El Escorpion Park
Encyclopedia
El Escorpión Park is a three-acre (12,000 m²) park located in the Simi Hills
of the western San Fernando Valley
, in the West Hills
district of Los Angeles, California
. The park contains the geographic landmark and its namesake, Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak), a 1,475 ft (450 m) tall rocky peak seen from most parts of the park and the surrounding community.
.
The park is open from sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week. The trails are available for walking, hiking
, rock climbing
, mountain biking
and equestrian
use. Dogs are allowed on a leash. Rattlesnake
s live in the area, requiring observant footfalls and handholds. Unauthorized motor vehicles and motorbikes are not permitted.
El Escorpión Park is managed by the Los Angeles
Department of Recreation and Parks.
, The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans
of the Tongva-Fernandeño and Chumash-Venturaño tribes that lived in the Simi Hills and close to tributaries of the Los Angeles River
. A village, Hu'wam, of the Chumash-Venturaños, was located at the base of Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak) along present Bell Creek
near the mouth of Bell Canyon. It was a meeting and trading point for them with the Tongva-Fernandeño and Tataviam-Fernandeño
people.
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Simi Hills
The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
of the western San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
, in the West Hills
West Hills, Los Angeles, California
West Hills is an affluent community and district in the western San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States.West Hills is bordered by Chatsworth and the Chatsworth Reservoir to the north, Canoga Park to the east, Woodland Hills to the south, Hidden Hills to the southwest,...
district of Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The park contains the geographic landmark and its namesake, Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak), a 1,475 ft (450 m) tall rocky peak seen from most parts of the park and the surrounding community.
Access
The El Escorpión Park entrance and parking is at the western end of Vanowen Street, west of Valley Circle Boulevard, in West HillsWest Hills, Los Angeles, California
West Hills is an affluent community and district in the western San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States.West Hills is bordered by Chatsworth and the Chatsworth Reservoir to the north, Canoga Park to the east, Woodland Hills to the south, Hidden Hills to the southwest,...
.
The park is open from sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week. The trails are available for walking, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
and equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
use. Dogs are allowed on a leash. Rattlesnake
Rattlesnake
Rattlesnakes are a group of venomous snakes of the genera Crotalus and Sistrurus of the subfamily Crotalinae . There are 32 known species of rattlesnake, with between 65-70 subspecies, all native to the Americas, ranging from southern Alberta and southern British Columbia in Canada to Central...
s live in the area, requiring observant footfalls and handholds. Unauthorized motor vehicles and motorbikes are not permitted.
El Escorpión Park is managed by the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Department of Recreation and Parks.
The peak
Climbing the rough south side trail to the summit of Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak) is not for beginners and is considered challenging. This hike is not recommended for children. The final climb to the top of the peak requires climbing over boulders and other rocks, and missteps or slips can result in a fall. Intermediate and advanced hikers will enjoy the vertical challenge, around 561 feet (171 m) of gain in a very short distance. The beginning of the trail in Moore Canyon is easily seen at the base of the peak. Around 3/4 of the way up the trail becomes more difficult to see, the easiest route veers to the left (west).Other trails
- At the summit, along the western ridge-line, there is a trail west to a small meadow. At the meadow's southern cliff-edge: overlooking Moore Canyon, lower El Escorpión Park, and the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve; a panoramic view of the Santa Monica MountainsSanta Monica MountainsThe Santa Monica Mountains are a Transverse Range in Southern California, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in the United States.-Geography:...
, Simi HillsSimi HillsThe Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges, located in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States.-Geography:...
, Santa Susana MountainsSanta Susana MountainsThe Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west separating the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley on its south, from Santa Clara River Valley to the north, and Santa Clarita...
, San Gabriel MountainsSan Gabriel MountainsThe San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
, and the San Fernando ValleySan Fernando ValleyThe San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
. A trail leads northward towards Bell CreekBell Creek (Southern California)Bell Creek is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the Simi Hills of Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and City, in Southern California.-Route:...
, the community of Bell CanyonBell Canyon, CaliforniaBell Canyon is a census-designated place in Ventura County, California. Bell Canyon is a residential unincorporated community located near West Hills and the western San Fernando Valley in the Simi Hills. Although only minutes from the Los Angeles city limits, Bell Canyon is a Horse Community. ...
, and Bell Canyon ParkBell Canyon ParkBell Canyon Park is a large open-space regional park located in the Simi Hills at the western end of the San Fernando Valley in West Hills and Bell Canyon, California. Bell Creek, a primary tributary to the Los Angeles River, flows through the park with riparian zone vegetation along its natural...
.
- The 1769 the Juan Bautista de AnzaJuan Bautista de AnzaJuan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto was a Novo-Spanish explorer and Governor of New Mexico for the Spanish Empire.-Early life:...
expedition, the first European exploration by land of Las CaliforniasLas CaliforniasThe Californias, or in — - was the name given by the Spanish to their northwestern territory of New Spain, comprising the present day states of Baja California and Baja California Sur on the Baja California Peninsula in Mexico; and the present day U.S. state of California in the United States of...
, passed by the area. The U.S. National Park service's Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic TrailJuan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trailthumb|325px|MAP: [[Juan Bautista de Anza]] National Historic Trail routes in [[Arizona]] and [[California]].The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a National Park Service unit in the United States National Historic Trail and National Millennium Trail programs...
goes through Moore Canyon in the Park, from the Vanowen Street end and continuing west through the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space PreserveUpper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space PreserveThe Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a large open space nature preserve owned and operated by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy spanning nearly in the Simi Hills of western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County....
.
- An informal small circular mountain bikeMountain bikeA mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
area with easy jumps is located in upper Moore Canyon near the cyclone fence by the El Escorpión Park and Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Preserve boundary. Several trails goes northwest from this area, around the western side of the Peak, to connect with the trail down Bell Canyon along Bell Creek to Bell Creek Park, and even on to the Victory Trailhead for full loop.
- There are many other trails available for exploration in the area They are shown on the Victory Boulevard's trailhead map display. Los Angeles City's Bell Canyon ParkBell Canyon ParkBell Canyon Park is a large open-space regional park located in the Simi Hills at the western end of the San Fernando Valley in West Hills and Bell Canyon, California. Bell Creek, a primary tributary to the Los Angeles River, flows through the park with riparian zone vegetation along its natural...
adjoins directly north, with trails along riparian Bell CreekBell Creek (Southern California)Bell Creek is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the Simi Hills of Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and City, in Southern California.-Route:...
, past the community of Bell CanyonBell Canyon, CaliforniaBell Canyon is a census-designated place in Ventura County, California. Bell Canyon is a residential unincorporated community located near West Hills and the western San Fernando Valley in the Simi Hills. Although only minutes from the Los Angeles city limits, Bell Canyon is a Horse Community. ...
, and to the longer northern route up Escorpión Peak. The expansive 3,000 acres (12 km²) Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space PreserveUpper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space PreserveThe Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve is a large open space nature preserve owned and operated by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy spanning nearly in the Simi Hills of western Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County....
adjoins along the southwest of El Escorpión Park with miles of trails, and even further links west to the Santa Monica Mountains ConservancySanta Monica Mountains ConservancyThe Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1980 and dedicated to the acquisition of land for preservation as open space, for wildlife and California native plants habitat Nature Preserves, and for public recreation...
Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon Park's trails.
History
Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak) was called "Kas'elew" in the Chumash languageChumashan languages
Chumashan is a family of languages that were spoken on the southern California coast by Native American Chumash people.From the Coastal plains and valleys of San Luis Obispo to Malibu), neighboring inland and Transverse Ranges valleys and canyons east to bordering the San Joaquin Valley; and on...
, The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
of the Tongva-Fernandeño and Chumash-Venturaño tribes that lived in the Simi Hills and close to tributaries of the Los Angeles River
Los Angeles River
The Los Angeles River is a river that starts in the San Fernando Valley, in the Simi Hills and Santa Susana Mountains, and flows through Los Angeles County, California, from Canoga Park in the western end of the San Fernando Valley, nearly southeast to its mouth in Long Beach...
. A village, Hu'wam, of the Chumash-Venturaños, was located at the base of Escorpión Peak (Castle Peak) along present Bell Creek
Bell Creek (Southern California)
Bell Creek is a tributary of the Los Angeles River, in the Simi Hills of Ventura County and the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles County and City, in Southern California.-Route:...
near the mouth of Bell Canyon. It was a meeting and trading point for them with the Tongva-Fernandeño and Tataviam-Fernandeño
Tataviam
The Tataviam , were called the Alliklik by their neighbors the Chumash , are a Native American group in southern California...
people.
See also
- Rancho El EscorpiónRancho El EscorpiónRancho El Escorpión was a Mexican land grant in present day Los Angeles County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to three Chumash Native Americans - Odón Eusebia, Urbano, and Mañuel....
- Rock art of the Chumash peopleRock art of the Chumash peopleChumash rock art is a genre of paintings on caves, mountains, cliffs, or other living rock surfaces, created by the Chumash people of southern California. Pictographs and petroglyphs are common through interior California, the rock painting tradition thrived until the 19th century...
- Burro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted CaveBurro Flats Painted Cave is in the Burro Flats area of the Simi Hills, located between the Simi Valley, and West Hills and Bell Canyon, in Ventura County of Southern California, United States. It is a Cave containing Chumash Native American pictographs...
- Wildlife corridorWildlife corridorA wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities . This allows an exchange of individuals between populations, which may help prevent the negative effects of inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity that often occur within...
- Santa Monica Mountains ConservancySanta Monica Mountains ConservancyThe Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is an agency of the state of California in the United States founded in 1980 and dedicated to the acquisition of land for preservation as open space, for wildlife and California native plants habitat Nature Preserves, and for public recreation...
External links
- L.A.Rec+Parks: Escorpión official El Escorpión Park website
- L.A.Rec+Parks: official Bell Canyon Park website
- http://wiki.revecess.com/index.php?id=1109150186&mode=view Revecess_WIKI-Homepage: click 'Alphabetically'; 'C'; then 'Castle Peak' for trails guide
- official Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Park website
- NPS: official Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail website
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