Santa Clarita Woodlands Park

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Santa Clarita Woodlands Park
Towsley Canyon
Map showing the location of Santa Clarita Woodlands Park
Map showing the location of Santa Clarita Woodlands Park
Map showing the location of Santa Clarita Woodlands Park
Map showing the location of Santa Clarita Woodlands Park
Map showing the location of Santa Clarita Woodlands Park
Map showing the location of Santa Clarita Woodlands Park
Nearest citySanta Clarita, California, United States
Coordinates34°20′58″N 118°33′29″W / 34.3495°N 118.5581°W / 34.3495; -118.5581
Area4,000 acres (16 km2)
Governing bodyMountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA)
WebsiteSanta Clarita Woodlands Park

Santa Clarita Woodlands Park is a 4,000 acre (1,619 hectare) open space preserve located in the northeastern foothills of the Santa Susana Mountains near Santa Clarita, California.[1]

Geography[edit]

The park borders the city of Santa Clarita to the northeast, Newhall Ranch Open Space to the northwest, Michael D. Antonovich Open Space to the southeast, and an open space preserve managed by the Bureau of Land Management to the southwest.

Park units[edit]

Aerial view of Santa Clarita Woodlands Park from the west, showing hiking trails in and around Towsley Canyon

The park includes four recreation areas:[1]

  • Ed Davis Park preserves the chaparral ecology and recreational integrity of Towsley and Wiley Canyons. Towsley Lodge, a historic Spanish-style ranch house, is located beside Towsley Creek at the foot of Towsley Canyon.[2]
  • The East and Rice Canyons unit, located southeast of Ed Davis Park, preserves a diverse plant community and a small collection of natural oil seeps.[3]
  • The Pico Canyon unit, located northwest of Ed Davis Park, preserves the chaparral ecology of Pico Canyon.[4] The canyon is the site of the Pico Canyon Oilfield where the first commercially successful oil well in the western United States was drilled in 1876.[5]

Ecology[edit]

The park preserves a mountainous expanse of coastal sage and chaparral habitat. Resident mammal species include bobcat, coyote, red-tailed hawk, and desert cottontail.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Santa Clarita Woodlands Park". MRCA. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  2. ^ "Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon". MRCA. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  3. ^ "East & Rice Canyon". MRCA. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  4. ^ "Pico Canyon". MRCA. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  5. ^ Judy Raphael (1998-10-08). "Boomtown Bash: Tiny town of Mentryville, site of 1876 oil rush, will hold festival fund-raiser". Los Angeles Times. ("The well, known as Pico No. 4, was the first commercially successful oil well in the western U.S.")
  6. ^ "Mentryville". MRCA. Retrieved 2021-11-04.

External links[edit]

Media related to Santa Clarita Woodlands Park at Wikimedia Commons