Riverstone: Gateway to Winter Wonders

November 14, 2021

Those fortunate enough to live within Riverstone, Madera County's fastest growing community, have outdoor recreation options that capture the best aspects of California. Thanks to this elegant masterplan's prime location just off Highway 41, the community is a central gateway to the Sierra high country and its near limitless variety of wintertime experiences and adventures.

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

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.

The main gates of Yosemite are only an hour away from Riverstone, and the park is a veritable goldmine for the alpine thrills of cross-country and downhill skiing, tubing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and tobogganing. Families can enjoy skating at the Curry Village Ice Rink, which has been a Yosemite tradition since the 1930s. Another fun family adventure is to simply wander through the wooded wilderness of Sierra National Forest for snow-play or solitude. The winter months in Yosemite is an especially great time to visit. The weather is typically on the mild side and you can enjoy the local hiking trails, parks and more without the crowds of tourists that usually fill the region the rest of the year.

Bass Lake is also a desirable wintertime destination and it’s only a one-hour drive from Riverstone. The bucolic mountain lake destination is named “One of the West’s Best Lakes” by Sunset Magazine, and its classic beauty provided the backdrop for The Great Outdoors, starring Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. Much like Yosemite, the winter months are an ideal time to visit, with typically mild weather and fewer crowds.

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 and more. Hiking in the surrounding foothills offers a glimpse of local critters, such as cottontails, mule deer, badgers and even bald eagles and golden eagles. And just in time for winter, the park offers a lineup of special boat tours to get a better view of the bald eagles.

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. 

Fun diversions of the urban variety will soon be found right next-door to Riverstone—at the mixed-use lifestyle retail destination known as Riverwalk, which is anticipated to open this winter. Planned for more than one million square feet of commercial, Class-A office and retail space on two parcels located at Avenue 12 and Highway 41, the open-air Riverwalk is envisioned to offer a one-of-a-kind, live-work-shop-dine-play dynamic unique to the North Fresno area.

Some of Riverwalk’s first retail tenants have already been announced, including Dutch Bros. Coffee, Papi’s Mex Grill and Judy’s Donuts. A recently announced Riverwalk tenant is Blast & Brew, an American eatery and tap house that enjoys a loyal local following.

Several Riverwalk tenants are scheduled to open this winter, while others will follow throughout the new year. For retail leasing opportunities at Riverwalk, interested parties should contact Michael Arfsten or Nick Frechou at (559) 256-1700. For commercial office leasing opportunities, contact Nick Sorenson or Phil Souza at (559) 447-6218.

The upcoming Riverwalk as well as Riverstone’s ever-growing variety of new homes have no doubt factored into Riverstone’s nomination to receive the CVLUX Community of the Year Award. Riverstone won the prestigious accolade in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and has recently been nominated to receive the award for a fourth time.

Determined by the voting public, the CVLUX recognition honors only the best of the best in the Central Valley. Those who wish to vote for Riverstone may cast their ballots online by visiting www.cvlux.com/vote. To vote for Riverstone, click the Vote Now button, then scroll down to #14, Best Community. Voting will close on December 10th, 2021, and the winners will be announced at the CVLUX Luxury Awards in January.

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 much more.

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