Franklin Canyon Park

This 605-acre park contains an abundance of natural and manmade attractions including more than 5 miles of trails, a duck pond, picnic areas, a lake that spans 3 acres, the Eugene and Michael Rosenfeld Auditorium, the Sam Goldman Amphitheater, the William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom, and the Sooky Goldman Nature Center. The land has been a park since 1981, when the National Park Service bought it from the Doheny family; before that it had been a cattle ranch for nearly 50 years. The land is currently managed by the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.

One of the park’s popular spots is Heavenly Pond, a duck pond that is teeming with avian activity. In addition to the ducks who live in Franklin Canyon Park all year, many birds making their way north or south along the Pacific Flyway pause here. The ducks and migratory birds also spend time in the nearby Franklin Canyon Reservoir. The reservoir sits in the middle of a flat trail called the Reservoir Loop, which has been featured in "The Andy Griffith Show" among other television and movie appearances. It is common to see families with strollers and dogs ambling around the 1.4-mile loop. If you want a more difficult hike, check out Hastain Trail or Berman Trail, both relatively moderate hikes within the park. 

The William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom is an important landmark in the park. It has been around since the park opened, and it is named after an associate justice of the supreme court. Douglas was passionate about the environment and particularly about American wildlands. The classroom is a non-profit organization, and it is used for free educational programs that are taught by volunteers. More than 10,000 students from the Los Angeles Unified School District benefit from the park’s educational programs each year.