Franklin Canyon Park

Today we took the Grandparents on a fun adventure to Franklin Canyon Park (Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area)! We had a great time exploring nature, walking around the lake, going into the Sooky Goldman Nature Center and having a picnic on one of the many picnic tables.

A cool indigenous bamboo hut! 

The amphitheater with the Nature Center in the background.

Zoe took a selfie!

Ducks 

We were a little weary of this outhouse...

Until we saw that it was actually nice inside!

Super clean bathrooms

Great air conditioned space with awesome activities for kids!

Pros and Cons

Pros

Nature! 

Air conditioned educational activity area

Snacks for sale in Nature Center

Clean bathrooms

Hiking

Animals

Picnic Tables

Lots of free parking

Cons

There are a lot of "sting bugs" around the picnic area

Bathrooms can be far if you're out hiking

Animals (we were warned to beware of unfriendly animals!)

Kids don't want to leave

From a Parent's Perspective this is an awesome place to take your kids. It's educational, it's full on nature-esque and a great place to skip out on the heat during the middle of the day. There are plenty of places to take your kid to the potty or if it's an emergency there are plenty of trees! (We're potty training ... can you tell?)

From a Kid's Perspective it's awesome. Being from LA any chance to escape into the woods is exciting. I like to let my kids "lead the way" and explore any and every crevice of the place. There are ducks, bullfrogs, lizards and a ton of other fun things to touch and experience.

Address: 2600 Franklin Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills

Phone: (310) 858-7272

We HIGHLY recommend this place!