How to Get to Oak Glen

Planning a visit to Oak Glen, CA? Sure, you can do the easy thing and Google Map it, or you can take my advice to BEST plan you route for your trip.

Oak Glen is a “loop” so to speak. There is a “front side” coming from the city of Yucaipa and a “back side” coming either from Wildwood Canyon Road in Yucaipa or off of the 10 Freeway in Beaumont. In peak season, the 2 main routes will both be congested, so be sure to bring your patience with you if visiting in the fall.

The Front Side to Oak Glen

This is the way from the city of Yucaipa. You can exit either Yucaipa Blvd OR the Live Oak Canyon Road/Oak Glen Rd exit. Here’s a helpful hint for you: During mid-September through the end of October is also peak season at the Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch. If you are trying to come to Oak Glen and not the pumpkin patch, avoid the Live Oak Canyon/Oak Glen Rd exit like the plague and exit Yucaipa Blvd instead!! Trust me on this one. Every local avoids this exit, especially on the weekends, during this time.

In my opinion, this route is probably faster to Oak Glen especially if you are coming from the west. The road is 2 lanes right up until you get to the bottom of the hill that leads to the Glen. Your main stops from this way will be in this order: Solano Orchard, Parrish Ranch, Oak Tree Mountain, Snow Line, Los Rios Rancho, Stone Soup, Willowbrook, and last Riley’s Farm.

If you are traveling with dogs (or maybe need a bathroom), be sure to stop off at the El Dorado Park parking lot off of Oak Glen Road to let your dog stretch it’s legs and go potty before venturing into town. There is a clean public restroom here as well.

NOTE: This route to Oak Glen is the route most commonly affected by mudslides. In the event of recent weather events, be sure to check for road closures before taking this route.

The Back Side to Oak Glen

If coming from the west, this side is best accessible first from the Cherry Valley Blvd exit off of the 10 freeway, followed by Oak Valley Parkway. You can also exit Beaumont Ave if you blink twice and miss your exits. If coming from the east, the first exit is Beaumont Ave. This will take you straight up and turn into Oak Glen Road.

This way is narrower and more windy as it meanders through the community of Cherry Valley before entering Oak Glen proper. In my opinion it can get congested, and you pass a couple of wedding venues as well before even getting to the first apple farm. So if you come this way on a weekend, be prepared to run into some “Sunday drive” type of folks as well as wedding traffic and congestion.

The “Alternative” Back Side to Oak Glen

This way is via Wildwood Canyon Road that takes you through the city of Yucaipa. You can hit Wildwood Canyon Road via Calimesa Blvd which parallels the 10 freeway. You do need the dreaded aforementioned Live Oak Canyon/Oak Glen Rd exit, so if you are going during Pumpkin Patch season I would pass it and get off at County Line Rd (the next exit) and backtrack on Calimesa Blvd. It’s just a 2 lane road with a lot of stop signs traveled mainly by locals, but it will help you avoid some of the mega traffic of the weekend crowds. It takes you right up to the entrance of the “back side” of Oak Glen.

There’s only one gas station here (on the corner of California St and Wildwood Canyon Rd), so if you need gas along the way be sure to stop here. Need to let Fido out for a stretch before your adventure? Wildwood Canyon Park just before you climb the hill to Oak Glen. It’s shady, beautiful and has 2 fenced in dog parks. There’s a nice playground, huge grassy area and public restrooms here (use those at your own risk!).

Is the Road to Oak Glen Steep?

Unlike some other local mountain roads, Oak Glen Road is not steep or scary. There are some windy areas, but no cliffs like in the “real” mountains. Please note, in the event of snow, you may need chains and 4WD as it does snow in Oak Glen.