Originally home to the Tongva village of “Wapijanga”, Chino Hills occupies the historic cattle grazing pasture of the Spanish-run Mission San Gabriel. It was founded as the town of “Chino” in 1910 and remained largely rural before housing developments were established across its rolling hills in the 1980s.
Things to do in Chino Hills
One of the most impressive architectural landmarks in Chino Hills is the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, an elaborately decorated Hindu temple complex with the world’s first earthquake-proof mandir. It was constructed in 2012 from hand-carved Carrara marble and pink sandstone sourced from India. In addition to serving as a place of worship, the complex includes a cultural centre and a lotus-shaped pond.
Sprawling south of the city centre is Chino Hills State Park, which encompasses more than 5,500 hectares of woodlands and grasslands in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains. It is traversed by around 100 kilometres of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails and serves as an important wildlife corridor for coyotes, bobcats and deer.
Chino Hills makes an excellent base for visiting the Planes of Fame Air Museum, which was established in 1957 by Edward Maloney to preserve aircraft of historical significance. It occupies a hangar inspired by a World War II aircraft carrier and exhibits planes from the Cold War and the Vietnam War. In addition to boasting one of the world’s largest collections of Japanese aircraft, the Planes of Fame Air Museum features an active restoration facility.
Getting around Chino Hills
Chino Hills is around 40 minutes’ drive from the centre of Los Angeles and an hour from Los Angeles International Airport, which has flights to destinations across the globe. Regular buses connect to Chino Hills, although renting a car will give you greater freedom to explore the area.