Little Rock Recreation Area makes for great day hike with kids

Little Rock Recreation Area, California

Verdant patch
runs through
high desert

If visiting the Mojave Desert, a great spot to find a little blue water and green lushness is the Little Rock Recreation Area. In the Angeles National Forest bordering California’s Antelope Valley, the rec area centers on a reservoir made from the dammed Little Rock Creek.

A walk along the western shore of the reservoir makes for a pleasant day hike. Technically no trial runs here, but a series of sand and paved walkways weave together alongside the water to form a makeshift one.

To reach the rec area, take Hwy. 138 east of Palmdale. Turn onto Cheseboro Road, taking it all the way to the reservoir’s end, parking at the Sage Picnic Grounds.

There you can spot Little Rock Creek flowing out of the higher San Gabriel Mountains through Santiago Canyon, a side canyon. No hiking is allowed on the reservoir’s south side to protect the endangered Arroyo Southwestern Toad, of which about 20 remain on the creek.

Slender strip of green
The reservoir cuts through desert country that is starting to give way to juniper. The elevation is about 3,600 feet – which means it’ll be a little cooler than the desert floor, but not by much.

Walk north alongside the water. Juniper, sage, yucca and a smattering of Joshua trees hug the reservoir's shoreline at Juniper Picnic Grounds. During spring, flowering yellow bushes provide a pleasant accent of color to the reservoir's turquoise waters. The canyon walls on either side of the reservoir are pure desert foothills, but the slender strip alongside the reservoir is green.

At the center of the reservoir's western shoreline is the Dam Grill, a great spot to pick up a burger and soft drink or to rent a boat for the day. Across from the dam is a small dock that takes you into the clear water – you’ll see boulders shimmering below the water. Ducks often frequent the area, a pleasant diversion kids will enjoy.

During spring when the reservoir enjoys good water flow from the spring snow melt, a number of trees will find themselves submerged north of the dock. Snow from Mt. Williamson, Kratka Ridge and Mt. Waterman feed Little Rock Creek.

Narrows and Dam
Rainbow and brown trout are popular targets for fishermen at the reservoir's northern edge. The recreation area also boasts boat access, campgrounds, great fishing spots and swimming holes.

Continuing north, you’ll wind through a narrows and alongside granite canyon walls. Keep a watchful eye on children here as the walkway runs alongside the road in this tight area.

Leaving the narrows, you’ll spot the top of the Little Rock Palmdale Dam. The dam holds back enough water to cover about 150 acres.

A good turnaround spot is a pullout the overlooks the spillway. By mid-May, the amount of water flowing over it is a mere trickle. A wide, verdant canyon stretches below the spillway, however.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Prime Desert Woodland Preserve offers perfect day hike for kids

Joshua trees at Prime Desert Woodland
Preserve in Lancaster, Calif.

If concerned about the safety of hiking with young children in remote country, don’t fret. There’s probably a quality park or preserve right in your city limits. For those lucky enough to live in Palmdale-Lancaster, Calif., there’s just such a site, the Prime Desert Woodland Preserve.

The pristine natural area sits smack dab in the middle of a metro area of nearly 350,000 residents. The park is located at K-8 Avenue and 35th Street West in Lancaster. To reach it, get on the Antelope Valley Freeway, or Hwy. 14, which splits the metro area. Turn west onto Avenue L then take a right on 35th Street.

The 100-acre preserve boasts an excellent nature center, the Elyze Clifford Interpretive Center (though it's too frequently closed). A series of trails to the nature center’s north are the most scenic to amble.

The preserve gives visitors a good sense of what the Antelope Valley looked like before urbanization and the plowing up of land for fields. It's largely a juniper-Joshua tree forest with a desert brush understory. The thickness of the juniper-Joshua tree forest can be startling to many who think of deserts as just so much blowing sand. Many of the Joshua trees at the preserve are quite old – and therefore quite tall.

Several arroyos amble through the preserve, and during spring you’re likely to find some with water still running. A large, shady cottonwood snuggles against the bank of one arroyo.

Swaths of Joshua trees and junipers line several of the pathways. While hikers can find themselves virtually "lost" in nature, the sounds of nearby streets and schoolchildren often rear up - which is great comfort to those many walkers who aren't too keen on bushwacking. A number of placards along the trails describe the wildlife, flora and history of the region.

Look carefully, and you’re certain to see rabbit, kangaroo rat, squirrel and lizard tracks crisscrossing sandy areas just off the trails. Rabbit holes also sit on embankments near the aromatic junipers alongside the trails. Quail, cactus wren and mockingbirds also can be spotted (or at the very least heard!) at the preserve. If you’re quiet enough, you’ll almost certainly sight rabbits, which typically are out of their dens in the early morning and at dusk.

The preserve's two miles trails are fairly flat and nicely maintained with several bridges crossing the arroyos. Hikers are asked not to step off the trails.

The southwest end of the preserve consists largely of desert brush and Joshua trees with an occasional juniper. Unless you want to go for a longer walk, this section can be skipped.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.