Porter Ranch Wander and Ponder

Hike Limekiln Canyon Park in Porter Ranch

Hidden Canyon? Yes! Rock Garden? You got it! Redwoods? Wait … really? Yes! Head to Limekiln Canyon Park in Porter Ranch for a highly accessible, street-to-street 3.75-mile out-and-back hike. On this adventure you’ll find some super San Fernando surprises in the quaint northern part of the valley.

Park on Rinaldi Street, right before Corbin Avenue, and find the nondescript trailhead and city park sign on your right. There’s also a charming wooden sign that lets you know Sesnon Boulevard is likely your turnaround point. The wide dirt trail descends immediately into the canyon, and the suburban bustle of Porter Ranch immediately fades away. You’ll pass two community rock gardens on your left, full of a wide variety of colorful stone creations beckoning locals to add to the collection.  As the trail flattens, picnic tables, workout areas, a rope swing over the stream (on your left), and a multitude of hulking trees appear—oaks and pines of course, but look for the two redwood trees! Continuing, take the left path at any junction (they all eventually reconnect).

During your secluded canyon stroll, you’ll rock-hop across the stream a couple of times, which provides a constant (and very welcome) peaceful babble throughout the journey. It truly is an oasis, with the sycamores, willows, and fan palms lining the water alongside rolling grassy hills. There are also spur trails to ascend the canyon for different perspectives, but the trail does eventually climb quickly above the stream at the intersection with Moonshine Canyon (no accessible trail here) and heads under a bridge at Hollow Springs Drive.

This gives you the most expansive views of the hike, stretching into the canyons and beyond to Porter Ranch suburbia. Through the remainder of the trail to Senson Boulevard, the trail rollercoasters a bit for a little extra workout. When you reach Senson, head back and take the return trip slowly, enjoying this pleasing private (public) paradise.

To get to Limekiln Canyon Park south entrance (trailhead and street parking), take the CA-118 to the Tampa Ave. exit and head north. Take the first left onto Rinaldi St. and after 0.2 mile the park (and parking) will be on your right. Dog-friendly! 

Story and photos by Matt Pawlik

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Camp at Goose Lake in the Lakes Basin

    Duck, Duck, Goose!

    Try to get a first-come, first-served campsite at one of the Lakes Basin’s lakeside campgrounds. We love Goose Lake Campground, where there are just 13 sites and no motorized boats.

    View
  2. This Is Paradise

    Granite mountain-scape, superb sunset views, crystal lakes, and shoreline campsites … the trip to Paradise Lake in Tahoe National Forest lives up to its idyllic name.

    View
  3. Aloha from California

    Say Aloha without leaving California with a 7-mile out-and-back hiking adventure to Lake Aloha in El Dorado National Forest. You can also camp here, a premier place for stargazing.

    View
  4. Sequoia Re-opens Crystal Cave

    Step inside Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park's hidden world by visiting the newly re-opened Crystal Cave—the only cave in the parks open to the public. Closed for four years, this rare marble karst cavern is welcoming visitors once again, but only through the summer season!

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Can't Top This

    San Francisco’s Presidio was already a fantastic place to hang out for the afternoon, a beautiful site within the largest urban national park in the United States (the Golden Gate National Recreation Area). And Presidio Tunnel Tops is like a cherry on top. Make that two cherries on top, with the newly opened (July 2025) Outpost Meadow, a 1.5-acre green space located at Old Mason Street across from the Crissy Field Marsh in the Presidio.

    View
  2. Underground Garden

    Looking to escape the summer heat? Head to Fresno and discover its cool secret: the Forestiere Underground Gardens–an enchanting garden and architecture oasis like no other.

    View
  3. Oh Ryan

    Sure, it’s those whimsical trees that give Joshua Tree National Park its marquee billing; but this beautiful landscape also has surrounding mountains and its night sky—one of the darkest in Southern California and designated an International Dark Sky Park. Joshua Tree has four allowable stargazing parking lots, and a newly opened haven for spending the night nearby...

    View
  4. Easiest Best Hike in the World

    Choose the easiest and most view-rewarding hike in Yosemite. Okay, we’ll go first: the combination of hiking to Sentinel Dome and Taft Point. Both of these lookouts are within a couple miles of each other on Glacier Point Road

    View