Some of my favorite memories are of exploring our City’s trails and paseos on bike or foot with my children. The miles of protected paths are filled with new sites and experiences around every turn. Whether it is seeing a majestic White Egret wading in the Santa Clara River, or discovering a public art piece along the trail – there are always new and exciting discoveries to be made.

If you prefer to leave the smooth, paved trails and head off the beaten path, you will find new vistas in our open space that offer 55.2 miles of hiking trails. They say that April showers bring May flowers – but with all the rain we had in the last two months our hills are already blanketed in rich greenery, and dotted with wild flowers. The recent rains also brought to life forgotten waterfalls and streams tucked inside Elsmere Canyon. Make some time to get out and explore during this picture perfect time. To find the right path for you – start your journey at HikeSantaClarita.com.

As much as preserving our open space has been a priority for the City Council, public safety also tops that list. To that end, we are looking to improve the safety of our residents exploring the trails and open space. Last year, the City installed security cameras in the parking lot at the Towsley Trailhead. The cameras help to deter would-be thieves from breaking into cars while hikers are off on the trails. We also recently installed emergency locator markers along our 93.8 miles of trails. Each marker has a number associated with it, so should someone twist their ankle or fall off their bike – when they call 9-1-1 they can provide the dispatcher with the marker number, and they will know exactly where to send help.

I encourage all of you to take advantage of the natural beauty that surrounds our City. There is no better time to get out and explore than right now. I’ll see you on the trails.

Best Regards,
Ken Striplin