Trail: East Canyon

Length: 3.5 miles 1 way with options to go to O'Melveny Park, Weldon Canyon or back down East Cyn

Difficulty: Moderate due to altitude gain. If you proceed to Weldon Canyon and back, consider it to be difficult due to length.

DESCRIPTON: East Canyon is part of a major wildlife corridor in Santa Clarita. It is a service Road which is still used by Park Rangers, Fire Trucks and the occasional service vehicle. It is a steady uphill climb to the ridge. The climb is 3 1/2 miles. From this point, you can return to the base of the trailhead for a 7 mile hike, go straight ahead to O'Melveny Park for a 14 mile hike in one direction (you will need to park cars at both ends or plan to return to the base of Easy Canyon for a 28 mile hike), or go to the left to traverse the ridge and go down Weldon Canyon for a 9 mile hike. (You can park cars at both trailheads, or walk an additional 2 miles back to the East Canyon Trailhead. There are terrific views of the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys on this hike, as well as climbing from Chaparral and Oak Woodland into Pine Forest areas. There is varied flora and fauna with Mountain Lions, Bear, Squirrels, Deer and rabbits often being seen. There are wonderful wildflowers in the spring on this trail.

There is also a botanical garden facing the parking area. This garden has native species and native grasses. The hiking club is raising funds and looking for gardening volunteers to improve this garden area. If you would like to donate some native plants, we'd love to have those too! If you are interested, contact Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel @ This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

HOW TO GET TO THE TRAILHEAD: The East/Rice Trailheads are located off of the Old Road in Newhall. Exit I-5 at Calgrove, and proceed South on the Old Road. You will see a small sign on the Right indicating the parking area for East/Rice Canyon. There is a Ranch with horses located right next to the parking area. Don't forget to pay the Iron Ranger. Tickets have stiff fines, and the ranch belongs to the Ranger!