Bell Canyon Park

#saveelescorpionparkwesthillsca This is actually El Escorpion Park, at the end of Vanowen Street in West Hills, CA. Which is part of LA City. It is a very popular park with hikers, walkers and mountain bikers, and used as another entrance into the Santa Monica Recreation Area (at the end of Victory Blvd.) There are Indian burial sites in the area.
Developer Michael Naim, who is fronting Ben Resnick and others, is trying to obtain LA City Park Land, namely El Escorpion Park, in order to build a road through to his proposed development just southwest of this park (a gate guarded private 53+ home development). Namely, it would destroy the park as we know it today.
Contact Reeyan Raynes of the West Hills Neighborhood Council at
or (323)896−2326 for more information about this proposed development.

This information is NOT correct.
The REAL entrance to this park is at the end of VICTORY BLVD.
Vanowen is an emergency vehicles access and there is no parking lot for the trail here.
There is a parking lot as well as restrooms, picnic tables, hiking maps and other facilities at the East End of VICTORY.

My dog and I love to hike here. It connects to many different trails that lead on for miles. It can get awfully hot in the afternoon, so we try to hit it in the morning. You get some great views of the valley from the top of the ridge — whether near Castle Rock or the inner ridges which lead to the Las Virgenes Preserve. You can also spot some wildlife in here — I’ve seen snakes and coyotes as well as a lot of birds. It’s a good spot to get away and sweat it out!

It’s always fun to visit Bell Canyon; one of my friends lives in the neighborhood and I’ve been here at least 3 times now. :) The neighborhood is really nice and pristine /​with horse stables and pedestrian walk-​ways and hiking trails. Good thing it’s not well known to the public, as it should hopefully stay a «hidden gem» for years to come!

just to update jesse’s thorough description — the trail heading north into bell canyon and down to the baseball diamond is now not maintained at all — during any warm times (practically anytime here in socal) it is riddled with ticks. if you hike this, please check yourself frequently, as the little buggers are extremely receptive to warm blood. one can avoid this particular trail and make a loop in the opposite direction by NOT heading right after traversing the ridge and take a left or southwesterly turn which takes you gently down the far side, and eventually down to the fireroad and turn left to get back to your starting point. there’s a slightly slippery spot (but nothing like going down the way you came up) and an overgrown section at the base (1 tick check will do).

Very peaceful place.

This has been my home away from home for as long back as I can remember. Basically, the park encompasses El Escorpion Canyon, a sparely wooded canyon on the south side of Castle Peak along El Escorpion creek, Castle Peak and its ridge, and Bell Canyon north of the peak along Bell Creek, all up to the Ventura County line. It is attached to the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve via El Escorpion Trail. There are a number of trails through the park, the best being the entire Castle Peak loop.
There is a naming issue with this place. Basically, the two canyons are sometimes called separate parks. But recently Google maps has been showing them both as «Bell Canyon Park,» and although I prefer El Escorpion Canyon, I’m willing to swallow my pride and call it all one park.
Be careful throughout the park as there is lots of poison oak, bee hives, and rattlesnakes. You can also find some tarantulas and quail if you are lucky! While it is closed from dusk to dawn, this is an excellent place to go chill and look at the stars. Many a meteor shower was seen from these trails. Also look out for a sick BMX area.
One of the best things about this park is that it is close to the city, yet remote. You can go out here and no one will usually bother you. But in recent years, that has been its downfall as well. More and more people are retreating out here, and there is a lot more graffiti and trash as of late.
The Castle Peak Loop begins at the gate where Vanowen turns into Sunset Ridge. From there, you start hiking up the canyon. The first little part is often called Dog Shit Canyon cause of all the people who walk their dogs on this little part that is closest to suburbia. From there you head right across the creek and then straight up Castle Peak on the south side.
Castle Peak is a tough hike. You can do it in less than 30 minutes if you know the terrain and are in good shape. Other than that, take it slow. There are 5 phases up this side of the peak. The first phase is kinda slippery and very steep. The second phase has this red soil and is a little more uneven than phase 1, if not as steep. Phase 3 is basically large rocks and gravel. Very slippery. Phase 4 is the section after the big white chalk part at the end of phase 3. It is rocky and has lots of smaller intersecting trails and is fairly solid. The last phase is the approach, where it gets even more rocky before you hit the top.
From the top of Castle Peak is the best view of the west valley you’ll find. Watch for different birds over the seasons. The swifts and the hummingbirds both do awesome dive bombs and are my favs.
Then head west along the ridge. There, you will meet a fork in the trials. Head straight along the most traveled path and bear right until you end up on a very well maintained wide trail that goes down into Bell Canyon. This part ends at a little park with a baseball diamond and some picnic tables.
Get some water at the park and then head down the trail along the creek, this one being Bell Creek, down to the horse trail. This horse trail along the suburban streets will take you back to the gate for the full loop. This can be done in reverse as well, duh.
Interesting tidbit, where Bell Creek and El Escorpion Creek meet is the official start of the LA river.
Check it out, and please help pick up any liter you see. Let’s keep this park clean for future generations. Hope to see you there!