Placerita Canyon - Newcomers Hike

This 4 mi, 500' rt hike is along a seasonal stream and features beautiful, lush green flora and ferns. Placerita Canyon is a beautiful county park facility in Santa Clarita that features well-manicured trails, graced with a trickling creek, shaded by overarching oaks and sycamores. We will stop for lunch either at the waterfall, or a campground with tables, water, and restrooms which is on the trail about 1/2 mi away from the falls.

Placerita Canyon State Park is also the location of one of the first gold rush expeditions in California, seven years before the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill. It has a wonderful nature center with interesting natural history exhibits and a live animals (hawk and great horned owl) and later became the outdoor set for many movies.

This hike will be jointly led with the Sierra Club 20s and 30s Section, and we will follow their protocol of staying between the leader and the sweep, and also signing in and out (if you leave early). There is no cost for the hike or for parking. We may go out for post-hike lunch in Sylmar, or for ice-cream!

Bring 1 qt water, lunch, hiking shoes, light jacket. Rain cancels.

Please NO TIGERS, as this will be an easy-paced hike.

A map and general information about the hike can be found from this website:

http://www.placerita.org/

http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/5/4/4/3/event_46701571.jpeg

Items to bring:

• Lug soled hiking shoes with excellent tread recommended.
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Hat
• Insect repellent is a good idea, because there are ticks in the area.
• 2 quarts of water minimum
• Snack to eat at lunch
• A good joke to share.

How to get there to the Park and Trailhead:

DIRECTIONS - From the 405N, take the 14 (Antelope Valley) Fwy, and then go 3-4 miles to the Placerita Canyon Road exit. - Go for about two miles on that road, and park in the Placerita Canyon State Park Visitors Center. We will meet there under the flagpole.

FYI....At 1 pm there is a once a week exotic animal show, which features some of the interesting local birds and mammals who live at the park. There are rabbits, hawks, opossums and eagles. There are also bathrooms, water and a soda machine where we park.