El Cariso Park is one of the most beautiful and well kept parks in the Valley! Been coming here for…read moremost of my life. I cannot get enough of the fresh air, the cleanliness, the multiple recreational areas it has as basketball courts, tennis courts, baseball fields and of course synthetic soccer field. Perfect park for a bbq (Carne Asada) with the family. Walk your dog or go for a nice stroll with a love one. So luscious and green and big park great use of space here in the valley.

This park is large and spacious with plenty of free parking. There were kids playing at the…read morebaseball fields, soccer fields, and at the playgrounds. El Cariso Park hosts a regular farmer's market on Sundays. Stopped by for some coffee and pastries at E&V Kaffee! Such a delicious spot for raw honey lattes, chai teas, croissants and so much more. We had a great time perusing through the plants shops, fruit and veggie stands, and other local businesses.

Today was my first time going and it was amazing. I did "The Beast" trail. It's not for beginners…read more This trail is completely uphill and it took me near 3 hrs to get there. There are many trails at this canyon which is a huge relief because you can explore other locations within the same canyon. I wouldn't necessarily say this is a kid friendly hiking trail due to its steep, uphill, and loose gravel. Beautiful waterfalls and views. I advise you to go early rather than later due to parking. Check the weather before going as well. It's mostly quiet and you will see some hikers here and there but you're mostly on your own. Hiking shoes is a must! Be aware for snakes as there are holes everywhere.

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.

Absolutely a wonderful Park very shaded, serene and peaceful. Unfortunately there are no restrooms…read moreand you must bring your own seating but it was still a wonderful part to enjoy 3 hours out.

What a beautiful park! I don't think I saw a single piece of litter. There were people walking…read moretheir dogs, driving RC monster trucks over the rocks in the stream and people pushing strollers. There was a playground too, but it didn't seem that they were any people there. All in all, it was a very quiet serene place! There's a sidewalk path that goes around the park and then there's also dirt paths within the park that Run alongside the little creek. You can go over some of the little bridges to get from one side of the park to the other easily. The surrounding neighborhood is really nice and has lots of trees. If I lived closer, I would be here every day!

Great hiking trail! It is uphill the whole time, so it's a little harder, but take breaks as…read moreneeded. Nice hike to see nature!

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"

Great place to hang out, have a party, or just walk around. Bathrooms are usually clean and stocked…read moreand you can usually find a nice place to sit and relax

Each visit to this park clears my mind. There is a calmness that always creates a relaxing…read moreexperience. Hiking, walking, meeting veterans and hearing their stories or taking in fresh air and enjoying the scenery, it's a great vibe. Looking forward to planning a picnic here, lots of shaded areas on the ground level. There is sun on the hiking trail areas, several paths to take. Not many play areas or apparatus for children but a great park overall.

This park offers a plethora of hiking trails, picnic tables in an oak grove, and a large parking…read morelot. There is a $5 parking fee requested; but it seems like most folks, including me, park on the street for free and hike up to the trailhead. This will add about a mile to your workout (round-trip), but that's good, right? I completed the loop trail this time (trail map here https://trails.lacounty.gov/Trail/1833/wilson-canyon-loop-trail ) and really enjoyed it. There is a pretty significant altitude gain, so be prepared. The trail had definitely been affected by recent rains, with a lot of ruts in the road, but nothing impassable. You'll start out in chaparral, then go up through an oak/sycamore grove near an intermittent stream, and than descend on the north side back to the trailhead. There's also a year-round stream to the north of the hiking area; not sure if it's technically part of the park but it's worth seeking out. Hiking boots with good tread, hiking poles, and water are recommended. Hat, sunscreen and shades on sunny days. And don't forget snacks and a charged phone. Highly recommended.

Your mindset is what separates you from the rest. Let's begin this new trail adventure…read more WILSON CANYON PARK is a 2.8-mile loop trail at Sylmar, California. This trail is quite popular for horseback riding, hiking, and birding. It has an elevation gain of 705 ft.; trails were well maintained, however, there were sections of the Saddle Ranch trailhead that you go through a very narrow trench-just past the water dam structure- which doesn't look like a trail but it is part of the trailhead. You start with a very sandy trail and progresses to a rocky and then smoothed out as you ever to higher elevation. This trail has rich in flora and fauna, wild animals and insects. I saw a juvenile snake (not sure if it's a Sierra Garter snake) as I descend back. YIKES! I decided to hit the Pig Ranch trail as well. Both trails deemed Easy for experienced hikers. Fellow hikers were cordial and respectful. I even saw a male hiker, wearing plaid shirt and jeans, brought his 4 lil boys on the trail. Great family bonding. Anyways, this was a nice hike with great scenery even on a slightly foggy day. Parking has a $5 honor system as you drive inside the park. Overall, WCT is a good quick hike and I recommend it.

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

California Historic Landmark NO. 168 OAK OF THE GOLDEN DREAM…read more This site is historically significant because it is the site where gold was first discovered in California. History books inaccurately cite that gold was first discovered on January 24th, 1848, by James Marshall when he found a gold nugget in the American River while helping John Sutter build his sawmill. Instead, it was actually Jose Francisco de Garcia who first discovered gold clinging to the roots of wild onions in what is now Placerita Canyon on March 8th, 1842. Waymarking web site describes it well: Jose Francisco De Gracia Lopez fell asleep under an oak in Canon de los Encinos (Live Oak Canyon) and dreamt of gold. When he awoke, he was hungry and dug up some wild onions at the base of a nearby tree with his pocket knife. Clinging to the roots of the onions were nuggets of gold. Lopez and his associates scoured the nearby riverbanks and discovered more pockets of gold. They took their findings to nearby Los Angeles and relayed word of their discovery to their native Mexico City. The gold was assayed by the Philadelphia Mint and found to be .926 fine. Hundreds of prospectors from Los Angeles and Sonora, Mexico flocked to Live Oak Canyon, which was renamed Placerita Canyon. The word "placer" is of Spanish origin and means surface deposits of sand or gravel containing gold. From 1842 to 1847, the miners culled some 1,300 pounds of gold from Placerita. This is the first recorded authenticated find of gold in the area and that which is believed to have kicked off the monumental California Gold Rush in 1842. Additionally, Lopez's was the first attempt at establishing a mining claim. Historians disagree on whether significant gold finds preceded that of Lopez, but his is surely the most legendary.¹ This site is located off the 14 fwy. on Placerita Canyon Road within the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. ¹http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM2DPR_Oak_of_the_Golden_Dream_First_Discovery_of_Gold_in_California

If you've driven through Santa Clarita on the 14 Antelope Valley Freeway, you've probably seen the…read morestate designated Oak of the Golden Dream sign. Just take the Placerita Canyon Rd. off ramp into the beautiful Placerita Canyon Park. You'll pass the gates of the 800+ acre Walt Disney owned Golden Oak Ranch. Film location for numerous motion picture and television shooting locations; everything from Old Yeller, to Roots and the 1950s Mickey Mouse Club series Spin and Marty (if you're old enough to remember Annette Funicello, riding on horseback at the ranch). Keep going to the parking lot and follow the Oak of the Golden Dream trail. In 1839, the Mexican Government granted Antonio del Valle some 48,000 acres called Del Valle Rancho. On March 9, 1842 his brother-in-law, Francisco Lopez y Arbello took a rest from his horseback ride around the rancho under an oak tree, and dreamed of being surrounded by gold. So the story goes. Noticing his horse grazing on wild onions, Francisco spied a bright glimmer and began pulling the onions up by the roots. They were flaked with small specks of gold. The official California Gold Rush actually began right here in Santa Clarita, California. Southern not Northern California. Hmmmmm? It's an easy access hike to this wooded and serene spot.

I'm new to this area and we discovered they were having a free drone show. It was amazing…read more Granddaughter loved it. The dam has many cool events for free.

This is an excellent third space for walking, running, and biking (with caution)…read more Flat terrain, no shaded areas, but most of all the sense of community from the regulars who trek Hansen Dam. I've been visiting for a year on a weekly basis. One thing to be mindful for are the horse scat droppings that some horse riders apparently are careless to pick after. I've walked during the morning, midday, afternoon, and evening time. I've felt safe during all times of day and even bring my family on weekends.

We were looking for something to do locally to pass some time. Found the park on Yelp…read more The animals were amazing. We hiked up the hill to William's home, Great hike. Stopped and checked out the bison as well.

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.