Love this place! Recently came here again in 2026. Went on Grotto trail by accident a year or two…read moreago. Omg! It was so intense but so worth is at the top I saw some coyotes on the others side- like a pack but the stayed on their side. Some people bring their hiking sticks and whistles and some just brave the wild :/. While we made it out alive, won't lie. Seeing like 5-6 coyotes at once kinda scared me but they were pretty far off. They have a nice little park (not a kid park with swings) you can walk around for a calmer and easier walk. They have other trails there that I haven't been on. So I'd just say wear good shoes if you're gonna tackle the big trails and maybe there hiking sticks (I need to get one) and anything for safety. It has many signs that there are rattle snakes. I haven't seen one but I believe them lol. I prefer to go early because in my mind, they wouldn't be out and about yet ‍ since it's not too hot.

A great park at the north end of San Fernando Valley. So many areas to spread out and enjoy…read more O'Melvany is listed as the second-largest public park in Los Angeles(behind Griffith Park), but still seems a pretty good secret, for the most part. On any given day you may see dogs playing, or training in social skills, exercise classes, families picnicking and kids running around. BUT ALSO BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR WILDLIFE! Coyotes and mountain lions are very common, as are rattle snakes. But also bunnies, squirrels and an array of birds, for those who take the time to stop, listen, and try to identify. There is not a playground at this large park. Instead, the draw is toward it's many, well marked, hiking trails. This use to be John O'Melvany's ranch, until he deeded the land to Los Angeles(1976), with specifics for it to be used as a park. You'll still see orchards of grapefruit as you enter, with signs requesting you not remove the fruit from the area. The fruit has not been properly tended to in decades, so it's not really yummy grapefruit, but on occasion you'll see some people plucking and tasting to quell their curiosity. Mainly, to avoid the spread of fruit flies, the city requests that the yellow spheres be left in place. BUT OH THE AROMA OF THE FLOWERS FROM THESE TREES! And so many happy bees flitting about. Quite nice. This is also a park that allows access for equestrians. A very large dirt area for trailers to park and horses to be staged and prepped before heading off into the hills on the marked Equestrian Trail. If you do take the time to hike one of the many trails, you'll be rewarded with beautiful view of SFV. If you squint, you can almost imagine what it looked like pre-WWII, before the tract homes welcomed the veterans here. Many beautiful, very old, oak trees, eucalyptus and various maple species, along with a LOT of native shrubbery are found throughout the park and the one large bathroom at the center is well maintained. Hours are dawn to dusk, with gates at both the pedestrian entry and parking lot. Plenty of free parking in the lot and along the street. If you're up for an easy, but fairly long excursion, check out Bee Canyon Park. It starts just across the street from O'Melvany and DOES have a play area for kids. Also, it's trail runs all the way to Balboa. Cheers! "CC"

Such a beautiful park and easy trail! I love that it's shaded and that there's a creek that runs…read morethrough it. Restrooms are clean and there's plenty of parking.

Plenty to discover in this short and sweet trail. Our group tends to start away from the main…read moreentrance of the park. Instead, we would turn right onto Sesnon Blvd from Balboa Blvd, then head straight till the road ends. Oddly enough the two halves of Sesnon are separated by a ravine. From this starting point, there is a moderately steep decline heading down to the main trail. After this portion, the trail is a casual nature walk. The terrain consists of well-established stream crossings, clusters of old trees you can climb, eclectic art pieces made by local residents, makeshift swings made out of rope, and even manhole covers from India! Folks we meet along the way would say their hellos while riding their bikes and walking their dogs in the evenings. Every so often there would also be small frogs and worms squirming around. Once you get to the main entrance and parking lot, there are a few restrooms as well as resting/training areas for horses. As an out and back route, the incline back onto Sesnon gets the calf muscles working.

Soooooo many flowers. I loved it! There are not too many shaded areas on this hike so bring lots of…read morewater :).

M. DeCampos trail is a very popular area for hiking, mountain biking, and running. This trail is…read morelocated within the O'Melveny Park. This trail has an elevation gain of 1,227 ft has a length of 4.3 miles leading to Mission Point. Throughout the trail has no shades going toward the Mission Point. But you'll get to see birds, lizards and vole. I hiked on a weekday so there were very few hikers that I came across on the trailhead. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash. Once you've reached Mission Point which is considered the highest point in the SF valley you'll have a majestic view of the hills, the park and mountains. Overall, despite its steep trails I enjoyed my time hiking this trail.

This is a great hike that will give you a workout if you hike, bike or run. The hike starts with…read moreflat areas but then you will have some inclines. The inclines are great as you continue towards the other trails you will be lead to worthwhile views. The views are enjoyable and you can take time to relax, read, or just enjoy nature. The dogs or kids would also enjoy this hike.

Great hike easy to find parking and lots of shade and grass area once you get to the bottom. They…read morehave many trash cans and is very clean. There wasn't many people I got there around 9:30am the sun was out so take plenty of water and sunscreen

A friend took me to Whitney Canyon Waterfall today, and wow what an adventure. The hike is…read moremoderate, about 3.5 miles, and parking is free. Reaching the waterfall is not for the faint of heart. You climb uphill, descend back down, reach a small waterfall, and then go through it to finally arrive at Whitney Waterfall. It's a bit sketchy, definitely thrilling, and absolutely worth it but only if you're prepared. Hiking shoes are a must. This trail is not recommended for kids or beginner hikers due to steep and slippery sections. It was 48 degrees and freezing cold today, so check the weather before you go and layer up. Also, there are no restrooms, so plan ahead. If you're looking for a raw, adventurous hike with a rewarding waterfall at the end, this one delivers.

When you're ending the year 2025 with a hiking adventure. Let's begin this banger review…read more Whitney Canyon Park is a 442-acre park known for its diverse trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, featuring oak woodlands, chaparral, and riparian areas with seasonal waterfalls. It is located next to the freeway in Santa Clarita. I have been eyeing this trail/park for months and I am glad I crossed this on my All trails hiking list. I came on a late Monday morning and it was bloody windy (~45 mph) with a cool temp of 64 degrees. This park has multiple trials including Elsmere Trail. WCP has a wide track trail through a canyon that was known for oil drilling and ranching some of its remnants are still visible. Its trail has little to no tree shade but the trailhead was kept clear. I have seen some hikers (family and kids) and bikers along the way; most are friendly and nice. Parking lot is huge with no shades. Trash bins are available. Overall, it's a nice easy park to go hiking. I recommend it.

You can have results or excuses. Not both. Let's begin this hiking review…read more Nature Trail is one of many copious trails within O'Melveny Park in Granada Hills, CA. Today, I decided to do a birthday hike. It's my first time hiking in this area. Yeepeee! The Nature trail intersects with and becomes Grotto trail which leads to the Top of O'Melveny, the park's highest point. This trail has multiple moderate to extremely steep elevations; it's considered a moderate hike route but I think not. Moreover, there was very little to no tree shade along this trail but it has its reward - a majestic view of the mountains/the valley. If you continue further on this trail, it will lead to the Mission Point. Generally, this experience is roughly 4.2-mile, takes an average of 2 h 43 min to complete but took me 3 h 17 min (parking lot to MP; 8.85 km) with multiple rest stops along the way. My heart was beating 165 bpm. Overall, this hike challenged my stamina, legs and cardiovascular endurance.

Wow! This trail was a Pleasant surprise!…read more I am a fan of O'Melveny Park & all the trails within this park. I usually always hike the Loop Trail & the Lockout Trail. But lately I've been exploring the smaller Trails (some of them don't have names) but just follow them...they are amazing! So Sunday I was actually gonna hike the Grotto, but I decided to do "The Nature" first...but instead of walking down towards the trail that takes me to "The Grotto" I kept hiking up hill...& what a great surprise! This trail is actually amazing...& not easy at all. It's narrow & all you do is go up hill...so parts can get slippery...so just be careful :) The view at the top is amazing! I'm happy I decided to follow the small trail...I discovered a whole new part of "The Nature" trail.

Limekiln Canyon Trail is a nice place to go on a casual walk/hike. Its a cool trail because you can…read morefeel like you are in nature, however the trail is located close to the street, or at least this is the case for the section I like to hike in. The trail extends into the mountains so if you are into longer hikes there is that option. Pros: easy access, convenient escape into nature. Not a difficult hike. Cons: there is graffiti/street art on the trail. Some of it looks cool, so this might not be considered a con to some. But I would prefer that it wasn't there.

This trail is a secluded escape tucked away in the hills of the Valley! If you're looking for a…read morehike that is low key & quiet, this is definitely the spot. Once you reach the top, you're rewarded with a wonderful panoramic view of the Valley. It's also quite interesting as you hike along; you get a bird's-eye view into various backyards with some truly beautiful pools & hot tubs. The day I went was overcast, which made for a very pleasant & chill walk. There is plenty of nature to enjoy, including lots of birds flying around. Also lots of street parking outside the entrance to the trail. One thing that caught my attention: lots of litter & beer cans everywhere:( very sad .

My husband and I love to take our dog to walk in parks if the city. Today, we discovered this park…read more Perfect to relax with your children, has playground, also has a sports court. The neighbor is beautiful, quiet and peaceful. Good place to relax there.

Cute little neighbor park for younger children. On the side of a hill, so not the greatest place…read morefor picnic of if you have difficulty climbing. They have a shaded climbing area for children. It is called ET park because a portion of this park was in the movie, so it's kind of nostalgic to have something like that here in the neighborhood. One star was removed for not having a parking lot or bathrooms which I feel is a must with little ones. Still overall fun little trip for the kiddos.

The two things that Porter Ranch is arguably known best for are pretty homes and pretty trails. One…read moreof my favorite trails here is at Palisades Park, a 1.6 mile multi-use trail between Tampa Ave and Reseda Blvd. The "park" is essentially a hill right behind a bunch of homes. The trailhead is on Tampa Ave, 400 feet south of Braemore Rd. The trail has light-moderate inclines, but horseback riding and biking are possible. The trail weaves back and forth across the face of the hill, which causes you to notice the scenery. Dried brush and some shrubs cover the hill, but there's really nothing in terms of shade. A wood railing kindly runs along the outer edge of the trail to discourage people from taking a tumble. A couple lookout points offer a nice view of the San Fernando Valley from 500 feet above. Keep your eyes open, and you may even see a jackrabbit or two darting off the trail into the brush. There's plenty of street parking on Tampa and Reseda. I like to park on Reseda and jog to the trailhead on Tampa and back. The inclines make for a great leg workout! Cool fact: Palisades Park had a 10 second appearance 15 minutes into the movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/palisades-park-los-angeles?select=FquAyFNQMfYxb0QVV9atEg#FquAyFNQMfYxb0QVV9atEg

I wish they advertised this place a little bit more! I would've never found it if I didn't do my…read moreresearch on yelp and other places. But then again, that's a good thing if you're looking for a trail that doesn't have many people. I went with my father and we saw 1 couple and 1 family. The distance is 1.5 one way (it goes from Tampa to Reseda). It's great for running because it's easier on the knees since it's dirt road. There are also many ups and downs. Inclines are what naturally tire me out, but it is the perfect amount because when I start getting really tired, it'll level out a bit or have a small decline. Since it's on higher ground, it is also pretty windy up there, but still very nice. However, I wouldn't feel very safe going by myself since it feels a little empty (although there are houses when you look down the cliff). I recommend everyone to walk/run/bike this trail! :)

Once a year this former reservoir site turned nature preserve opens its doors to the public for…read moretheir annual Earth Day Open House. It was a fun experience and a great opportunity to learn about the history of the site and about the trees, plants and animals that make this special place their home. There were a number of informative environmental/community-related booths. One of the booths even gave away free fruit trees. There was Native American Storytelling. My kids got to enjoy the live animal exhibits where they held snakes and other reptiles. The guided nature hike allowed you to walk a loop within the inside of the preserve. The grasses were green and the wildflowers were blooming. The Ecology Pond was brimming with tadpoles while blue dragonflies skimmed the surface. It's a shame that the public is restricted to visiting only one day a year but it's entirely understandable considering how people will reliably ruin good things. Overall, it was a fun and inexpensive way to spend quality time with the family. It will be an event that I will look forward to attending every year.