Placerita Canyon County Park

Placerita Canyon Trail

Placerita Canyon has a gentleness that is rare in the steep, severely faulted San Gabriel Mountains. A superb nature center, plus a walk through the oak- and sycamore-shaded adds up to a nice outing for the whole family.

In 1842, seven years before the '49ers rushed to Sutter's Mill, California's first gold rush occurred in Placerita Canyon. Legend has it that herdsman Francisco Lopez awoke from his nap beneath a large shady oak tree, during which he had dreamed of gold and wealth. During the more mundane routine of fixing his evening meal, he dug up some onions to spice his supper and there, clinging to the roots, were small gold nuggets. Miners from all over California, the San Fernando Placers, as they became known, poured into Placerita Canyon. The prospecting was good, though not exceptional, for several years. The spot where Lopez made his discovery is now called the Oak of the Golden Dream. A plaque marks his find.

Placerita Canyon has been the outdoor set for many a Western movie and 1950s television series, including “The Cisco Kid” and “Hopalong Cassidy.” Movie companies often used the cabin built in 1920 by Frank Walker. Walker, his wife, Hortense, and their 12 children had a rough time earning a living in what was then a wilderness. The family raised cows and pigs, gathered and sold leaf mold (fertilizer), panned for gold, and hosted movie companies. The family cabin, modified by moviemakers, stands by the park's nature center.

Placerita Canyon's nature center has some very well done natural history exhibits and live animal displays.  Pamphlets, available at the center, help visitors enjoy park nature trails including: Ecology Trail, which interprets the canyon bottom and chaparral communities; Hillside Trail which offers a view of Placerita Canyon; Heritage Trail, which leads to the Oak of the Golden Dream.

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The hike: From the parking lot, walk up-canyon, following the stream and enjoying the shade of oaks and sycamores. A 1979 fire scorched brush within a hundred feet of the Nature center, but remarkably spared the oak woodland on the canyon bottom. Nature regenerates quickly in a chaparral community; Some of the chamise on the slopes may be a hundred years old and veterans of dozens of fires.

The canyon narrows and after a mile the trail splits.  Take your pick: the right branch stays on the south side of the canyon while the left branch joins the north side trail.  The two intersect in a half-mile, a little short of the Walker Ranch Group Campground. Here you'll find a picnic ground with tables, water and restrooms.

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