Recently I ran at the Running the Los Pinetos Trail in Placerita Canyon State Park. It’s not my first time in Placerita Canyon State Park. I went to Placerita last year, and I was excited to come back and explore trails. It’s funny to see how much has changed even in a couple of months. Instead of fall leaves, there was plenty of green grass.
About Placerita Canyon State Park:
Directions: 19152 Placerita Canyon Rd, Newhall, CA, 91321
Placerita Canyon State Park is a California State Park located in the western San Gabriel Mountains near Santa Clarita. Unlike many trails, there is a lot of history and exhibits in Placerita Canyon. The Placerita Canyon dates back to 1842 when it was annexed under Rancho San Francisco. It also is the first documentary discovery of gold in California! In 1900, they discovered oil.
The Los Pinetos Trail:
The Los Pinetos Trail is a 6.6-mile trail with nearly 1800 feet of elevation gain. Yes, it’s hilly. It does have porta-potties at the start.
There are gorgeous views and wildflowers along the way. It’s definitely one of the more challenging trails used for hiking, running, mountain biking, and even horseback riding.
My Experience on the Los Pinetos Trail:
Shoes used: Saucony Triumph 19 (next time I’d use a trail shoe, but that was all I had in my car. It was okay. Any decent running shoe will be fine).
I got to Placerita Canyon around 11:30. Los Angeles County was experiencing a heatwave, and it was already 80 degrees. I asked myself: Do I want to run in this heat? Since I was running a short distance and had a trail race in the same weather, I thought it was probably a good idea.
I first took the Canyon Trail and arrived in Los Pinetos Trail about 1.8 miles later. As I was climbing the Los Pinetos Trail, I noticed how steep it actually was. That being said, it’s beautiful, and there are views nearly all of the way. I did see one rattlesnake! There is some tree cover but not a lot, so I advise you to bring water, etc.
I did run into a few people with horses too. With the narrow trail, this isn’t my favorite, and I found it hard to pass the horses safely. I didn’t complete the whole trail this time around as I didn’t want to risk getting too far up and overheating, but I’m looking forward to coming back.
You can find my Strava here.
Los Pinetos Trail Conclusion:
In all, if you are looking for a fun and scenic trail in Santa Clarita, the Los Pinetos Trail is a great option. It is technical and challenging, but the views are worth it!
You can see more hikes and trail runs here.
Questions for you:
Have you been on the Los Pinetos Trail or in Placerita Canyon?
What is the hottest you’ve ever run?