Loma Linda’s public recreation facilities are surprisingly expansive. Hikers and explorers will enjoy the South Hills area, 850-acres of natural land featuring a system of informal trails. Developed parks include the 16-acre Hulda Crooks Park, the 10-acre Leonard Bailey Park and the 3-acre Elmer Digneo Park. All three sites have courts and fields available for formal and informal sporting activities. Loma Linda also has a designated baseball facility, called the City Baseball Fields Park.

Two organizations, Loma Linda University with its Medical Center, and Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center, form the core of the Loma Linda community. The university, known as LLU or LLUMC, is a Seventh-Day Adventist institution that provides private coursework in the health sciences. LLU’s 55-plus programs in various medical fields attract students from around the country and the world. Enrollment among the university’s seven schools is roughly 3,500.

The Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Medical Center provides a host of medical services to area veterans. Affiliated with nearby Loma Linda University Medical Center, the VA facility is part of the Desert Pacific Healthcare Network. Opened in 1977, the VA Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission. The facility is also a recipient of the Robert W. Carey Award for Organizational Excellence.