Located at Rivendale Park, just on the west side of The Old Road, north of Calgrove Boulevard you’ll find a trail with beautiful rolling hills teeming with new life, spectacular views, and an interesting history; let’s go for a hike on the Taylor Trail.
The Taylor Trail is well known as one of the best hiking trails in the Santa Clarita Valley that consists of lush vegetation, spectacular views and beautiful rolling hills. During rainfall, the vibrant green trails reveal lavish flowers and wild animals that roam the wilderness.
The quest for hiking in Santa Clarita at the Taylor Trail has existed for some time and has been provided a new trailhead to make it more easily accessible. The lightly trafficked loop trail features gorgeous wildflowers and offers a number of activity options. The year-round trail itself is 1.7 miles long and flows into another trail called the Elder loop, providing three miles of open space for hikers, bikers and equestrians to explore. The Santa Clarita bike trail also caters to dogs, but it is required for pets to be kept on a leash.
Located at the mouth of Towsley Canyon, Rivendale was formerly an equestrian and riding center. Lord of the Rings fans will instantly recognize the elven name meaning “deeply cloven valley” a realm in middle-earth that is depicted as a safe refuge and appears in the trilogy.
From the time Santa Clarita purchased the site in 1995 it has served as an informal trailhead and public parking for the Towsley Canyon Open Space in the Santa Clarita Woodlands, a park unit of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC). In 2015, two 1960s era stucco buildings were demolished, and the site was cleared to make way for a more formal parking area.
The estimated one-hour wilderness hike can provide spontaneous encounters with families of mule deer that roam through the vegetation. The beautiful scenery exhibits deer with large ears that help them be alert but also provide a mule resemblance, hence, their name.
Every season yields different types of life, depending on when Santa Clarita hikers decide to visit the trails. During the colder seasons like winter, there is an abundance of vibrant lush wild flowers such as purple nightshade, milk vetch, deer weed and sticky monkey flower. The sticky monkey flower is yellow and shaped like a tube, but the distinct name is due to the consistency of its leaves that helps retain water in dry environments. Below this plant are black bean aphids and are usually clinging on the stems of plants that absorb out the sap.
Recently, the Towsley fire burned through the area as a result the area is in a healing process, so it’s very important to stay on the trails while new life grows. With the upcoming spring and rainfall, the Taylor Trail is bound to bloom into one of Santa Clarita’s most beautiful hiking trails.