My favorite place to hike in Santa Clarita is Placerita Canyon. Not only is it beautiful and easily accessible from the 14 freeway, but it also has such cool history.

One of my favorite things about this park is that it is the site of the first gold discovery in California! In 1842, a man named Francisco Lopez took a nap under what is now known as the Oak of the Golden Dream. When he woke up from his nap, he was hungry and dug up some wild onions, where he found pieces of gold, or nuggets depending on where you are reading, in the roots. If you don’t believe me, I’ll include links at the bottom of this post. The Oak of the Golden Dream is easy to get to from the park entrance. It’s a short walk out and back which makes it easy to take the kiddos. I think it’s pretty cool to live so close to such an important part of California history.

Placerita Canyon is also a great place for families. The park offers free presentations for younger kids on the second Saturday of every month called Nature Tots. This program is designed for ages 3 to 6 and starts around 9:30am. Sign ups are required. You can get more information about this program and other Placerita Canyon events here.

_{The nature center has some animals, including rattlesnakes which are not my favorite!}

Before the state of California purchased Placerita Canyon around the 1950s, the land was owned by the Walker family. They built several homes on the property, starting with the first in the early 1900s. In fact, the rock porch from that original home still stands and is located on the north side of Placerita Canyon in the Golden Valley Ranch Open Space.

The Walker family built their second home in 1918 and used it during the colder and wetter months. This cabin has since been restored, and you can even take a tour of it on weekends. It’s on my bucket list. Their third home served as a summer home and was built near the Waterfall Trail, though it is no longer standing today. Frank Walker lived on the property until he sold the land to the state.

The family even started building a fourth home on the property, but it was never completed. You can still see the fireplace where the Canyon Trail and Waterfall Trail meet.

_{Here is a photo of my family sitting in front of the Walker cabin, taken by The Desert Rubie}

Like I said, Placerita Canyon is one of my favorite places to go hiking in Santa Clarita. There are multiple hiking trails ranging from about 1.5 miles to about 7 miles. There are 8 trails total that connect and allow you to hike roughly 12 miles throughout the canyon. The large oak trees provide shade and make for a really beautiful hike. I highly recommend visiting if you haven’t.

Want more of my favorite local spots in Santa Clarita?

Happy exploring! If you want to do any further reading here are some helpful links!

Links:
State Website
SCV History
Placerita Nature Center