Introduction

East Walker Ranch is a less popular open space East of Placerita Canyon. The park is 140 acres, and lies just below the mountains of the Angeles National Forest. The Walker Loop trail is a 1.6 mile loop that goes up into the hills. Note there is elevation gain on this trail, but it isn’t too terribly steep, the loop is relatively short which makes it good for kids. There’s also a nice area at the top with a creek and some trees - a nice place to have a picnic. This hike is one that should be done on a cooler day, since there isn’t much shade. If you want to escape from the crowds and explore a beautiful open space in a relatively short amount of time, this hike is for you.

trail overview

The main trail here is called the “Walker Loop”, it’s a loop that starts near the parking lot - goes up into the hills, where you walk along a ridge before coming back down to where you started again. The first step is choosing which direction to go on the loop (clockwise or counter-clockwise with the diagram below). If you choose to go counter-clockwise, stay to the right, and follow the paved road up the hill from the parking lot. Keep walking up the paved hill until you get to the ridge, where you’ll take a left.

We chose to do the loop clockwise. To do this, stick to the left, the entrance to the trail is at the far end of the dirt pad area (there’ll be a single pine tree to the right of the entrance - you can’t miss it). This guide will discuss the trail going clockwise, since that’s what we did, if you choose the other way, the path will simply be reversed.

You’ll start gaining elevation after passing the end of the dirt pad. Thankfully it’s a gentle incline, across a series of grassy hills. Having a two-year old on the hike, we were able to appreciate that the trail was wide, and there isn’t a steep drop-off to worry about. With each step, the view of the surrounding mountains just gets better and better. Before you reach the top there will be a small steep section, but it isn’t terrible.

The top of the ridge (or middle section of the loop) is the reward for that uphill workout. This section is relatively flat and the views are phenomenal. On one side you have the valley and the hills of Golden Valley Ranch Open Space below you with Santa Clarita in the distance. On the other side you have the San Gabriel Mountains towering above.

There’ll be eventually be a point where the main Walker Loop trail splits into multiple trails, this point can get a little confusing. Thankfully there are signs around, here’s a few tidbits about the different trails:

Allen Trail - This trail splits off from the main loop, continues along the ridge and effectively doubles the length of the hike. It continues to the Golden Valley Ranch Open Space parking lot, and you’ll then walk alongside the road back to the main parking lot. We didn’t take this trail, since we were happy with the length of the main loop, we spoke with some other hikers who also suggested skipping this one.

Reynier Trail - This trail is a “mini-loop” that breaks off and rejoins with the main loop trail. We didn’t have time to do the full thing - but one of our favorite sections of the hike was actually along the Reynier trail. There’s a little bridge above a stream, a nice open area that would be good for a picnic, and a grove of oak trees that provide some much-needed shade. This section is labeled “neat area” in the diagram below - if you have time, definitely check this trail out!

Walker Loop Trail - To continue on the main trail, step onto the paved road and you’ll start your descent down the hill straight to the parking lot.

Logistics

Type “East Walker Ranch” into your GPS, look for the sign that says “East Walker Ranch Open Space”. Note: East Walker Ranch is different than just “Walker Ranch” which is a different trail.

If you’re coming from the West, you’ll pass “Golden Valley Ranch Open Space” on your left, and it will be immediately on your right afterwards. It is not too difficult to find, just make sure you’re driving slow to be able to make the turn.

There is some parking on the pavement, and parking in the dirt fenced-in area as well - parking is free.

The roundtrip distance from the main Walker is 1.6 miles . With a two-year-old it took us around 1-1.5 hours to do the entire loop (at a leisurely pace) with plenty of stops for rest and exploration.

Is the trail horse-friendly? Yes!

Is the trail stroller-friendly? Not recommended (Maybe the paved section, but this trail is not flat)

Checkout the diagram below for a quick overview of the park:

Trail Notes:

• Leaving the parking lot there are two big main trails - one is dirt (on the left), one is paved (on the right). They both combine later - for simplicity’s sake, if you want to do the trail clockwise, stay to the left and if you want to do the trail counter-clockwise, stay to the right for the first 5-10 minutes of the hike.

• There is a small trail that enters into the back of the parking lot - I believe this is the other end of Allen trail - ignore this trail if you’re looking to do the main loop.

Additional info can also be found at the East Walker Ranch Page of the Hike Santa Clarita Website. You can download a PDF of the official trail map, learn more info/history about the trail, as well as view some additional photos of the park.

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