This nature center is located directly in the center of all the main activities for the park. There…read moreis free parking and many of the trails start right from the nature center. I thought this was a nice place to get an introduction to the wildlife, ecology and geography of the park. Admission to the nature center and the entire park is entirely free. The time I visited there was a docent on duty and a number of school children who were on day trips from the local schools.

What a great place to spend time with family and friends hiking, exploring and learning about…read morenature. I came here with my husband and son not knowing what to expect and was surprised to find this hidden gem. We had a wonderful time hiking by the creek which was active this time of the year. There are a few benches along the way to sit and take all the beauty around you in. We had to cross a few water streams while hiking which made our hike so special and beautiful. We had such a wonderful time. After the hike we had lunch at the picnic tables by the parking lot. So much to see and do here. A must visit for all nature lovers. Kid friendly. .... Love this place

There are several hiking trails once you exit off the 14 North and turn right onto Placerita Canyon…read moreRd. Large signs will indicate the trailhead and parking area. East Walker Ranch is one such trail. Starting with an incline, the path leads to a couple of water capture structures for local animals to drink from. Every time I hike to this particular spot, I take some time to pause and admire the amazing views especially if timed with the sun setting. Depending on the season and the amount of rain, tall grassy areas will either be a lush green or a golden blaze. Path leads further up where portions tend to be overgrown but still visible. Because of this, I don't recommend wearing shorts or pants with fabric susceptible to stickers. From here, a loop can be taken, where tall trees provide respite from sun exposure. This past visit, our group found a makeshift rope swing that someone left. A few steps away there was a colony of red velvet ants. Further ahead still, we passed by mountain bikers on their way down the hill. Pretty sure their bike tires now have traces of natural red velvet flavoring.

Beautiful loop trail 3.4 miles total. The trail is begginer-moderate. You do have to go through two…read moreshort tunnels (underpasses) which were definitely a highlight for me. The trail is well marked and easily accessible from the parking lot. The trail is only shaded in a couple of spots which are great rest spots or for snack break. Not to many wildflowers since we have not gotten enough rain for a bloom. Creek beds were completely dry.

A wonderfully simple, yet impressive trail that's somewhere between easy and moderate difficulty…read more Going from the Old Road, parking is free on the unpaved dirt area between the trail and the road. East Canyon and Towsley Canyon by comparison get more traffic during the week. It's easy to miss the trailhead if you're zooming down the Old Road, so best keep your eyes peeled. Along the path, the hike switches between roads ruggedly paved to those with loose dirt and from steady incline to pretty dang steep. My hiking compadres and I usually take a specific route which is roughly 2 miles one way. Ancient seashells are newly uncovered every time it rains, and during the evenings you can hear an army of frogs croaking away over the lower areas. At the top of the trail are a few points of interest worth checking out, such as the American flag and the pile of rocks in the form of the peace symbol. An evening trek downhill gives an amazing view of the Old Road, and being far enough from the freeway makes it a rather peaceful one to boot.

Las Lomas was suppose to be developer Dan Palmer's 555-acre, 5,800-home, mini-city suburb of the…read morefuture. Thankfully, that plan was eventually blocked by the city who ended up purchasing 540-acres, converting it into open space for us all to enjoy. It also happens to be also another piece of the city's green ring puzzle and a critical wildlife corridor. Having hiked it twice already I have to say that it has become my newest favorite local hike. There are two entrances; the northern entrance which takes you to the 1-mile Cabin Trail and the southern entrance which takes you to the 1-mile McHaddad Trail (named after the former property owner). Both of the trails meet in the middle creating a 4-mile, there-and-back, hike. I recommend starting at the southern entrance. The northern entrance can be a little tricky if you haven't looked at a map. You may be tempted to take a left at the fork which will takes you 0.5-miles up Peach Mountainway where you will eventually encounter a no trespassing sign. Instead, you should veer right to continue along Cabin Trail. Both trails start along a old cement road that later transitions to a dirt road. McHaddad Trail has more of an initial steep incline and also has a better overall view once you reach the ridgeline. You can take in views of the intersecting I-5/SR-14 freeways at the Newhall Pass. There are also great views of the Santa Susana Mountains and San Gabriel Mountains. My favorite part of the hike was the thousands of unique and interesting looking oak trees located throughout the hillsides. Some of them appear as if they are about to topple over from soil erosion. It was also interesting to randomly encounter recent ruins such as foundations of former structures and even what looks like an old abandoned dog kennel. I think the main downsides are that it is obviously not a loop trail so you'll have to backtrack along an already traveled path. The freeway and the nearby gun club can also be a little loud depending of where you are along the route.

Quigley Canyon Trails is a hidden gem. It's one of those locations that you would never just happen…read moreto discover. It's tucked far away, among private residences, near old town Newhall. It's also near 2 well known locations, Melody Ranch and Masters College. I recommend downloading the city of Santa Clarita trail map so you can keep track of your location on the trails as you hike. This trail is really good for kids and it's great if you're interested in a good workout. The kids will appreciate the horses at the start of the trail and the easy path of Coyote and Fox's loop. For a workout try the steep incline section of the coyote loop then make your way to the lookout point. I doubt that you'll find a trail with a steeper incline in Santa Clarita. The trail is sun exposed with some shady areas. There are some nice benches and a cool bridge made from power lines on the west section of coyote loop.

3 Stars? This area is used almost exclusively by local residents of Placerita Canyon. It's a…read moregreat place to run, MTB, hike or horseback ride...difficult to get to. When I lived in the canyon I worked out there every day. Love this place! Careful of the large coyote packs... they won't attack, but they will surround you. It can be pretty intimidating. Lots of deer to see roaming around the hills.

Gorgeous hiking opportunity hidden away in Santa Clarita. ****Note****: GPS takes you to a gated…read morecommunity with no access to the open space. Better to search "Haskell Vista/Cross" to find the trailhead or check out the map here https://hikesantaclarita.com/where-to-go/wildwood-canyon/. Kudos to Santa Clarita for protecting and maintaining this lovely parcel of land. Many native plants and animals find refuge here, as well as humans seeking green space for exercise and reflection. Check the map noted above for trails and level of challenge. The trails are very well-maintained; free street parking is available at the trailhead on Haskell Vista. Take water, a snack, and a charged cell phone with a good camera; there are lots of photo opps here for sure.

This open space area may not have an interesting backstory but it still has some fun and diverse…read moregroup of trails that are definitely worth exploring. This open space is part of the city's larger ongoing effort to create a greenbelt that will one day encircle the entire city. Park your car at the end of Haskell Vista Lane to start the trail. Zig-zag your way up the north side of the mountain until you reach the top. At that point and you'll have to decide among 3 different routes. You can choose the wide middle path that will take you south along the ridgeline all the way to the Old Road, or you can take the trail off to the left that descends down the canyon to complete a the loop that takes you to a red water tank and two mini bridges, or you can take the path off to the right which leads you to a small private park. The ridgeline trail leads you to some interesting rock formations and a metal box located below a solitary oak tree. It is filled with short inspirational quotes. For-the-most-part, the trail is fairly sun exposed and not very interesting. The red water tank lower loop trail takes you through some interesting narrow paths. When you get to the bottom of the canyon be sure to break off the trail and head up the canyon off to your right. There is a dense canopy of oak trees that are absolutely breathtaking to walk through.

Plum Canyon Fire Road offers a great hike and a wonderful place to see many local native plants. I…read morecame in search of an endangered species (which I found, luckily) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Plum Canyon may have been named in reference to the many Holly-leaved Cherry plants in the bottom of the canyon (Prunus ilicifolia) whose fruit was ripe and edible on my hike. Parking is free (I parked on the east end of the road). Bring water, sunscreen and a camera/phone. The hike itself was moderately strenuous, with some uphill climbs, but nothing too steep. Look out for mountain bikers speeding downhill and enjoy.

There are a couple of different ways to enter this trail. Coming from Plum Canyon Rd enter into the…read morenew housing development by taking a right on La Madrid Dr. Park your car at the end of the road and walk the rest of the way. You will just have to figure out the best way to navigate through the barriers. The other option is crossing the street where Whites Canyon meets Plum Canyon near the new Fire Station. The most interesting thing about Plum Canyon Fire Road is the numerous stacked stone piles that seem to be everywhere. I recently learned that they are called cairns. They can be used as memorials or a landmarks. In this case I think people just made them to have some fun. If your goal is to reach Cruzan Mesa, AKA Mystery Mesa, then be sure to make a left when you come to a junction. If you start to head downhill on Plum Canyon Fire Rd then you've gone too far. Make your way up the nearest hill and walk along the ridgeline until you see it. The entire property is enclosed by a fence.

This is a great space that's close to me to get some fresh air and sunshine! There is a paved road…read morethat leads up to the top where the mansion is We went on a weekend and the mansion wasn't open for tours but you can see bison if they are in the close enclosure or peer down the hill and see them there. There is a trail that you can hike down to that enclosure or if you don't want to walk but see them up close there is a parking lot near the senior Center The barnyard area is great to learn about the animals they have. The enclosures have signs explaining about the animals and I found out they do tours ! I hopped onto the tail end of the tour - I would like to go back and do the entire tour

Cute little area with animals, they have pigs, llamas, chickens, tortoises & swans that are so big…read more& beautiful! I was able to capture the tortoises eating. I could just stare at them all day. They close at 2pm so if you're trying to see the animals inside it's free. There's plenty of parking and there's trails you can hike through.

FUN rock scrambling at almost 45 degrees! It was slightly out of the way on our drive to LA but I…read morewanted to come here for a long time. A lot of movies, music videos, and TV have been filmed here, often to depict otherworldly alien landscape, it was in a couple episodes of Star Trek and the gift shop has some Star Trek related merchandise. You can park right next to the famous rocks and go climbing up, this is my favorite type of park since there are no guardrails or fences, you can go where you want. Be careful though, the ranger told us the week before we went someone got scared coming down and broke their ankle and had to be airlifted out, remember it's always easy to climb up than it is to climb down. Toward the back of the famous rocks are some nice boulders and a hike you can go on, some of these rocks look like animals or faces and is worth checking out if the famous ones are too crowded. The witches hat is a bit hard to find but go to the visitor center and it's walkable from there. The rangers can help you find it, there are also animals in the different sheds you can check out.

Came on a weekday afternoon. They have four parking lots. Free entry, free parking…read more Place was not busy at all. The trails were not clearly marked. The Nature Heritage Trail was pretty straightforward and easy. Was recommended by the staff on the Bobcat Trail. The Bobcat Trail wasn't hard and the view was amazing. Recommend hiking shoes if you do the Bobcat Trail. Also, recommend wearing long pants and closed toe shoes. There were narrow trails and bushes that could cut skin. There were a few picnic tables. Trails were not shaded. The Interpretive Center was small, but pretty cool as they had a very active snake on display. Overall, great place to hike. They have different trail lengths. Would come back.