Michael D. Antonovich Regional Park at Joughin Ranch

This place is HUGE! There so many trails to explore. Unfortunately with the drought, the lush fields in the lower areas are pretty dry. At the top there are challenging but paved or well defined paths with slopes.
The coolest thing happened on our hike! We were having an Animal Planet evening. This included running into a goat soaking in the sunset atop his mountain. It was very cool. He let us get within 40 ft of him and let our dogs say hello from about 10 ft away. We also saw an owl perched high atop a single branch waiting to swoop in on his dinner.

I’ve only seen a sliver of this park, but it has lots of promise. If you drive up here (4 miles from where De Soto ends) don’t forget to bring $ 5 for parking. All I had was a $ 10, and it hurt to let it go, but I figured the cost of driving back down to get change and then back up the hills wouldn’t have been worth it. I took the trail that starts off right next to the parking area, which hooked up with the Curaco Trail. We followed it till we got to a fenced area behind which was what looked like an industrial graveyard. Then we backtracked and swung right in a semi-​circular loop following an unnamed trail that follows a ridge parallel to the main road. All in all we did about 2 miles, but with a 6-​year old, and the temperature approaching 80 by 9:00 am, I felt like it was a good idea to call it a day. Next time I’ll bring my bike up here, it’s more fun.

This «park» offers one of my new favorite hikes. The hike is 5 miles round trip and follows a paved road. The uphill climb offers a killer workout… My legs were sore the next day.
However, your mind is easily distracted from the workout by the gorgeous scenery. I seriously fell in love with the views on this hike. You have to experience the views on this hike for yourself in order to appreciate them fully.
Many explores come here to locate the Nike Missile Base… fair warning, the base is patrolled by police helicopters… while we were hiking to the top, we saw the helicopter circle the base twice. If you stick to the pave road you will be able to look down on the missile base.

Despite its long and obnoxious name, and the fact that it was named after a politician who was basically just doing his job, this is an absolutely beautiful open space and a great place to hike.
I’m not sure if it’s the result of the recent rains, but the day I went there were beautiful green rolling hills covered with old oak and walnut trees. The park offers panoramic views of the San Fernando Valley, the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Susana Mountains, and Simi Hills. Apparently this is newly acquired open space and that for over 35 years Brown’s Canyon was private property and off limits to the public.
The hike follows a paved road that culminates in a 3,747-foot summit called Oat Mountain. It’s 5.2 miles there and back with a 1510′ elevation gain. It’s uphill one way and downhill all the way back.
After driving as far as you can drive on Browns Canyon Road, park your car in the upper lot. You are required to pay a $ 5 parking fee at the Iron Ranger. Walk up the paved road, up a steep hill, and at the 0.5 mile mark you’ll come across a long abandoned Nike Missile site. I think that it’s a cruel temptation to have an awesome piece of abandoned history that’s so accessible and to not be allowed to explore. There are open gates and holes in the fence for daredevils and urban adventurers but if I were you I would stay away. It’s currently being used by the LAPD SWAT team and the bomb squad and it’s regularly patrolled by a police helicopter. I’m sure you’d get into some big trouble if you were caught trespassing.
At the 2 mile mark you’ll encounter a heliport off to the right where you can appreciate the beautiful scenic views. You’ll encounter a wooden gateway with Private Property signs over both columns. I was spooked when I encountered the signs so I turned back. When I got home I did a little more research and I found out that park patrons have the right to use the road and that the adjacent property owners have been ordered to take down their signs. I’ve read that the park boundary lies just below the summit where the radio towers are located. At the summit there is an open gate that is marked as private property which is the upper limits of the park.
Directions: From the 118 Freeway in Chatsworth, exit De Soto Avenue. Head North to Browns Canyon Road. Turn right. The park is about four miles up at 16 100 Browns Canyon Road.
Address: 16 100 Browns Canyon Road, Chatsworth