California's Unique Park With A Trail Through Tar Pits And Slot Canyon Is Just Outside Los Angeles

Just off Interstate 5 in Northern Los Angeles County is Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon. From the parking lot, you can still see and hear the freeway, and you may wonder if you really are going to get the experience of being out in nature. But once you start hiking, the freeway melts away into the sights and sounds of nature in this rugged park. The Towsley Canyon Loop Trail, also known as the Don Mullally Loop, showcases everything that makes the park unique in a 6-mile loop past and over tar pits, a more than 1,400-foot elevation gain to a ridge looking out on the Santa Susana Mountains, and rock-hopping along a creek through a water-worn slot canyon. All this is about 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Due to the park's proximity to Los Angeles and its diverse, unique scenery, the trail here is one of my go-to hikes.

Ed Davis Park at Towsley Canyon is part of the sprawling Santa Clarita Woodlands Park that includes East and Rice Canyons, Pico Canyon, and Mentryville. Black bears and mountain lions can be spotted roaming the park's 4,000 acres. 

There is a fee to park by the trailhead, but the dirt lots right at the entrance are free. I always park in the free lot because what's an extra half mile or so? Besides, you'll want to work up a thirst for a stop in one of nearby Santa Clarita's many low-key wineries.

Originally, the petroleum here bubbling up from the ground into tar pits was used by the Indigenous Tataviam tribe to waterproof baskets. The tribe was a collection of villages in the Northern Los Angeles County area until Spanish missionaries enslaved them at the nearby Mission San Fernando starting in the late 18th century. The nearest village was Tochonanga, where the Eternal Valley Cemetery stands today.

Oilman Darius Towsley, for whom the canyon is named, came to Los Angeles after the Civil War and was the first to file claims to the canyon after the forced displacement of the Indigenous people. Near Towsley Canyon is Mentryville in Pico Canyon, one of California's first oil boom towns. Established in 1876, it is now a public attraction that will take you back in time. 

The area is a reminder that Los Angeles was an oil and agriculture town before the movie industry began. Ed Davis, for whom the park is named, was the California state senator who led the legislative push to purchase the canyon and turn it into public parkland. 

The Towsley Canyon Loop is not an easy stroll, but a moderate trek that rewards the hiker. The loop runs around 6.2 miles, starting from the parking lot. The elevation gain is gradual if you go counterclockwise, and steep if you go clockwise. I prefer to go clockwise so I can end in the cool slot canyon, jumping from rock to rock. The small canyon is a pleasant way to cool down after the hike up the mountainside and along the more exposed ridge, where it can get hot. 

Along the trail, you'll find tar pits and the occasional natural gas vent bubbling out through the water of the creek, a unique feature not found on many hikes. Much like the more famous tar pits at La Brea in Los Angeles, these announce themselves through smell before you see them. 

The bigger pits are only visible from a distance, while the smaller ones are right on the side of the trail, meaning you have to jump over their liquid asphalt dribbling down the path. But unlike the La Brea Tar Pits, no fence stands between you and the tar. It's pure adventure all the way.