This is my go-to spot for a quick getaway. Hiking, picnics, or walking the old campus, or just lounging by the creek, one can do it all here. There's free parking, a culture center and plenty of picnic tables. Wildlife ain't too shabby either, bunnies galore and even deer if you're lucky. The Ridge loop trail is a must for a quick hike as it gives some killer views. read more

Beautiful experience amazing nature with head very nice hike. Doing the winter this place is very muddy but we like it. We also saw so many animals in one hike ! read more

King Gillette Ranch - So said the most beautiful tree just fly away with the win - Parks Near Me - Calabasas, California

Unfortunately despite its nice views and location, the staff here ruins the the experience. The park coordinator is nice for a bit but became uncooperating very quickly. The ranger who works with the ranch is by far the biggest flaw here. Extremely rude, very short tempered. Despite everyone paying for parking everyone was treated like they shouldn't be there. read more

Always bring friends when visiting LA to this place for the hike and nature I like it a lot so do my friends. Being in the nature has a calming effect away from the city plus walks in the wilderness so refreshing. Recommend it for all. read more

As the father of a toddler, we're always looking for small, interesting excursions to get out of the house for a few hours each day. I discovered the King Gillette Ranch Visitor's Center after seeing a friend's instagram pictures of the old west town at the nearby Paramount Ranch. Look up my review of Paramount Ranch to check that out too. You can do both together on the same day. While at Paramount Ranch, I spoke to someone who worked there that recommended we go to the visitor's center at King Gillette Ranch, and we did. This isn't a huge visitor's center but I thought it was very cool. There are a bunch of displays with buttons that light up, which my son loved. They have a bunch of animal statues, and other neat displays. They also have a movie playing about the Santa Monica mountains, and while it makes me feel like a weirdo that I enjoyed it... I really did! There is also a little shop that sells different items. They actually sell "local honey" that comes from Bennett Honey Farm in Fillmore, which led us to visit that place (where you can get the honey WAY cheaper). They have a little outdoor area too where my son likes to walk around and sit on benches. His favorite thing is probably the nice water fountain out front! This review is just for the visitor's center. I've never actually done any of the hikes, but there is that too! I love finding little random or hidden places to see with my son, and this is a nice one. read more

Great park! I love when deers come close to me so precious! I had a beautiful January 1st 2018 new year morning there! read more

Not sure where you hire the staff for the events but they are rude and incompetent. I came out for one of the light events during the holidays and after parking on the right hand side in the visitor parking for the Gillette Ranch for over an hour and a half with five employees staring at me, not a single one thought of potentially telling me that cars would be towed if they were parked there. I asked seven different people where I should park.... literally all of them were completely brain dead. The only thing they no for sure is the response "I don't know". Short of pointing in the direction the car should go 90% of the staff you hire could be replaced with an arrow sign. The light show was terrible. After driving thought a disgusting mud lot for 1 hr the suspension on the car was gone and the entire car was covered inid and dirt. The light show was terrible and poorly done. What a waste of money. read more

DO NOT plan an event here!!! Horrible experience with the LA Mountains/NPS staff! I recently had an event at King Gillette and the event coordinator for LA Mountains/NPS, Joan Pankratz, is a nightmare to work with. Not only did she over charge us for the space but she also kept the security deposit because we didn't clean up EXACTLY on the 4 hour mark. Even though we left the location spotless and better looking than we found it. Even the stone kitchen area was swept clean. She stays and watches every thing you do for the whole event time. Months prior to the event, we tried to get in touch with her during the planning process and she was always on "vacation" and took forever to send over paperwork or even a simple email to answer questions we had. When I saw her in person, she even told me it was her first event at King Gillette and she hadn't been there in a long time... meaning, she made up an absurd price to charge and had no idea what the venue looked like at the time. read more

My girlfriend had bought us tickets to the night of jack. The website displayed jack skelington which made her buy the tickets due to her being a huge nightmare before Christmas fan. We got tickets for 8:00 pm and arrived at 7:30pm. When we got there the staff basically sent us to the exit saying we were too early and then told us to come back in 20 minutes. We came back 20 minutes later and we're almost in the middle of the line. 8:00 rolls by and they started letting in cars for the 8:30 showing which upset me because they turned me around for being early. Finally 30 minutes later we got to go inside the drive thru. The pumpkins were amazing and great to see however there was no nightmare before Christmas as advertised on the website which upset my girlfriend. The staff seemed very uninspired and unprofessional at the event they were more focused on talking to their buddies next to them then the event. They rushed you through the event so you couldn't get decent pictures of the pumpkins. All in all I enjoyed the pumpkins but hated the experience. read more

I had the opportunity to make a short visit here today. I lived in the areas for 20 years and had no idea what was actually here. The place is huge and a mansion hidden from the road. The wife and I walked into the welcome center and were immediately created by the Park Manager Scott Hughes. This guy is also a local. Knows the whole history of the property and was very eager to share the history of the property and even gave us a little tour of it. This guy is a gem. Thanks again Scott for the great tour and answering all my dumb questions. I highly recommend visiting this place and the areas near it where they filmed MASH, Planet of the Apes, Pee Wees Big Adventure, The Biggest Loser. By the way, they also rent the King Gillette Mansion and grounds out for weddings and parties. Also still shooting movies and tv shoes there as well. read more

I've worked at this place several times on commercials and TV shows, it's a great place to be and look forward to coming back

Big, quiet park near the 101 North freeway. It's used for different productions, most well known for The Biggest Loser. It's great for hiking, has an auditorium, and halls/rooms available for rent. There's also plenty of parking. read more

King Gillette Ranch - Parks Near Me - Calabasas, California

Visited the king Gillette ranch this past Sunday afternoon with my dad, and we both absolutely loved it! The visitor center is on the right side of the road you are in when you first drive through the gate, the first building you see. The visitors center was great! Very very informative, I live in the Valley myself and learned a BUNCH of things as well as my dad who has lived here most of his life. It was quiet and peaceful, much like the outside of the building as well. The center used to be the 100 year old horse stable for the property! I spent a little over an hour in there. They also have a gift shop carrying Native American merch, California books, shirts as well as homemade jams and soap! I bought strawberry butter - $10 :) Drive a bit past it straight on and there is the mansion Gillette (the maker of the razor Gillette) lived in, with a pond complete with ducks in it. Although you can't enter the mansion it is still interesting to walk around and check it out. There are picnic tables scattered throughout he grounds, would be a lovely place to picnic on a nice day :) We drove down the road past the mansion and saw the TV show the biggest losers house the contestants live at. there was another big building to the left that looked totally abandoned (and slightly creepy, like a haunted boarding school or mental hospital LOL) There are various hikes you can do from this property - I'll have to come back for that All in all, this whole space is very quiet and peaceful and absolutely beautiful! I am coming back most definitely to picnic, hike, bring visitors to and such. Love it and thanks to the up keepers who make this possible! :) Make it a day to visit!!! If you enjoy it - check out Paramount Ranch too! (Close by too!) read more

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Somewhat interesting place. Kind of a step back in time. The grounds are nice and well kept. There are no tours of anything, such as the mansion. You can just view the outside. You can walk the grounds and take the hike to inspiration point on a trail that is strangely unmarked. Not sure why the trail would be unmarked, it causes damage to the property by people who are searching for the trail and end up walking on the half made trails left by others who were searching for the trail. The view from the top of inspiration point is very nice. read more

Great place for camping. Went to the street Food cinema. The trails are a nice easy pace with lots of land to explore. The venue would be perfect for any event (birthdays, weddings, company parties) had lots of fun here. read more

The wife and I took the kiddos here last year. Place is beautiful with lots of history. The kids enjoyed the visitor center and the picnic we brought. After we ate, we went on a cool hiking trail and saw the remnants of the old horse stables. My daughter who rides horses enjoyed this aspect the most. Pros: -quiet -good for kids -interesting history -kids and parents can enjoy this place Cons: -Would like better marked trails read more

Hard to believe that this jewel in the heart of the Santa Monica Mountains has been open for a year and, truth be told, is underutilized because not enough people know about it. Costing $10 million, the center occupies the old horse stables of King Gillette Ranch in Calabasas. The repurposed building has been awarded LEED Platinum certification and is the first "net zero" visitor Center in the National Park Service and serves as a model for the nation. While the center is owned by NPS, it's an interagency facility sharing responsibilities with California State Parks, Mountains Recreation Conservation Authority and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Makes perfect sense, as these agencies act as custodians of the world's largest urban forest. Visitors get a thorough orientation of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area (established by Congress in 1976) through excellent displays at the center, some interactive. Rangers are on hand to answer questions and hand out complimentary brochures and maps depicting many of the more than 500 miles of mountain and seaside trails. The center is open daily rom 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (major holidays excepted). There's also a gift shop operated by the nonprofit Western National Parks Association. Admission to the center is free as well as two hours' parking. King Gillette Ranch (former home of SOKA University) is easy to access, less than three miles from the 101 Freeway. The 588-acre public spread is located at 26876 Mulholland Highway just east of Las Virgenes Road. Further information is available by calling 805-370-2031 or by visiting the Web at nps.gov/samo. read more

What a wonderful gift to the public located in the Santa Monica Mountains. Going back a thousand years the property itself was once inhabited by the Chumash Indians. In the 1600 & 1700's the region was deeded as Spanish land grants with massive rancheros. Dating back to the mid 1920's, the King Gillette Ranch, which borders along Las Virgenes Rd and Mulholland Hwy. was envisioned as a gentleman's retreat and even had its own airstrip to fly in all the rich and famous from near by Hollywood. The Visitors Center is located in the old horse stable built for the Madison and is truly a beautiful structure that includes exhibits, a small theatre and gift shop. Come in anytime and meet the friendly National Park Rangers and staff who would love to pass on their knowledge of our beautiful Santa Monica Mountains recreational area. read more

Had one of the best days yesterday. An awesome hike that got my heart rate going and such beautiful sites and history at this Ranch. Thank you Scott for telling us about the ranch, I loved how you knew so much about the ranch's history. We will be back for sure! Such a unique place. If you guys do a haunted house let me know I'm buying a ticket, that would be so much fun! read more

This "park" is basically just a parking lot and a gift store/ info center. The grounds are used by production companys as sets and many areas of the "State park" are off limits...although no signage indicates which areas are off limits...no photos are allowed in these areas. Biggest Loser and others have props sitting around and you will get harrassed and threatened with a law suit if you take a picture with your phone. Very unpleasent and not " walk in the park" Not a pleasent Sunday. read more

Beautiful grounds with a couple of hiking trials that wrap around the property. Small water area (pond?) with water fowl yo watch. There is a museum near the entrance where you can park for free. read more

I have gone to the visitor center several times (fun and good for kids), and went on a guided tour offered by the MRCA which was very enjoyable. Yesterday my husband and I decided to bring our son back and do the short hike to Inspiration Point. Maps are available at the Visitors Center, but be warned, it kind of sucks. The ranch has a lot of old access roads and trails that are not on the map, and the trail to Inspiration Point is NOT marked. I thought it would be easy to find since I'd been before, but we got lost trying to follow the map and took a long, boring detour past the outer buildings on the east side. Fortunately, the place is relatively small and it's hard to get properly lost, so once we found our way back to the "start" we set off on another trail and made it to the top. Coming down we were faced with a fork in the trail, again, unmarked on map. We kept to the left and made it back to where we should have been. Fun fact- the reality show The Biggest Loser is filmed here, so you can see the building contestants live in and some of the outdoor workout areas. read more

Amazing place. It's become an interagency visitor center between state, national, and park partners. They've put in some really amazing displays inside and outside, and the location is just beautiful! It is a bit hard to find as there is no sign when you're coming from the south that points to the fact that it's a visitor center and most GPS/Map units can't find it's given address on a map. read more

We stopped here on a whim one day and were very impressed by the new visitor center. Even though I am a Valley native, I found the exhibit to be very interesting and informative. I highly recommend it. read more

The place is nice and scenic. Seems very limited and not much to see around the property. Probably better to do the hike

I had the worst experience with this location. I saw the site six months before my event and took pictures. It was beautiful. I sent the coordinator the picture and asked her if I could rent the space she said yes. She would mail me a contract. She also mentioned it was the site of the former show "Biggest Loser". My contract came in pretty high but I was organizing my daughters first baby shower. I wanted it to be special. Two weeks before the event, I went to the site and saw it was a disaster. Apparently, when I took the photos it was still a "set" set up. The set was gone and no one told me they were taking the set away. The location had three foot weeds and was unkept. The maintenance staff eventually cleaned the area up after several emails to the coordinator about the disappointing mess. They mowed the weeds and threw bark on the ground. It was way too late for me to find another location so i had to make do. :( The day before my event I purchase $300 dollars worth of flowers and greenery to make the site beautiful, swept and purchase soiled for the hazardous areas my guests were going to walk on. The event turned out to beautiful even after disappointing location results. I was not notified about alot of things in regards to the location and for the money I paid the site was not worth it. I expected to receive my security deposit after I cleaned and made it safe for my guests. We left the site cleaner than when we got there. THEY KEPT MY SECURITY DEPOSIT!!! OMG!!! The location is beautiful but its a shame the staff do not work with you. They based keeping my deposit because I had slightly over the amount of guests and I went over the time allotted in the contract by one hour (I had to clean!!!) I did work with Pierre catering at the staffs request and he was a wonderful person to work with and would use him again. Out of all my years living in this area and coordinating events myself I have never experienced something so awful! read more

Heaven on earth. So peaceful. Great place for hiking picnics and families. Our children love running around bicycling there. They have live events an overnight events for over 21 and for families. Great venue. read more

I love their visitor's center! Great products, and a really clever interactive interpretive display. Fun place to take kids, and then go for a hike. read more

I work nearby, yet never went until my job took us there for a picnic lunch. I'm glad that they did. The place is beautiful amongst the nearby mountains. The visitor's center has a lot of information on the history of the area. They used to film a lot of movies, especially westerns, back in the day and even most recently. They also film The Biggest Loser here too. Could care less about the latter, since I've never seen the show, but it is interesting. The day was nice and sunny, so I enjoyed a little walk after lunch and got to see a coyote. Recommended, especially if you sit in an office all day. read more

Beautiful location, good hiking spot with bigger kids but if you have young ones...not stroller friendly. Wish we had known. If you have little ones, bring a bjorn/carrier - not even jogger- stroller friendly. We will try again in a few years when our kids are a bit older. read more

Well designed hiking trails and great welcome center. One drawback for me is that no pets are allowed on the trails. Park Ranger told me that dog urine and poo attracts coyotes and such to the area if allowed. Otherwise a great day of hiking with beautiful views. read more

Ample free 2 hour parking by the brand new visitor's center. Visitor's center is a very well done, interactive experience that kids would enjoy. The employees there are very helpful and enthusiastic. Pick up a trail map and take the short 1 mile loop up to inspiration point, where you get a 360 degree view of the surrounding valley. The hike is pretty easy, did not need to stop for rest or water. The day we went, we didn't see a single soul on the trail, and we felt like it we had it all to ourselves. The cherry trees near the bridge were also blooming. They were shooting Biggest Loser, so there were some film crews onsite, but otherwise the whole place felt very empty which I enjoyed. read more

Fun place to go lots of wildlife, hiking trails and people there to help you and explain about the area! Really fun for people of all ages