Happy new year! I'm Jaclyn Cosgrove, outdoors reporter for the LA Times.
The deluge of rain and snow has stopped and the sun is coming out in Los Angeles. It's a beautiful time for a winter hike in Los Angeles County.
I'd love for you to join me and Times wellness writer Deborah Vankin, along with our friends at Zócalo Public Plaza, at 9 a.m. on January 31 as we hike through the Placerita Canyon Natural Area, an east-west canyon east of Santa Clarita with lush oak forests, chaparral, and a seasonal stream.
We will begin our hike with a gentle stroll to the Golden Dream Oak, where the first authenticated gold discovery by settlers in California took place in 1842.
Next, Vankin and I will guide 40 hikers along the Canyon Trail, which will be 3.6 miles round trip. The hike includes an area where natural “white oil” bubbles up from the earth, which locals supposedly used to collect to fill the fuel tanks of their Ford Model T.
Parking is free and easy. We will meet in front of the Placerita Canyon Nature Center (19152 Placerita Canyon Road in Newhall).
We will have bottles of water and snacks for attendees, but you can also bring your own. You must be 18 years or older and will be required to sign a liability waiver before attending. (Consider arriving 15 minutes early to allow time to sign the waiver.)
Get a spot on Tixr.
Note: The walk will be rescheduled if rain is forecast.
A winter walk with the Los Angeles Times and the Zócalo Public Plaza
