El Escorpión Park is a three-acre (12,000 m²) park located in the

Simi Hills The Simi Hills are a low rocky mountain range of the Transverse Ranges in eastern Ventura County and western Los Angeles County, of southern California, United States. Geography The Simi Hills are aligned east-west and run for , and average aro ...

of the western San Fernando Valley, in the West Hills district of

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. The park contains the geographic landmark known as Escorpión Peak or Castle Peak (''kas'ele'ew'' picacho), a 1,475-foot-tall (450 m) 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 Hills. The park is open from sunrise to sunset, 7 days a week. The trails are available for walking,

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, rock climbing, mountain biking and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

use. Dogs are allowed on a leash. Rattlesnakes live in the area, requiring observant footfalls and handholds. Unauthorized motor vehicles and motorbikes are not permitted.
El Escorpión Park El Escorpión Park is managed by the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Department of Recreation and Parks.

Hiking

The peak

Climbing the rough south side trail to the summit of 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 Moores 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 Moores Canyon, lower El Escorpión Park, and the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve; a panoramic view of the

Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains is a coastal mountain range in Southern California, next to the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Transverse Ranges. Because of its proximity to densely populated regions, it is one of the most visited natural areas in ...

Santa Susana Mountains The 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 and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa C ...

, San Gabriel Mountains, and the San Fernando Valley. A trail leads northward toward Bell Creek, the community of Bell Canyon, and Bell Canyon Park. *The 1769 the

Juan Bautista de Anza Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 6 or 7, 1736 – December 19, 1788) was an expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as one of the founding fa ...

expedition, the first European exploration by land of

Las Californias The Californias (Spanish: ''Las Californias''), occasionally known as The Three Californias or Two Californias, are a region of North America spanning the United States and Mexico, consisting of the U.S. state of California and the Mexican sta ...

, passed by the area. The U.S. National Park service's

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a trail extending from Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, through the California desert and coastal areas in Southern California and the Central Coast region to San Francisco. ...

goes through Moores Canyon in the Park, from the Vanowen Street end and continuing west through the

Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve The 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. Or ...

. *An informal small circular mountain bike area with easy jumps is located in upper Moores 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 Park adjoins directly north, with trails along

riparian A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the terrestrial biomes of the Earth. Plant habitats and communities along the river margins and banks a ...

Bell Creek, past the community of Bell Canyon, and to the longer northern route up Castle Peak. The expansive 3,000-acre (12 km²)

adjoins along the southwest of El Escorpión Park with miles of trails and even further links west to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy Cheseboro/Palo Comado Canyon Park's trails.

History

Castle Peak is the corrupted American form of the Ventureño Chumash name for the peak, which was ''Kas'ele'ew'' (also, ''Kas'elew'') in the

Chumash language Chumashan was 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 ca ...

, The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans of the Tongva-Fernandeño and Chumash-Ventureño tribes that lived in the Simi Hills and close to tributaries of the

Los Angeles River , name_etymology = , image = File:Los Angeles River from Fletcher Drive Bridge 2019.jpg , image_caption = L.A. River from Fletcher Drive Bridge , image_size = 300 , map = LARmap.jpg , map_size ...

. A village, Hu'wam (Ventureño Chumash placename), was located at the base of 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." Ahmanson Ranch Becomes Private Preserve,
Wishtoyo Foundationw website
Accessed 10/23/2007

Adjacent parks

* Bell Canyon Park *

References

External links

L.A.Rec+Parks: official El Escorpión Park website

L.A.Rec+Parks: official Bell Canyon Park website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110615053342/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
---- {{DEFAULTSORT:El Escorpion Park Parks in the San Fernando Valley Simi Hills Parks in Los Angeles West Hills, Los Angeles Regional parks in California Geography of Los Angeles History of the San Fernando Valley Parks in Los Angeles County, California fr:Parc d'État d'El Escorpion