Spencer's Crossing Sports Park
Managed by Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
14 acres0.9 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
B+Outdoors
Outdoors in French Valley
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park in French Valley
Virtually every resident lives within a half mile of a park. 8.9 miles of mapped trail cross French Valley, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Spencer's Crossing Sports Park (0.9 mi).
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns · #354 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
4%
250 acres · of 10.9 sq mi of land
Trails
8.9 mi
0.8 per sq mi of land
Park land
258 ac
5.7 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.3 mi
6.3 mi lanes
What kind of outdoors town is French Valley?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does French Valley have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, French Valley is ahead of 70% of U.S. towns, #354 of 847 in California. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of French Valley’s overall grade.
Conserved land4% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%B−Trails0.8 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (9 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land5.7 acres of park per 1,000 residents (258 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13CParks close to homeVirtually all residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 70%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 58%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B to A−. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Spencer's Crossing Sports Park, with 0.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Abelia Sports Park
Managed by Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
18 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Heritage Ranch Park
Managed by Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
8 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Leon Park
Managed by Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
3 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 26 parks & preserves
Spencer's Crossing Sports Park14 acres · 0.9 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsAbelia Sports Park18 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsHeritage Ranch Park8 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsLeon Park3 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Brookfield Park8 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
RDA Winchester57 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority
Primrose Park2 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Kona Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Wagon Wheel Pocket Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Heroes Park14 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsBrookfield Open Space13 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Sheffield Park10 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsPourroy Fields9 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Victory Park6 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Butterfield Park6 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Crown Valley Park5 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsFieldview Park5 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsEagle Crest Park5 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsEmerald Park5 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Washington Park5 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsMorningstar Park4 acres
DirectionsCrown Valley Extension Park2 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
DirectionsAdeline's Farm Park1 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Eagle Vista Pocket Park1 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Avignon Park1 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Honey Pine Park1 acres · Valley-Wide Recreation & Park District
Who protects it
250 conserved acres
4% of French Valley’s land. Who manages French Valley’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional agency214 ac
County28 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits11 ac
Joint10 ac
Local Other or Unknown · 92 acLocal Recreation Area · 65 acLocal Park · 63 acUnknown Easement · 33 acOther Easement · 11 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 43 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Riverside County Regional Conservation Authority Conserved Land Local Other or Unknown | Regional agency | 92 | Open |
| Brookfield Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 17 | Open |
| Abelia Sports Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 16 | Open |
| Heroes Park Local Park | Regional agency | 14 | Open |
| Spencer's Crossing Sports Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 12 | Open |
| Butterfield Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 11 | Open |
| Sheffield Park Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 10 | Open |
| Crown Valley Park Local Park | Regional agency | 8 | Open |
| Pourroy Fields Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 7 | Open |
| Lake Skinner Recreation Area Local Recreation Area | County | 6 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
24 places to go in French Valley
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in French Valley
Hot Tub
DirectionsPossible Paddle Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in French Valley
21 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Picnic areas in French Valley
Juror Patio Tables
DirectionsTrails & water
2 named trails
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.2 miHorses · 1.2 miUnpaved · 2.6 mi
Benton Channel Fitness Trail0.6 mi
Raven Court0.2 mi
Biking & sports
6.3 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
6.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
Courts & fields
15Soccer
15Baseball
11Basketball
3Tennis
2Volleyball
1Beach volleyball
1Softball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in French Valley: April and May
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 67 | 67 | 70 | 75 | 79 | 87 | 94 | 95 | 91 | 82 | 74 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 2.5 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.7 |
June is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 95 °F). 3.1 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 95 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in French Valley →
Next door
French Valley and its neighbors
French Valley has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| French Valley | 4% | 0.8 | 6 | 99%+ | B+ |
| Murrieta | 11% | 2.0 | 20 | 97% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in French Valley
Where can I hike in French Valley?
The longest trail networks: Spencer's Crossing Sports Park, 0.9 miles; Abelia Sports Park, 0.4 miles; Heritage Ranch Park, 0.3 miles; Leon Park, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of French Valley is conserved land?
4% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on French Valley’s trails?
Spencer's Crossing Sports Park and Abelia Sports Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in French Valley?
6.3 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.3 of painted or protected lanes.
Is there public land near French Valley?
47,382 acres of parks and open public land lie inside French Valley or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 258 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does French Valley have?
Ahead of 70% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #354 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from French Valley neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →