Los Pinitos Loop and Picnic

9 miles. Mostly Loop - Rocky, Single Track, Fire Road & Fire Break

The Los Pinetos Trail is located in the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, home to California's first gold discovery in 1842. Depending on air quality there will be great views of the Santa Clarita Valley, San Fernando Valley and all the way to downtown and beyond.

There's really no convenient place for lunch in this area so let's have a picnic! There are lots of picnic tables under the shade of beautiful oak trees right near where we will park to start this hike, and we can leave our lunches in the car until after. This is a bring-your-own, not a potluck.

Hike Description: The first two miles take you from the Placerita Nature Center parking lot to the Los Pinetos Trailhead via the Canyon trail with only a 250 foot elevation gain. Mile 3 of our trek is the HARDEST with an elevation gain of 700 feet. The 4th mile takes us just about to the top, but only has an elevation gain of a bit more than 400 feet. Mile 4 is beautiful because it’s somewhat forest like with most of the trail covered by oak trees. At the top we find something not seen on too many trails and that’s a decent bathroom!! After a brief stop at the rest rooms we have a bit more uphill on a fire road that takes us up to the radio towers that are visable from the 5 fwy - the view from here is amazing. The downhill portion is a little back tacking on the fire road and onto a fire break that has some very steep sandy areas that are similar to short black diamond ski runs. We'll take these areas at a slower pace. The very last part is a short trail back into Placerita and our cars. Not for beginners or newbies.

As always know your limits, bring ample quantities of water, a hat, sunscreen and good hiking shoes.

Directions: Exit the 14 Fwy at Placerita Canyon Rd South to the park entrance on the right.