--- title: Southern California to Rio Vista | Royal Gun Dogs url: https://royalgundogs.com/regions/southern-california/ business: Royal Gun Dogs trainer: Richard Gebhart (professional gun dog trainer since 2002) phone: (530) 341-4496 email: royalgundogs@yahoo.com trains_at: Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, Rio Vista, CA 94571 (Solano County) booking: call or text Richard directly --- - [Home](https://royalgundogs.com/) - [All of California](https://royalgundogs.com/from/) - Southern California # Hunting-dog owners in Southern California Rio Vista is about 6.8 hours from Los Angeles, about 8.0 hours from Riverside and about 9.1 hours from San Diego by road. For Southern California owners, board-and-train with Richard Gebhart is an overnight trip each way, so planning matters. ## Southern California to Rio Vista, town by town Drive times from Southern California to Rio Vista Town Drive to Rio Vista Miles Population County [Lancaster](https://royalgundogs.com/from/lancaster/) about 6.6 hours 349 mi 169,169 Los Angeles [Palmdale](https://royalgundogs.com/from/palmdale/) about 6.8 hours 358 mi 164,634 Los Angeles [Los Angeles](https://royalgundogs.com/from/los-angeles/) about 6.8 hours 367 mi 3,857,263 Los Angeles [Ventura](https://royalgundogs.com/from/ventura/) about 7.1 hours 374 mi 109,857 Ventura [Santa Barbara](https://royalgundogs.com/from/santa-barbara/) about 7.2 hours 354 mi 87,779 Santa Barbara [Irvine](https://royalgundogs.com/from/irvine/) about 7.7 hours 409 mi 311,690 Orange [Riverside](https://royalgundogs.com/from/riverside/) about 8.0 hours 424 mi 319,069 Riverside [Temecula](https://royalgundogs.com/from/temecula/) about 8.5 hours 452 mi 111,167 Riverside [Escondido](https://royalgundogs.com/from/escondido/) about 8.8 hours 471 mi 149,668 San Diego [San Diego](https://royalgundogs.com/from/san-diego/) about 9.1 hours 482 mi 1,389,526 San Diego [El Centro](https://royalgundogs.com/from/el-centro/) about 10.9 hours 580 mi 44,240 Imperial Drive times: OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic, to Rio Vista. Population: American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Pulled October 2026. Southern California has its own active gun dog world, from Imperial Valley trials to Santa Ysabel hunt tests. Richard Gebhart trains in Rio Vista, far to the north, and takes dogs from all over California, so this page is plain about the miles and about how to make them work. ## The honest distances Los Angeles is about 6.8 hours (367 miles) from Rio Vista. From the Antelope Valley, Lancaster is about 6.6 hours and Palmdale about 6.8 hours. Ventura is about 7.1 hours and Santa Barbara about 7.2 hours. Orange County and the Inland Empire are farther: Irvine is about 7.7 hours, Riverside about 8.0 hours and Temecula about 8.5 hours. San Diego County is about 9.1 hours for San Diego, about 8.8 hours for Escondido, and El Centro is about 10.9 hours (580 miles). Every one of these is an overnight trip, not a day trip, and figures are OpenStreetMap routing with no traffic. ## Why owners still make the trip Richard says he is training dogs from as far as San Diego right now. Owners across the state send gun dogs a long way for training. A Utah trainer's California page says dogs have come to it from San Diego, Southern California, the Central Valley and Northern California (Utah Bird Dog Training, read October 27, 2026). Distance is normal in this work. With Richard, the practical questions are drop-off and pick-up, and the answer is a call: ask him about drop-off and pick-up from your part of Southern California before you set dates. Ask Richard about a [handler lesson](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) at pick-up so you leave knowing how to run the dog. See [board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/). ## Hunting ground in the south Imperial Wildlife Area, Wister Unit, is about 7,900 acres five miles northwest of Niland, needs a Type A pass, and has pheasant closed until further notice (CDFW). The Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge sits 227 feet below sea level and holds over 100,000 birds; its page does not state acreage or a hunting program (USFWS). CDFW also posts a 2026 Imperial Valley Dove Hunt Fields map. CDFW lists a Southern California waterfowl zone with ducks October 24 to January 31 for 2026-27 and scaup from November 7; confirm your county on the zone map, linked from our [2026-27 seasons page](https://royalgundogs.com/data/california-seasons-2026-27/). ## Clubs in Southern California The [California 2026 trial and hunt test calendar](https://www.bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/) (read October 27, 2026) lists the Southern California Retriever Club, California South Coast Retriever Club, Salton Sea Retriever Club and San Diego Retriever Field Trial Club with trials near Niland in Imperial County. Mesa Grande Retriever Club of Southern California holds hunt tests at Raney Ranch in Santa Ysabel, and Inland Valley Retriever Club at Prado in Chino Hills. Pointing-breed clubs, including the Vizsla Club of Southern California and the German Shorthaired Pointer Club of Southern California, list events at Camp H in California City, and spaniel clubs run events in Hesperia and Porterville. Dates change each year, so use the [California hunt test calendar](https://royalgundogs.com/hunt-tests/california-calendar/) page and AKC Event Search. ### Sources (4) - California Department of Fish and Wildlife : [wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Imperial-WA](https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Imperial-WA) (checked October 27, 2026) - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service : [fws.gov/refuge/sonny-bono-salton-sea](https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sonny-bono-salton-sea) (checked October 27, 2026) - Bird Dog & Retriever News : [bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/](https://www.bdarn.com/ca/trialtests/) (checked October 27, 2026) - Utah Bird Dog Training : [utahbirddogtraining.com/california-bird-dog-training](https://www.utahbirddogtraining.com/california-bird-dog-training) (checked October 27, 2026) ### Start here - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) - [Private and group lessons](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/lessons/) - [Free training consult](https://royalgundogs.com/free-consult/) ### Where Richard trains Hastings Island Hunting Preserve, 7758 Hastings Island Rd, near Rio Vista in Solano County. Call before you drive out. [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=Hastings+Island+Hunting+Preserve+Rio+Vista+CA&destination_place_id=ChIJA_E9R8AphYAR_4YnvcqbaAU) ### Your trainer Richard Gebhart has trained dogs professionally since 2002, learned the Rex Carr method for Retriever Basics under Billy Sargenti, and has run and qualified at an AKC Master National. [Meet Richard](https://royalgundogs.com/richard-gebhart/) ### Related - [From Los Angeles to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/los-angeles/) - [From San Diego to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/san-diego/) - [From Riverside to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/riverside/) - [From El Centro to Rio Vista](https://royalgundogs.com/from/el-centro/) - [Board-and-train](https://royalgundogs.com/programs/board-and-train/) ## Questions from Southern California owners [All questions](https://royalgundogs.com/faq/) ### How far is Rio Vista from Los Angeles? About 6.8 hours and 367 miles by road with no traffic (OpenStreetMap routing), an overnight trip each way. ### How far is Rio Vista from San Diego? About 9.1 hours and 482 miles by road with no traffic, so owners plan it as an overnight trip. ### Does Richard take dogs from Southern California? Dogs come to Richard from all over California for board-and-train. Call him about drop-off and pick-up from your area.