Hiking the Piru Creek Gorge Trail

Castaic, California

Description

This quiet, secluded canyon hike is just far enough from Los Angeles to keep the trails more secluded, but close enough to make it anytime of the week you want. Easily Accessible. Quiet Flowing River. Cool Deep Gorge (spring + fall).

Take the I-5 exit North of Castaic, CA at Templin Hwy. Turn onto Golden State Hwy heading the only direction it goes from the exit, North. When it dead-ends in a few miles at the National Forest Gate, you are at Frenchman's Flat.

You can camp here, or hang with the day hikers. Heading North along the river will take you to some excellent fishing water downstream of Pyramid Lake. For a slightly more challenging hike (the trail can be hidden at times, and there are some rock scrambles) you can head 14 miles south, deep into Piru Creek Gorge.

If you like scenic overlooks, you won't find it in the gorge, unless you make your way up. If you choose to camp, hike in at least 5 miles to avoid day hikers. You'll be deep in the canyon which stays fairly cool outside of summer. The water is spring fed, and flowing from Pyramid Lake. There are some excellent pools to swim or fish in. If and when this drought ends, you can Kayak the creek in the colder Winter months.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Features

Fishing

Photography

Camping

Swimming

Backpacking

Hiking

Forest

River

Scenic

Wildflowers

Hiking the Piru Creek Gorge Trail Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Hike the Pacific Crest Trail from Horse Trail to Bear Campground

This is part of the Pacific Crest Trail. If you're through-hiking or sectional hiking, you'll have to hit it eventually. Try and avoid it in the late summer or early fall because of heat, and gnats. Find a way to check the bug report, we got marauded by gnats 90% of the way (early October) and apparently my DEET must have expired. The gnats almost ruined the experience. Park on the road below t...

Paddle Castaic Lake State Recreational Area

Castaic Lake is a man made reservoir located 41 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, CA in the town of Castaic. Made up of two bodies of water, separated by a 425-foot dam, Upper and Lower Castaic Lakes have a combined 29 miles of shoreline forming the Castaic Lake State Recreational Area. The small “lower lake”, also known as Castaic Lagoon, is open seasonally and reserved for swimming, and s...

Hike to Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument

The Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument, established in 2019, memorializes the site where the Saint Francis Dam, built by famed engineer William Mulholland, collapsed in 1929, tragically killing more than 400 people in the middle of the night as a 150+ foot wave of water crashed through the valley below. The site is not well marked, yet, can be accessed easily via the north end of the...

Mentryville: Pico Canyon Trail

Towsley Canyon Loop

The Towsley Canyon Loop can be done in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise loop. The clockwise path starts with a gradual ascent through Wiley Canyon and steep descent into the Towsley Gorge while a counter-clockwise route starts with a steep climb out of Towsley Canyon and a gradual descent back to the parking area. I recommend the clockwise route, after parking in one of the free parking ...

Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve

If you're going during wildflower season, start your adventure at the visitors center at the end of 150th St. W. Parking in the lot outside the visitors center is $10, but there is ample street parking that is free. In the visitors center you can read more about the reserve, plan your hike, and see where there is an abundance of poppies. Remember, the visitors center is only open March 1st thro...