Stay local, break big
By A. Gabriela Garcia, March 24, 2026
When the trees begin to shed their brown leaves and the cold begins to fade into Inland Empire and Los Angeles County heat, that’s the signal spring break is right around the corner for students at Cal Poly Pomona.
For many students, spring break is a chance to relax and explore the communities surrounding campus between work shifts when they normally attend classes. And there are plenty of activities in surrounding communities for students who are not traveling to try out.
Here are five activities to do over spring break:
Hiking
A common and cheap activity in the Inland Empire is outdoor recreation including hiking, climbing and swimming. Some of the most popular hiking trails near CPP are Snow Creek Trail, Potato Mountain and the Claremont Loop.
If you have time to go farther from campus, the El Moro Canyon and Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve are also options.
“My favorite trail we’ve done as the Boots and Broncos Hiking Club was the El Moro trail,” club President Jade Kim said. “It was a more quiet and fairly easy hike with lots of beautiful scenic ocean views.”
This trail is roughly 40 miles from campus and is a multiuse trail for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders.
Getting closer to the beach, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve trail is an easy trail interconnecting several others in the Bolsa Chica and Huntington Beach area. It is also a hotspot for bird watching, according to a description from AllTrails.
“It’s not a very difficult hike and (is) very peaceful,” said Cade Thomas, treasurer of the Boots and Broncos Hiking Club. “It’s right by the ocean, so you have great views and we went right before sunset, so it was beautiful.”
This trail is 38 miles from campus and has a $15 admission fee.
Visit a museum
Visiting nearby museums is also a way to learn about the culture of the Inland Empire and LA County and have some spring break fun at the same time.
“I enjoy just taking a stroll in the park, having chill downtime in a cafe, going to art exhibits or any other creative museums,” said animal science student Celine Nguyen.
The American Museum of Ceramic Art is roughly six miles from campus and has a $14 general admission fee and a student discount price of $7. This museum champions the art, history, creation and technology of ceramics through exhibitions, collections, outreach and studio programming, according to its mission statement.
Another museum is the NHRA Motorsports Museum, which is roughly five miles from campus and has a general admission fee of $12 and a student discount price of $10. This museum collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets the vehicles, stories and artifacts that represent America’s affection for, and the influence of, automotive speed and style in all its forms, according to its mission statement.
Students can also venture to museums in Downtown LA, including The Broad and Museum of Contemporary Art. These museums have no entrance fee and to save even more money students can take the bus from campus directly. It’ll drop them off right at the front of The Broad.
Local shopping and nightlife
In the spirit of supporting local businesses, there are multiple farmers and artisan markets throughout the Inland Empire and LA County.
The Claremont Packing House features a farmers market about 8.4 miles from campus and is open only on Sundays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., rain or shine. The market features local farmers and artists.
The packing house is a hub for small businesses and aesthetically pleasing photo opportunities. It also has a used bookstore that supports the Prison Library Project, a project that sends books to incarcerated men and women.
For students looking for a nighttime activity, the 909 Open Market in Pomona takes place every third Saturday of the month from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. It’s filled with food, shopping, a kid zone and live music. It’s located about 5.3 miles from campus.
Daytime activities
Surrounding cities like Claremont, Upland, Ontario and San Dimas also have a variety of activities like mini golfing, bowling, shopping, cafes and live entertainment throughout the week and into the weekend.
Bullwinkle’s in Upland is a popular all in one place to get competitive with friends on the mini golf course, bowling lanes and bumper cars. They also have an arcade, laser tag, go-karts and when the group is ready to re-fuel, they have a restaurant and bar on site.
Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga feature a multitude of different shopping centers and daytime activity options.
There is a Top Golf in Ontario that offers different group packages for guests as well as a restaurant and bar. For shopping excursions, Ontario Mills and Victoria Gardens are only three miles away from each other for optimal spending or to catch a movie at one of the AMC Theatres.
Haven City Market in Rancho Cucamonga and West Covina is a lively food court with a variety of food options from pizza to sushi to matcha and has live music.
Beach trip
For a glimpse of summer, a beach trip is about a 45-minute drive from campus to popular beaches like Huntington and Newport. Beach cities have a variety of shops, restaurants and activities to choose from for students who are looking to preview their summer plans during spring break.
Huntington Beach has several parking options for guests to utilize all day at a $15 flat rate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Guests can bring supplies for a bonfire and utilize the fire pits on site. Pits are on a first come, first serve basis.
Just a short drive down the road is the Newport Beach Pier located on the Balboa Peninsula. It has a variety of rentals, private surfing lessons and a long bike trail for guests to enjoy during their trip.