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THINGS
TO DO IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA |
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Pico Canyon Mentryville
Day Hike
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By Matthew
Martz |
Named after
California oil tycoon Charles Alexander Mentry, and tucked
away at the base of the chaparral covered hills of Pico
Canyon, Mentryville was one of the first oil boom towns
in the state, and was home to over 100 families in the
early 1930s.
The entire settlement was built around its oil well
located in the north end of Santa Clarita Woodlands
Park. Known as Pico No. 4, the first commercially successful
oil well in California, it began to drill in 1878 and
produced millions in oil until it was shut down in 1990.
The Mentryville site and the surrounding 800 acres
in Pico Canyon were eventually donated to the Santa
Monica Mountains Conservancy in 1995 by then-owner Chevron.
Today the canyon offers hikers, bikers, and equestrians
an opportunity to explore the back country of Pico Canyon
and the nearby Santa Susana Mountains, as well as a
unique glimpse of early turn-of-the century California
history.
Mentryville is California Historic Landmark
number 516-1 and 2, and the few remaining structures,
which include Mentry's restored thirteen-room Pennsylvania
style mansion, the one-room Felton school house, and
a period barn, stand as silent reminders of a long-gone
era when migrant prospectors of gold, both yellow and
black, traveled from one location to the next on the
news of a fresh strike.
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Mentryville Oil Shack Pico Canyon |
There are
also remnants of numerous oil industry related, and other,
artifacts that can be found around the site and along some
of the trails leading into and out of Mentryville.
If you decide to hike out of Mentryville, the trail goes
up to a really cool picnic area, which used to be the
party area for the oil well workers. On both sides along
the way, you can see how steep the angle of beds of the
Pico anticline really are. Continuing straight, on the
other side of the creek are the remains of the bakery
built by Anthony Cochems, a baker for Standard Oil Company,
in 1897. To left of the old bakery is Minnie-Lotta Canyon,
named for two girls who lived in Mentryville at one time
— Minnie and Lotta.
From there several trails vein off into the chaparral
shrub land, grasslands, and oak savanna covered Santa
Susana Mountains.
There are several parks in the area in addition to the
Santa Clarita Woodlands Park. There is Ed Davis Park,
Rocky Peak Park, and O'Melveny Park at the eastern end
of the mountains.
A surprising assortment of strange geologic features
and several astonishingly lush canyons encompass the 60,000
acres of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the
4.8-mile loop through Towsley and Wiley Canyons are a
good way to experience the ever-changing array of habitats
in the area.
With a picnic area and the nature center, Ed Davis Park
is a great place to start your adventure.
From here, hikers can begin their trek
up the wide floodplain of Towsley Canyon along the canyon's
creek with its foamy beige water, faint sulfurous smell,
and oozing tar. Well before any oil was extracted for
commercial purposes here, the Tataviam Indians of the
area used this naturally occurring asphalt for medicinal
applications and to seal their basketry.
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Mentryville School House |
Mentry House Mentryville |
Deeper into the canyon
the scenery changes as you reach the portals of the Narrows,
a slot like cleft worn through layers of vertical sandstone.
After a brief passage through the Narrows, hikers will begin
climbing the canyon slope to the left on what is called
the Towsley View Loop Trail that quickly evolves into a
narrow, or single-track trail that can be negotiated on
foot or mountain bike.
Atop a large green knoll you can see Towsley Lodge, a
beautiful Spanish-style ranch house available for private
day or overnight group rental.
After numerous switchbacks, and reaching a high point
of 2,450 feet, the trail begins to pitch downward, executing
a steep descent down into the shady depths of Wiley Canyon
and eventually back down to Ed Davis Park.
Access to Pico Canyon, Mentryville, and all of the areas
parks is easy, and just a short drive from downtown Los
Angeles and Orange Counties.
From the Golden State Freeway (I-5) in Valencia, exit
on Lyons-Pico Canyon Road. Head west on Pico Canyon Road.
Nears its end, bear left at a Y and continue to the end
of the road. A large parking lot is opposite historic
Mentryville.
If the MRCA gate is closed and locked, park at this point
and walk into the park. If the gate is open, you can park
inside the park.
The best time to visit is in late fall and early spring
when the weather is moderate but dry. 27201 Pico Canyon
Road, Newhall, CA 91381-1804
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Randsburg
ghost town has a real western saloon along
with an assortment of historic buildings. |
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Adamson
House a mini Hearst Castle on Surfrider
Beach in Malibu. Docent-led tours available. |
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Heritage
Hill Historical Park in Lake Forest
preserves four historic buildings. |
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