Placerita Canyon Nature Center

How had I never known about this place until now!? What a total hidden gem. Literally, hidden among the mountains! When I visited the Nature Center, I didn't know what to really expect. I saw a sign outside that said "No birds allowed' and I was like, "huh?" Only to realize all of the amazing animals inside and available for viewing! There was a hawk, some turtles, two different kinds of owls, and a turkey vulture. There were even bees and more turtles inside! Though they are caged, you can get SO close! They are animals that cannot survive in the wild because they are either former pets or injured. It looks like they have such a nice life there. The turtles had a big fresh salad in their enclosures. It was so fun to watch them because they were really active. This would be such a fun place to take kids. They have a big nature exhibit with taxidermy animals and tons of interactive elements. There is also lots of information about the animals that live in the area and activities they do at the park. There are many many hiking trails to explore and I hope to come back soon and check them out. The nature here is beautiful. They have picnic tables and even an amphitheatre! I look forward to coming back to explore more.

I came here for a morning hike. Parking wasn't hard since it was quite early, and it was free. I picked a random trail by the parking lot. I ended up at the Hillside Trail and continued onto the Manzanita Mountain Trail. The second trail was steep and quite a workout. Going up was tough but coming back down to go on a different trail was even more more difficult. But very nice views! We then went to check out the nature center (very informational). After that, we went on the very easy and wheelchair-accessible Heritage Trail (clearly marked signage) to see the Butterfly Garden Pond (tadpoles!) and the Oak of the Golden Dream at the end. Be careful of snakes!

Beautiful park area- unsure of where all the trails are? Needs better signage imo. We ended up doing a quick hike near nature center. It was lovely - easy and a beautiful view! Huge parking lot as well!

I always enjoy a great hike. This place provides a great mix of mid to incline opportunities. It's a great place for our four legged babies or the kids. The views are worth the trip and you can enjoy a great book or a coffee.

Nice Nature Center with hiking trails in Santa Clarita. My toddlers and I love exploring new parks and enjoyed our visit to Placerita Canyon Nature Center. We spent time looking at all the nature exhibits including the bees, snakes and birds. We took a short trail around the nature center where we observed beautiful flowers and hummingbirds! We also spent some time throwing pebbles in a creek. Lots of shade, but would assume pretty hot here in the summer. Great place for a hike and picnic. It looks like they offer nature programs and educational opportunities. We will definitely return. Free parking and entrance.

My husband took my kids here on a chill Sunday afternoon. It's a nice place to get out and enjoy nature. They also have a small center where you can see a few animals including snakes That's my son's favorite so he was very excited about it. It's completely free to enjoy and they have close free parking there as well. When he went it wasn't busy at all, so they were able to enjoy the space. I can't wait to go back with them.

A beautiful place to reconnect with nature and hide away from the city.Great place to take your kids. Loved there exhibits

It's amazing learning the history of walkers life . Loved walking thru these trails where it's not hard to hike or walk .. really nice view and Dog friendly too .. would definitely recommend it.

Beautiful place to locally hike in SoCal. Kid friendly too, not too difficult. Water streams throughout and a lot of wildlife

The hike was literally 15min long, the actual hike was closed off, I wasn't sure if it was because they forgot to take the signs off or not.