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Placerita Canyon State Park
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PLACERITA CANYON STATE PARK
PLACERITA CANYON STATE PARK
1925 Las Virgenes Road
Calabasas, California   91302

Phone: 818-880-0350
Reservations: 800-444-7275
The purpose of Placerita Canyon State Park, in Los Angeles County, is to preserve and protect the site of the first discovery of gold in California, in 1842. Designated as a State Historic Landmark, the unit is situated in the transition zone between the San Gabrial Mountains and the Mojave Desert, and contains sandstone formations, seasonal streams and riparian oak woodlands, as well as stands of cottonwood and native sycamore trees. The unit's location provides significant linkages connecting the Angeles National Forest, the Santa Susama Mountains, the Simi Hills and the Santa Monica Mountains. The unit contains the remnants of an historic ranch. All through the warmest time of the year highs here at Placerita Canyon State Park reach the 80's. When the night sets in temperatures drop down into the 60's. The wintertime brings highs down to the 40's with temperatures at Placerita Canyon State Park dipping down into the 30's throughout winter nights. A great place to camp here at Placerita Canyon State Park is River's End Recreation Park, and you'll discover a striking lake called Upper Van Norman Lake. If you want a splendid time in the great outdoors just come on up to the San Gabriel Mountains. There's so much to do here at Placerita Canyon State Park that you need to camp here for a while, Los Angeles San Fernando Valley is a good location for that; Econo Lodge Sylmar is a brilliant place to get some rest.Placerita Canyon State Park has a large quantity of naturalloveliness; it's a spot where everyone has a nice time. These mountains rock, just check out all the exciting stuff to do in the San Gabriel Mountains. If you need a location to stay Santa Clarita Motel is a glorious choice, and enjoy a round of golf at Cascades Golf Club Department.Dry warm beds await you at Travelodge Of Santa Clarita, and why not camp at Dutch Louie Campground while you're here at Placerita Canyon State Park. During your journey to Placerita Canyon State Park you'll meet some people from Newhall for sure, and while you're here and you like golf, you can pop by Vista Valencia Golf Course. Placerita Canyon State Park has picturesque nature scenery for you to take pleasure in.It's a popular place to travel to for folks from Newhall. There are so many entertaining things to do for young and old to take pleasure in. Placerita Canyon State Park is a delightful spot for a visit when you need to spend some time in the wilderness.If you came to camp Valencia Travel Village is a great location to do that; the Dagger Flat Trail is a perfect hiking trail nearby. Placerita Canyon State Park gets very little precipitation; the month with most of the rain is February, and July is the month with the least moisture. Don't you try to stop me, cause I'm havin' a magnificent time here at Placerita Canyon State Park. After a long day outdoors Super 8 Motel - Santa Clarita/Valencia is a great location to spend a night or two; Knollwood Country Club is a golf course nearby.Yep, outdoors entertaining stuff truly is bountiful here in the San Gabriel Mountains. A great close by hotel is Country Side Inn Sylmar, and Whitney Canyon is absolutely a perfect place to visit. You'll wish for more hours in a day to enjoy all the cool things at Placerita Canyon State Park. Camping at Zuni Campground is always a great experience; a golf course close by is El Cariso Golf Course. At Placerita Canyon State Park you find plenty of outdoors recreation, so you could have plenty of fun.
History of the Area
Located in Los Angeles County, the park was established in 1949. It covers approximately 350 acres of land and features a nature center.

The area is historically significant as it's where California's first gold discovery took place during the Gold Rush era. In March 1842, Francisco Lopez found flakes of gold here while gathering onions near an oak tree now known as "Oak of The Golden Dream."

In addition to its historical significance, Placerita Canyon has been used extensively for filming Hollywood movies due to its diverse landscape.

Visitors can enjoy hiking trails that traverse through riparian woodlands and chaparral-covered hillsides teeming with local flora and fauna.


Location
Placerita Canyon State Park is located near Agoura Hills, Altadena and Burbank

Trails
- Canyon Trail: A 2-mile loop trail, easy to moderate difficulty level. Features a waterfall and the historic "Oak of the Golden Dream."

- Waterfall Trail: An extension of the Canyon trail that leads hikers to a seasonal waterfall; approximately half mile long.

- Hillside Loop Trail: This is an easy 1.8 miles round trip hike with views over Placerita Valley.

- Manzanita Mountain Hiking Trails (East & West): Two challenging trails totaling about seven miles in length, offering panoramic views from atop Manzanita mountain.

- Los Pinetos Trail: Approximately five miles one way, this strenuous uphill climb rewards hikers with stunning vistas at its peak before descending into Whitney canyon park area.

- Walker Ranch Area Trails : Includes several interconnected routes such as Puma Point Loop and East/West Windy Gap covering around four square-miles for more experienced hikers.

- Ecology Nature Tail : Easy quarter-mile self-guided nature walk featuring educational signs on local flora/fauna ideal for families or beginners

- Annie's Walking Stick Accessible Pathway : Half-a-mile paved path suitable for wheelchairs/strollers leading through oak woodland habitat towards picnic areas


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Nearby Hotels
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Directions
- From Los Angeles: Take the I-5 North.
- Exit at Newhall Ranch Road and turn right onto Copper Hill Drive.
- Continue on this road until you reach Placerita Canyon Road; then make a left turn.

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California
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California State Parks

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