Work brought me to Palmdale, California for a week and I truly thought I had found some great things to do while visiting. But you know what they say about the best laid plans….I had planned to visit the Poppy Reserve to talk a walk and take pictures of what I was sure would be fields of beautiful flowers. What I didn’t think about was the fact that it was still February, cold and flowers were not yet bloomed. So that plan went out the window. With that no longer an option, I turned to the locals to find out what I should do. Several people recommended Vasquez Rocks Nature Center to me and it sounded like it would be a foolproof plan as long as the weather stayed nice. Thankfully it did!
This Nature Center is located just outside of Santa Clarita, California, about 20 miles from Palmdale. It is free to enter and hike through. My understanding was that they also had a building where you could see bugs and reptiles local to the area, but it was closed when we visited. I’m sure it would be a cool thing to experience if visiting with your family.
I would honestly compare this to a smaller version of Garden of the gods in Colorado Springs. There were beautiful rock structures surrounding the area. Some were low enough that you could climb atop to explore, getter a better view of the area and we had fun taking pictures together.
There were a few hiking trails that we spent our time exploring. Throughout the trails you can also see signs identifying different types of foliage that are native to the area. This could also be an educational place to visit with your children when visiting this area of California.
Keep in mind that this is considered the “high desert” and it does get cold and very windy here so plan accordingly. We lucked out with beautiful sunshine and warm weather, but it can really depend on the time of day you visit. We were so thankful to those who recommended this place as it gave a great way to go exploring together, especially since Aaron had the chance to join me for several days on my work trip.
We wrapped up the night at a Chili’s in Palmdale with some fajitas, and went to bed early because the next morning we are getting up at 4AM to head to Disneyland! Stay tuned for those adventures!
Traveling by Nature 