Deervale-Stone Canyon Park

Not the greatest hiking trail but it can be nice for a little stroll if you have an hour or two and want to get into a bit of nature and live in the area. My problem was that it’s accessibility isn’t that great. There’s only really one entrance at the top on Deervale Pl. It’s a hike in, hike out on the same trail because it comes to an end at a giant fence that people put up to keep you from exiting down their private road. There was another entrance I found but you hike through the canyon and it’s not a great trail, more like a deer trail full of itchy plants. I went twice, once in December (the trail was actually nice then because it was green) and in June (not so great since it was really dry and that’s when the itchy plants were abundant). There may be a side trail down to the canyon entrance but unless you’re a very local local to this trail, I’d take the time to drive to Fryman or somewhere else.

Google Maps walking directions says there is an entrance to this park on Stoneybrook Dr. This is incorrect. There is no park access and the directions try to tell you to walk up someone’s private driveway. Google maps should fix this.

It was very hard to find information about this park on the internet. It appeared that there was an entrance off of Valley Vista but when I tried this I noticed a big fence around which was very disappointing so I drove up Beverly Glen and entered on Deervale Place. This is a hike that not many people know about, I only saw two other hikers while there. It kinda feels like you are trespassing in someone’s extended backyard.
The trail goes down for about 30 minutes or so and then basically you go back up the way you came. I think it has a decent incline and length so it can be good for people who live in the Valley and don’t want to drive over the hill to go to Runyan or don’t want to hike somewhere with many others around.
I wasn’t too impressed with the scenery though. The trees were extremely dry and the bushes were mostly dead. Even in the daytime I felt I had stepped into some dark Tim Burton movie land. I would like to come back at dusk around Halloween. When I reached the bottom I saw the irritating fence but I also discovered another exit to some side street. From the street the entrance wasn’t marked or obvious and you’d never find it unless you had been there before, it was very clandestine and I think most people that hike here are locals that don’t want it to become too popular.
It might be nicer during other parts of the year but I’d skip it in the summer. I went at 9am and it was already really hot.