Strawberry Creek Path

A path the town kept for itself

The story, as the pathway’s owner tells it, starts in 1910. When the village was first subdivided, the Johnson and Dickenson families set aside about 12 acres along Strawberry Creek, just under 7,500 feet of it, so that stretch of creek would never be built on. They left lanes down to the water so the creek would stay open to the community and to visitors.

The Johnson family owned and looked after the land for more than a century. Back in 2012, Jay Johnson told the Idyllwild Town Crier that his family had always allowed public access to the creek. In 2024 the land was sold to IdyCreek, LLC, which now maintains it as the Strawberry Creek Community Pathway, with the stated aim of restoring and preserving the creek and keeping it a place where people can connect with nature. Most people just call it the Strawberry Creek Trail.

What the walk is like

The pathway follows Strawberry Creek through the village. The creek comes down from the north side of town, runs behind Village Center Drive and passes under Highway 243 just south of the center. From behind the Idyllwild Brewpub it’s about a mile one way.

It’s mostly flat, with stretches where you step over rocks and pass between trees, and live oak, sycamore and pine shade most of the way. It’s open for walking, jogging, exercise, sightseeing and mountain biking.

There are no restrooms along the pathway and nobody patrols it, so bring what you need and carry it all home again. The owner says cell service is very good along the path.

If you want more climb and fewer houses, the trails from Humber Park start just above town. Our hiking guide has them.

The rules, and why they matter

The pathway is private land, and it runs along the edge of people’s homes. It stays open because visitors treat it that way. The owner’s rules are:

• Open daily, year-round, from sunup to sundown. No use after hours, and no camping at any time anywhere along the pathway or the creek.
• Keep your voice down. Residents live along the pathway’s edge.
• You’re responsible for your own things. Whatever you bring in, you take out, and if you see trash, the owner asks you to pick it up.
• Dogs on a leash at all times, and pick up after them.
• Children under 12 need an adult with them.
• No alcohol, drugs, smoking or vaping of any substance, amplified sound or music, vending, weapons or fighting.
• No public gatherings unless expressly permitted.

The owner is clear that you use the pathway at your own risk, since it isn’t monitored.

Getting on the pathway

The simplest place to pick it up is behind the Idyllwild Brewpub, at 54423 Village Center Drive in the middle of the village. The Brewpub’s dining room looks out over Strawberry Creek, so it’s a good place to finish, too.

There are private property lines all along the creek. Use the public access points, stay on the main path, and don’t cut through anyone’s yard to reach the water.

If you’re staying in the village, you can walk to it. The Idyllwild Inn is on the same street as the Brewpub, and the inn traces its start to land alongside the creek. Strawberry Creek Inn sits about a quarter mile south of the village center on Highway 243, with a gazebo overlooking Strawberry Creek, and the inn describes the walk into town along the creek as a quarter-mile stroll.

There is parking behind Idyllwild Brewpub, including EV chargers, or you can walk from town.