NEWHALL'S HIKING HAVEN IS HEAVENLY; PLACERITA CANYON GEM HAS IT ALL.

Byline: BRETT PAULY

For all of you with new New Year's fitness agendas, a holiday hike may be a quick fix.

Placerita Canyon State and County Park - an understated and largely underappreciated 350-acre parcel in Newhall - offers just what the armchair recreationist needs to motivate: natural scenery, relative solitude, definitive quiet, flowing creeks, cultural history and an 8-mile loop route that is aerobically challenging, gaining nearly 1,700 feet in a 2-3/4-mile segment.

The ascent is not for the weak of spirit or body, but the rewards are many, said Frank Hovore. Hovore is a volunteer docent at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center who in 1972 helped cut the Manzanita Mountain Trail, which with the Firebreak Ridge Trail composes the most arduous third of the loop.

``It's a very difficult trail,'' Hovore said. ``It's steep and the hard-surfaced parts are slippery, so if you are in tennis shoes you can lose your footing.

``Anyone considering it should have appropriate high-top boots with ankle support and lug soles and be in good physical condition.''

No worries if you aren't already in shape; you will be well on your way after completing this section.

The other two-thirds of the loop combine a gentle stroll through shaded Placerita Canyon and an ascent - or descent, depending on which direction you choose - over the centuries-old Los Pinetos Trail.

Together it's a hike that is as complete as any in the region.

``It's very diverse from the flora point of view. You have the riparian, chaparral and oak woodland. It's really neat,'' said Teresa Proscewicz, who calls the loop ``my backyard trail'' since it's only an 8-minute drive from her Canyon Country home.

The hike described here commences at historic Walker Ranch (elevation: 1,800 feet), accessed via a short trail or service road from the hiker's entrance (1,870 feet) along Placerita Canyon Road on the park's east side. It climbs Los Pinetos Trail to the south, descends northwest over Firebreak Ridge and Manzanita Mountain trails, then moves east across quaint Placerita Canyon Creek Trail back to the outset.

(However, I would strongly urge visitors consider hoofing the opposite direction, because heading downhill on the Firebreak Ridge/Manzanita Mountain section is so steep, the trail so unkempt and the sandstone so slippery, it can be dangerous. ``You can see your life flash in front of your eyes if you are not careful,'' Hovore said.)

Get your workout started with a warmup on the Waterfall Trail, a 1-1/2-mile round-trip spur off the main loop that provides one of the park's most stellar snapshots - a thin 30-foot cascade in a cool canyon (2,050 feet). Coast live oak, buckwheat and foothill yucca point the boulder-hemmed route that gets a tad tricky at its end.

After taking in the romance of the desert waterfall, retrace your steps through Los Pinetos Canyon, defined by its trickling flows and stagnated pools, to Walker Ranch, where Frank Evans Walker built a cabin in the early part of the century. His family resided in the area until 1959.

Resplendent with history, the park is also the site of California's first gold rush, in 1842, according to the guidebook ``Trails of the Angeles.'' As the story goes, one Francisco Lopez of neighboring Rancho San Francisco was resting below an oak tree after chasing stray horses when he dug up gold nuggets that were clinging to a cluster of wild onions. Centuries earlier the region was home to the Alliklik Indians.

An ancient Indian trail, Los Pinetos climbs 2-1/2 miles toward its namesake ridge (3,200 feet), passing under oaks and a few single-plank benches that are plenty wide enough for respites. Turn right at the water tank that flags Los Pinetos Spring (2,875 feet) to find the ridge and the fire road - now on Angeles National Forest land - that is labeled on maps as Whitney Canyon Road.

Turn right on the fire road and take in the sweeping vistas of the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys - and, on clear days, Santa Catalina Island and the foothills of the Sierra Nevada range. Be careful to stay to the right at the confluence of the next fire road and look for Firebreak Ridge Trail at a northern clearing in the road marked by two squatty pines. A U.S. Forest Service sign labeled simply ``trail'' is your last clue to the route, which proceeds about 2-3/4 miles down to the nature center (1,550 feet).

Two miles into the descent keep a keen eye out for the unsigned junction to Manzanita Mountain Trail; an arrow in the dirt formed from shotput-size rocks is your best hint.

After the ankle-turning decline, have lunch at the nature center and enjoy the red-tailed hawk and rattlesnake exhibits. Then cross Placerita Canyon Creek to the south for the final 2-mile stretch back to Walker Ranch and your rig parked on Placerita Canyon Road.

The most delightful Placerita Canyon Creek Trail usually has year-round water and a canopy of creekside vegetation. It's refreshing to know that such an oasis exists in the otherwise dry, unremarkable area known as the Santa Clarita Valley.

IF YOU'RE GOING ...

To reach Placerita Canyon State and County Park from the Golden State Freeway (5), take the Antelope Valley Freeway (14), exit at Placerita Canyon Road, turn right and drive 2 miles to the park entrance on the right at 19152 W. Placerita Canyon Road in Newhall.

The park is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; allow five hours to complete the 8-mile loop trail and an additional hour to tackle the 1-1/2 miles up and down the Waterfall Trail.

The loop can be broken into any number of out-and-back tracks, but the waterfall is particularly worthwhile; be warned it is a rugged route not recommended for young or inexperienced hikers. Bikes are not permitted in the park. Information: [phone].

Overnight camping is permitted where the loop enters the Angeles National Forest - and offshoots from there. Call the Tujunga Office of the Los Angeles River Ranger District at [phone] or the forest's trails information line at [phone] for seasonal fire and permit regulations and any other specific queries.

- Daily News

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box, Map

PHOTO (Color) One of the gems accessed by the numerous hikes at Newhall's Placerita Canyon State and County Park is the thin cascade at the end of the Waterfall Trail.

Brett Pauly/Daily News

BOX: IF YOU`RE GOING . . . (see text)

MAP: PLACERITA CANYON STATE AND COUNTY PARK

Traci Wooden/Daily News