delicious, I mean almost better than your granny's apple pie at the end. There are three types of crust; I opted for the Brown Sugar Crust! When I asked the lady for a plastic fork, she said, "Oh! You're going to eat it RIGHT now!" It was worth coring the pie and the 2 hour drive. Needless to say, I ate 7/8 of that pie by myself! Soooo delicious! read more

The Wildlands Conservancy - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oak Glen, California

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This is our families go to place especially when its foggy or snowy. Its fun to walk the path in those conditions.

Beautiful place lot's of flowers!! The volunteers are doing an amazing job on keeping it clean and gorgeous. We keep coming back to visit! read more

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Nice property with a few easy trails. Very busy when we went, we'll go on a weekday next time Enjoyed all the woodpeckers and other birds and interesting plants Great for kids and city folk read more

The preserves are well maintained, staffed by folks who are extremely passionate about what they do and love to pass along their knowledge. Always free and you can bring your dog!!! They preserve some of the most spectacular places so that we can all enjoy nature for free! read more

Overall it was a nice walk, i was a little disappointed being most of the pictures had lots of color, but because of the cold this winter a lot of the flowers and trees were dead. Good for families and small kids, lots of interactive areas teaching them about nature. read more

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Absolutely breathtaking! Check out their website for a calendar of events. Lots of stuff for kids and adults (painting workshops, night hikes, etc.) and it's all free! There is a botanical garden and lots of trails. Arrive early in summer, it gets busy! Enjoy some BBQ at Los Rios after! read more

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The family absolutely loves this place. Great place to hike and learn about the local flora. The trails are well maintained and there is lots to see. There is a small restaurant and shop where you can get a bbq lunch and buy local goodies like apple cream bread. We did not try the bbq because we brought a picnic lunch and ate it near the children's forest. This preserve has a poppy field, lake, Apple orchards, conifer forrest, horse rides, animal farm....i am sure I'm missing more. Definitely recommend this place but please leave a donation because the admission is free. read more

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The space is beautiful and the staff are super kind and friendly, however the president of the organization (David) who I met while I was at the conservancy property was (in my personal opinion) extremely stand-offish and rude. read more

We love it here , Great to take the kids for a beautiful hike and some good food. A real breath of fresh air up here

Love this place. Has a short Conifer Forrest trail, ponds and small nature shack. Well paved and gardens are coming along very nice as well. Went there this past Wednesday. Lots of people but not crowded. To the manager of this site, we found an iPod someone left behind. Tried to turn it in but Riley's wouldn't take it and there was nobody at the kiosk. My husband left his number at the desk in case someone was looking for it. Still have it if someone is lookin for it read more

We love hiking this trails. You can take short or long trails depending on how you feel. Trails aren't that hard that my 6 year old can even do 1 hour hike with some steep hills. read more

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We stumbled upon this place (not knowing it exists despite coming up here often) on a Sunday morning when we went for a drive as a family. It shares a parking lot with Los Rios farms in oak glen. This place is beautiful. It's quite and serene. Apparently we came at a great time after lots of rain; the naturist kept telling us "this is the most water she has seen in the ponds and how green the plants were". Indeed it was beautiful. The ponds have catfish and frogs/tadpoles. We heard so many different bird chirps other than your common raven and sparrows that we are familiar with. There are several walking trails. The upper trail is 4 miles and a lower 2 mile trail. I wasn't expecting to hike so I had on my flip flops. Now, I plan to come back with the kids to explore. It is free to walk about and explore. There is a donation "piggy bank" to collect for upkeep if you desire. Def a great family day trip. Bring a picnic or buy lunch from Los Rios applewood BBQ. read more

The Wildlands Conservancy - Beautiful pond at the base of the mountains - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Oak Glen, California

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This is my go to hiking spot when I just want an easy hike and it's free. I like that the dirt trails fit about two people walking side by side. The trail is enclosed by trees, so you'll see lots of greens throughout your hike. This place also has different trails that you can take for different views which is pretty neat. The trails are kid friendly. I've seen other people bring strollers. If you plan to bring lunch then there's also a big picnic area towards the end of the hike when you make a loop coming back to your car. Or if you didn't bring lunch you can just buy a sandwich from the ranch right next door if you start feeling hungry. There's plenty of parking. Restrooms are open. Never used them, so can't say much about cleanliness. read more

This place is beautiful. A great place to spend the morning, afternoon, or all day for a nice walk. And best of all it's all free! read more

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Had a great time hiking around this area. The wildflowers are still blooming and the water is still running. Great place to spend a morning. read more

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Wonderful walk filled with berries, apples, scenery and more.

Nice family friendly walk/hike and dog friendly too. The poppy's and wild lavender in the Spring are gorgeous. There is a children specific trail with educational signs to read about the plants , animals, etc. picnic tables and plenty of restrooms. It's free so if you enjoy your day, make sure to leave a donation on your way out:) read more

I'm in awe of what the Wildlands Conservancy has accomplished at the Oak Glen Preserve and I'd be eager to visit other preserves under their care. They have enhanced and worked around the natural beauty here to make it ideal for visitors to enjoy without being detrimental to the plant and animal species calling it home. The trails are well laid out and maintained, allowing for lovely short hikes. There are plenty of spots to sit and enjoy the beauty or have a picnic. One of my favorite things about the preserve is that they have developed (or should I say nurtured) such distinct little environments within the property - the fruit orchards, the evergreen grove, the ponds, the canyon, the large lawn spaces, and so on. They also host a variety of activities to get kids and adults alike out in nature. We try to make it to the Arts and Nature Festival every April, and I took my daughter to their monthly preschool program regularly when she was younger and it was her very favorite thing to do. This place is spectacular. read more

This is a great place to visit in Southern California if you have kids, are an artist or just love nature. Big bonus is that you can bring your dog(s) on a leash if they are well behaved. Its a beautiful place and there is so much to see. There is so much to do and see here and in the general area that its well worth a day trip out here. read more

From what I understand there is miles of hiking here. We barely scraped the surface... But had a wonderful time. We went to the apple orchard next-door and walked here to see what it was all about and they have a children's path that is very short, cute and safe. It leads you to a pond with three waterfalls! Waterfalls are my son's current favorite thing so this was wonderful. We saw butterflies, hummingbirds and the whole place smelled of sage. I'm sure there is much more to discover here, but it fit our needs perfectly. read more

This was an AWESOME experience!! Went with the family and got some great pictures! Dress comfortable and bring water!!

The trails are beautiful. When the map says "caution steep" in some areas..it was a little steep but definitely worth it because you end up in this beautiful grassy knoll. Can't wait to go back! read more

A friend and I visited on a weekday morning in late spring to see the wildflowers. The weather was perfect; we arrived just as the flowers had opened up, and though a couple of school groups were touring the grounds, it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. The staff happily shared their knowledge with us. Free parking and admission, though donations are welcome. Serene, plain and simple. A true gem of a place. read more

This is regarding the Southern California Montane Botanic Garden. I have to say... I am surprised I found a place that does not charge a fee (they do ask for donations. Please, donate!). I come here from time to time, mostly in the spring and summer. It's a nice little place to take a nice breather in nature and the botanical garden at the front. There is also a little pond, and at times see this big cat fish swimming by the deck. On top of that, by the entrance, they have the apple farm, and when you come out of the botanical garden, there is a small building that serves food. read more

Absolutely love this beautiful place. Many pretty trails, a pond, streams, great views. So appreciative of all the work that goes into making this place possible! My family and I have enjoyed coming here over the past 12 years or so. Every season is something new-you can experience a taste of fall and winter, get a break from the heat in summer, and spring is also beautiful. Be sure to walk through the Redwood area, with sayings by Muir, Thoreau carved into stones on the path. read more