Riverstone: Gateway to Epic Outdoor Recreation

February 28, 2020

With a wide and ever-expanding array of amenities at the community of Riverstone, residents have many opportunities for family fun. But just beyond the Madera County masterplan is a lifetime’s worth of recreational adventure in the great outdoors.

Located in The Lodge community clubhouse at Riverstone, the Gear Barn is an outfitter’s cabin featuring a variety of recreational gear available for homeowners’ on- and off-site adventures.

Situated just off Highway 41 north of Fresno, Riverstone is a convenient gateway to the legendary natural playgrounds of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Just seven miles from Riverstone are the many wonders of Woodward Park—a 300-acre regional park and bird sanctuary packed with amenities that make it the largest playground of its kind in the Central Valley. Here, you can spot numerous bird species, enjoy the authentic Japanese Garden, bring your four-legged friend to the dog park, or trace five miles of multipurpose trails—all part of the San Joaquin River Parkway’s greater Lewis S. Eaton Trail.

Millerton Lake, a mere 15 minutes from Riverstone, is a State Recreation Area boasting more than 40 miles of magical shoreline, where you can go fishing, boating, soak up plenty of rays or cool off with a plunge. Hiking in the surrounding foothills offers a glimpse of local critters, such as cottontails, mule deer, badgers and even bald eagles.

Locals and tourists alike love the classic beauty of Bass Lake—a bucolic mountain lake destination named “One of the West’s Best Lakes” by Sunset Magazine. Only a one-hour’s drive from Riverstone, the lake also provided the backdrop for The Great Outdoors, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Visitors can swim, boat, fish and frolic at the emerald-green lake ringed in tall sugar and ponderosa pines, where summer water temps reach nearly 80 degrees—a boon for water skiers.

Also an easy one-hour’s drive from Riverstone is Shaver Lake. Nestled in a picturesque mixed conifer forest, the deep-blue lake offers a diverse range of recreational fun—from camping and rock climbing to water skiing and sailing. It’s a popular spot for anglers as well, with year-round fishing access as weather permits, a number of exciting fishing derbies that take place on the waters, and three marinas that rent all kinds of watercraft, from kayaks and wave runners to pontoon boats.

Of course, with a prime location just off Highway 41 north of Fresno, Riverstone is a gateway to the most epic Sierra Nevada wonderlands—Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. These legendary mountain landscapes that inspired the likes of Ansel Adams and John Muir present a nature-lover’s paradise where the scenery is truly spectacular. Some of the landmarks you’ll discover include Yosemite Falls (the highest waterfall in North America) and Mount Whitney (the highest peak in the contiguous US).

“We’re blessed to be in close proximity to some of the world’s most spectacular mountain playgrounds,” said Riverstone’s Tim Jones. “It’s hard to imagine a better backyard than the Sierras—or a better base camp to explore it all than Riverstone.”

Yosemite is 48 miles away from the community, promising adventures of a lifetime and incredible hikes along the scenic John Muir Trail. Come wintertime, Yosemite is a veritable goldmine for the alpine thrills of cross-country and downhill skiing, tubing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and tobogganing. You can go skating at the Curry Village Ice Rink—a Yosemite tradition since the 1930s, or simply wander through the wooded wilderness of Sierra National Forest for snow-play or solitude. King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Parks are a bit further away, but the jaw-dropping vistas and oldest trees on earth make them well worth the drive.

Helping Riverstone residents make the most of their adventures is the idea behind the Gear Barn. Located in The Lodge community clubhouse, this rustic outfitters cabin offers a residents-only rental program with all the information needed for a wide variety of on- and off-site pursuits. 

Situated in the heart of the region’s path of growth, Riverstone—when complete—will total approximately 6,578 single-family, attached and multi-family homes. Coming soon is the one-million-square-foot Riverwalk mixed-use lifestyle retail destination. Amenities at Riverstone include walkable neighborhoods, parks and open space, a dog park, a sustainable water supply and The Lodge community clubhouse with resort-style swimming pools, a trainer-designed fitness center, demonstration kitchen, Gear Barn, outdoor gathering spaces with firepits, and ongoing monthly activities such as self-defense classes, book clubs, arts and crafts, specialty meal cooking classes and more. Future amenities are anticipated to include hiking and biking trails, a community farm and the on-site Stone Creek Elementary school belonging to the award-winning Golden Valley Unified School District.

For more information about the new-home community of Riverstone and its collections of new homes from Bonadelle Neighborhoods, Crown Homes, D.R. Horton, Lennar, Wathen Castanos Homes and Woodside Homes, homebuyers are encouraged to tour the builders’ 16 Model Homes or visit the community’s website at www.RiverstoneCA.com and add their name to the Interest List.