Greater Ontario, California

A landmark service station along an early cross-country highway. A brewery specializing in sour beer. A cycling trail that follows the world’s largest interurban electric railway.

If you’re drawn to unexpected experiences like these, consider visiting GOCAL also known as Greater Ontario, California, nestled between Los Angeles, San Diego, and Palm Springs.

Ontario in California

 In 1882, George and William B. Chaffey purchased over 6,200 acres in Southern California to create a new city. The Chaffey brothers, both engineers, built a water system and founded an agricultural college, establishing the region’s citrus industry. They named the city Ontario after their Canadian homeland.

Road-Trippers’ Landmarks

Not long after Ontario was established, the United States began replacing its stagecoach routes with a fledgling highway system. Route 66, the historic long-distance roadway that opened in 1926, travels through Rancho Cucamonga, one of two cities that make up GOCAL, en route between Chicago and Los Angeles. To celebrate this early era of American auto travel, visit their local landmark. Built as a Richfield gas station in 1915, the sunny yellow Cucamonga Service Station has been restored to its 1930s appearance and now houses a small museum of local history. 

Route 66 wasn’t the only historic highway to pass through GOCAL. While lesser-known than the famous “Mother Road,” the Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway traveled farther. First envisioned in 1912, the PPOO was one of the earliest cross-country highways in the United States, traversing the nation’s center from New York to Los Angeles. It brought motorists through Ontario on the present-day Holt Boulevard.

On the Trails

In the 1920s, Rancho Cucamonga in GOCAL was also a rail hub. The Pacific Electric Railway transported passengers across the region into Los Angeles and carried freight for the local citrus industry, becoming the world’s largest interurban electric railway. After the railway ceased operations in the 1980s, one of its former routes was eventually developed into a multi-use recreational path, now called the Pacific Electric Inland Empire Trail. Runners, walkers, and cyclists can explore this 19 mile car-free path, linking Claremont and Rialto. 

For a more rugged escape, hike in the North Etiwanda Preserve above Rancho Cucamonga. This 1,200-acre protected area includes a scenic trail that climbs through foothills to the picturesque Etiwanda Falls.

More Than a Mall

If you think that streaming has replaced the experience of watching a film on the big screen, you haven’t visited Ontario. With more than 200 stores, Ontario Mills is among the state’s largest shopping destinations, but it’s also a magnet for movie fans. The mall’s AMC Ontario Mills 30 boasts 30 screens (yes, 30). There’s no need to head for Hollywood. 

Sour Beer, Tasty Tacos

Visit the tasting room at Sour Cellars Brewery if you’re a fan of barrel-fermented, aged sour beers. In addition to brews like Lazy Bones, a golden sour ale, or Darkle, a dark sour ale aged in a bourbon barrel, they also produce non-sour beers and sparkling non-alcoholic drinks, including a hibiscus-orange seltzer.

You can sample wine nearby, as well. With its roots dating back to 1832, family-owned Biane Winery produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, and other varieties on its Rancho Cucamonga property, where a heritage stone building houses the tasting room.

When you’ve worked up an appetite, dig into the “Big Nachos,” piled with beans, shredded cheese, tomatoes, olives, cilantro, and your choice of meat at Juanita’s III, which has locations in Ontario and Rancho Cucamonga. Or try the marlin tacos, ceviche tostadas, or other Mexican seafood dishes at Gloria’s Cocina Mexicana. 

Where to Stay

GOCAL’s newest lodging is the Sanctity Hotel Rancho Cucamonga, a Tapestry Collection Hotel by Hilton, slated to open in early 2025. At the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel Ontario Airport, you can lounge around the palm-fringed pools, only a five-minute drive (or free hotel shuttle) from Ontario International Airport, which has non-stop flights to Ontario from more than 20 destinations. With over 6,000 hotel rooms, GOCAL offers budget-friendly and accessible accommodations.