ROAD SORTIES Scenic Roads

Route 91--Riverside Freeway 91

Route 91--Riverside Freeway is a State Scenic Byway in California. Within California it covers roughly 40 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Route 91--Riverside Freeway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.

Riverside Freeway, California Route 91, is a State Scenic Highway along the Santa Ana River between State Route 55 and the eastern edge of Anaheim. It's a short scenic stretch on an otherwise heavily congested Southern California freeway. The freeway carries the Riverside Freeway name east of Interstate 5, running all the way from Vermont Avenue in Gardena to Riverside, where it meets the Pomona and Moreno Valley freeways. Construction proceeded in pieces from the late 1950s through the 1970s, with segments opening near Arlington Avenue and Magnolia Avenue by the early 1960s and the stretch from the Orange-Riverside county line to Coal Canyon Road completed in November 1971. The officially scenic-designated portion runs through the western Santa Ana Canyon, following the banks of the Santa Ana River past hillsides that, for a few miles, interrupt the freeway's otherwise wall-to-wall suburban development. It's an unusual entry among California's scenic highways: a short, protected canyon segment embedded in one of the busiest commuter freeways in the Los Angeles and Orange County region.

Plan a drive on Route 91--Riverside Freeway →

What is a State Scenic Byway?

State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.

Where to Stay along Route 91--Riverside Freeway

No campgrounds are listed close to Route 91--Riverside Freeway yet, but there are rooms near the route.

Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.

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