Best Lakes Near Moreno Valley for Toddlers in Spring

Lake Perris State Recreation Area

The closest big lake to Moreno Valley, and one of the few with sand you can walk a toddler onto: designated swim areas on a shoreline the park keeps fishing boats out of, inside a recreation area spanning over 8,800 acres. Park at a beach lot rather than trying to walk the shoreline with little legs. Dogs are not allowed on the beach or in the water, because the lake is a municipal drinking water supply. The marina rents pedal boats alongside pontoons and fishing boats, and in spring the water is cold enough that most families treat this as a sand-and-picnic trip rather than a swim.

Rancho Jurupa Park

The strongest spring pick on this list, because the splash pad here runs from April 1 rather than waiting for Memorial Day. It sits in a 200-acre park with two fishing lakes, a rock climbing playground, mini golf and a disc golf course, all close enough together to manage with a stroller. Entry is charged per person rather than per car, so the cost depends on how many of you are going. The water play is the splash pad, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in season; the lakes are for fishing.

Fairmount Park (Lake Evans)

A historic city park about twenty minutes from Moreno Valley, built around Lake Evans, and the only one here with no posted day-use fee. Its Universal Playground is the reason to bring a toddler: it is built so children in wheelchairs can reach every part of it, with a separate play area for ages 2 to 5, a sand play area and a sensory area. Pedal boats run off the boathouse from noon on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends. The splash pad is seasonal, and the city listed Fairmount's reopening as to be determined, so treat water play as a bonus rather than the plan.

Lake Skinner Recreation Area

A quiet reservoir in the rolling hills of Winchester, with a splash pad, playgrounds and shade shelters set back from the water. Nobody swims here: all boating must be non-body contact, which keeps the lake calm and the shoreline uncrowded, and makes this a better stop for a stroller walk and a splash pad afternoon than for a beach day. The marina rents aluminum fishing boats and pontoons if one parent wants an hour on the water. Entry is per person, and there is camping if you want to stretch it into an overnight.

Diamond Valley Lake Marina

A man-made reservoir of over 4,500 surface acres, ringed by hills that put on a wildflower show in spring: the seasonal Wildflower Trail typically opens March through May depending on the bloom. There is no swimming or water contact of any kind, and dogs are not allowed anywhere in the Diamond Valley Lake area because it is a wildlife reserve, so this is a walk-and-look outing rather than a play-in-the-water one. The marina rents pontoons and bass boats, and parking is charged per vehicle. Bring shade and go early: the trail closes at noon when the day is forecast above 100 degrees.

Yucaipa Regional Park

Three fishing lakes and a half-acre swimming lagoon edged by white sand, which in summer is the closest thing to a beach day in this part of the Inland Empire. The catch for a spring visit is timing: the lagoon and the dual-flume water slides open Memorial Day weekend and close after Labor Day, so before then you get the lakes, the playground and the picnic areas but not the swimming. Children must be 48 inches tall to ride the slides, which rules out toddlers even in season. Pedal boats run separately, weather permitting, and the vehicle fee rises on weekends and holidays.

Glen Helen Regional Park

1,340 acres at the base of the Cajon Pass with two fishing lakes, a half-acre swim lagoon, water slides and a zero-depth rodeo-themed splash pad, which is the part that suits a two-year-old. Like the other county swim complexes it runs Memorial Day to Labor Day, so a spring visit means the playground, the lakes and the picnic areas under the trees. Children must be 48 inches to ride the slides. Worth checking the county's algae notices before you go: both lakes here have carried a caution status.

Cucamonga-Guasti Regional Park

150 acres of lawn and two fishing lakes in the middle of Ontario, with a zero-depth splash pad the county describes as a water playground for children of all ages. It is the most urban park on this list, which cuts both ways: quick to reach off the freeway, less of a nature outing. The swim complex pool is closed until further notice, so the splash pad is the water here, and it was open at the time of writing rather than waiting for the summer season. Entry is per vehicle and costs more on weekends.

Prado Regional Park

A 60-acre lake in Chino with an agriculture-themed, zero-depth splash pad, a playground and pedal boats on the water, spread across a park that also holds camping, disc golf and an equestrian center. Rowboats, kayaks and canoes are allowed on the lake but are not rented, so the pedal boats are the family option. Fishing was suspended because of lake conditions at the time of writing, which is worth checking before you plan a day around it. Entry is per vehicle and rises on weekends and holidays.

Lake Gregory Regional Park

An 84-acre mountain lake in Crestline, in the pines of the San Bernardino National Forest, with a swim beach, a summer inflatable waterpark, and non-powered boating and fishing all year. The draw for small children outside summer is the new playground, designed to be inclusive and engaging for all ages, and open when the beach is not. Parking is charged by the hour up to a ten dollar daily maximum, and the beach itself needs a separate day pass in summer. Bring layers: spring in the mountains runs a good deal colder than spring in the valley.

Harveston Lake Park

A small lake wrapped in a path inside a Temecula neighborhood, with a children's play area, a gazebo, restrooms and picnic areas: the gentlest walk on this list for someone pushing a stroller or following a toddler who wants to look at ducks. Pedal boats run off the dock through Pedal Port at $6 for kids and $12 for adults, with mini pontoons a few dollars more. Fishing is catch and release only, with barbless hooks and artificial lures, and needs a city permit rather than a state licence, though under-16 residents fish free. The city posts no day-use fee for the park.

Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area

The highest lake on this list and the longest drive, formed by Cedar Springs Dam in the San Bernardino National Forest, with swimming beaches and designated boating areas under snow-capped peaks. Sawpit and Cleghorn are the two beaches, and the park posts algae advisories for them: Cleghorn has carried a warning that means you should not swim, while the rest of the lake sat at caution. Read those before letting a small child near the water. Day use is the same ten dollars per vehicle as other state parks, and dogs are kept off the beach and out of the water.