Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Preserve

Great place to walk/​run. They have a few trails to explore so stop by if you’ve never been! There’s a little lake here where you can sit and enjoy the view.
Crazy how this place can make you forget that you’re in the valley and close to the 405!
Very family friendly and there aren’t too many people here on any given time of day so you can stroll along to your heart’s content without being bothered too much by crowds or other people.
Pretty peaceful during the day but definitely don’t recommend walking alone at night!

This is a hidden gem tucked away in the bustling San Fernando Valley. I’ve visited the adjacent park and Cricket grounds a number of times but never ventured over toward the nature trail. There’s a path that circles the lake in the center. You see Canadian geese, ducks, cranes and other birds. The waters are also teeming with fish. It’s so peaceful and really pulls you out of the city for just a moment. You’ll see little, wild rabbits darting hither and fro into the brush. I even saw a snake rustling over some leaves.
Unfortunately, dogs aren’t allowed here, though I’ve seen many there. I suppose it disrupts the wildlife balance. Though humans probably disrupt it more…
Most people enjoy the nature walk for what it is; a nice stroll through nature. Unfortunately there are a lot of losers that show up here, vandalizing/​tagging signs and informational boards, teens trying to smoke weed on the sly (everyone knows what you’re doing: eyeroll:), ignorant people throwing their fast food wrappers into a bush… I can’t believe how ridiculous and environmentally unfriendly people can be.
There are signs that plain-​clothed officers patrolled the area. I wish they’d do it more.

A beautiful place hidden behind a park. The foliage is dying out (probably because of the drought) but right around the lake everything is beautiful.

I was here on a Sunday for a guided bird walk given by Scott of Wild Wings Backyard Nature Store
. When we arrived at 8am, the entire park was a mess. People had thrown parties in the area on Saturday and garbage was everythwere — paper, plastic cups, bags etc. the garbage bins overflowing, bathrooms disgusting. Shortly, the cleanup crews arrived and got to work. They really need to have more people working and cleaning up. There should be staff working the weekends every day.
But on our walk, we saw a junior cooper’s hawk, red tailed hawk, turkey vultures, pelicans, geese, ducks (all kinds, like a muscovy duck, a ring necked duck, mallard ducks, pekin ducks), ospreys, belted kingfishers, woodpeckers, black phoebes, say’s phoebe, rabbit, crows, bluebirds, yellow rumped warblers, woodpeckers, spotted towhees, california brown towhees, sparrows, grackles, finches, great blue herons, green herons, egrets, cormorants, grebes, to name a few! So many birds, it was great!

Great peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city for a nature walk or jog at the wildlife reserve — even busy Lake Balboa.
Even a picnic would be romantic overlooking the creek would make a nice afternoon.
The park is undiscovered and a bit hidden as I saw only one couple quietly enjoying each other’s company and a couple of people running the trail.
Entrance on Burbank Blvd by the 405 or by the Japanese Garden on Woodley.
Shh… our little secret.

I actually haven’t been on the trail because dogs are not allowed. I came here with my dog because it keeps popping up when I search for dog friendly trails. I didn’t see anything that made me think I couldn’t take my dog until I got there and saw the signs posted so I was a bit disappointed. The surrounding park is ok but people left their party trash around. I probably won’t go back since my dog isn’t welcome.

The Wildlife Preserve is a hidden gem of the San Fernando Valley. It’s close to Lake Balboa but not as many people know about it.
The entrance is on Woodley. Drive like you are going to the Japanese Garden but at the fork, instead of going left, turn right and head towards the archery range. You will see some dirt parking and across from the archery range entrance you will see the Wildlife Preserve. There is also a cricket field right there. Who knew all this existed in the valley?
Not too many people here. It’s a straight path with spots that lead to a different man made lake (not the lake balboa one) It looks like back in the day there was a nice little river that ran to the right of the pathway, but not anymore. It’s a small trickle of water that i would not touch… gross.
It’s a nice spot to take a walk and there are a few good picture spots.
Also, a lot of these pictures on here are not of the Wildlife Preserve but of Lake Balboa…

If you are looking for a great place to bring your family this is the place it is so beautiful and everybody is respectful! Love it

My most favorite place to go to enjoy the Lake, Park, Scenery, and Wildlife. But it does bother me to See so many people disregarding the Do Not Feed The Birds Signs. There are several signs expressing the importance of not feeding the birds. And these people stand right next to the signs and feed the birds all kinds of foods !! It’s so sad to watch. !!!

This is my go to park it’s absolutely lovely. I will admit they need to replace the benches that were ruined in the rain but other than that it’s a breathe of fresh air coming here. There’s so much you can do too! Just don’t go on like a Sunday or even Saturday because it gets super packed! Only downside is that the high school is near by so you got a bunch of punk nose teenagers all over the place making out and what not, but you can’t really get away from that now can you

Being an avid outdoorsman, I enjoy everything nature. This is a nice retreat from the usual crowded places in and around lake balboa.
Parking is a breeze and never crowded. Hike along the fence into the entrance. Since it’s lonely, you can really connect with your surroundings. Hike in a little and take a seat. You can see various bird species flying around or feasting. If you can, take some binoculars or better yet a camera with a zoom lens.
The only downside is the amount of graffiti on the displays on the trail. Some of them offer some great information which is useful during your visit.
Remember not to feed the wildlife. Signs are posted saying that there are police officers dressed in civilian clothes giving citations, don’t push your luck. After your visit, if you haven’t had your fill head over to the Japanese Garden right next door.

Apparently, we all need helicopters to understand all that LA County has to offer. This neat little trail tucked inside of a park (with a cricket field!) turned out to be a real surprise!
There’s a cute little lake with ducks and some interesting birds flying around (I saw warblers, cranes, a hawk).
Apparently, there are no dogs allowed, but given America’s growing problem with illiteracy, you’ll see tons. It’s not that people are disobeying the law; it’s that the sign is absolutely unreadable to them. Poor things!
Hey, I’m a canine lover so I’m not going to complain too much.
I don’t recommend doing this trail alone as it has a disproportionate number of (questionable) men lingering around the corners. Hey, it’s a secluded spot in the middle of a bustling city. Imagine the possibilities for mischief!
There are little veins of trails intersecting the larger, more official looking one. I attempted to follow one, but it’s rough going due to trees, etc. In other words, defy Robert Frost and take the road most traveled by…
It’ll make all of the difference:)

WOW, INCREDIBLE, hard to believe that I have lived in the San Fernando Valley all my life and NEVER been here. After moving back into the local area, our family and friends were familiar with the #LakeBalboa park however never knew where it exactly was. By chance we discovered this looking for something to do on the weekend with our daughter close to home and FREE, my favorite four letter word.
There are various amounts of bird life… woodpeckers, Canadian geese, herons, ducks, etc. and is the largest landing spot for migrant birds. It’s a world on its own and it’s here for us to enjoy. We discovered are tours provided by the Audubon Society and Sierra Club on the weekends.
This is a true gem of #LakeBalboaLiving

One of my favorite places to run when I visit the San Fernando Valley area and have time to sneak in some mileage. Plenty of parking off of Burbank Blvd just west of Woodley Ave, public bathrooms near the parking lot and about 3 — 3.3 mile loop around the golf course through well-​worn dirt and some asphalt trail. At varying points around the loop –you are immersed in nature instead of a large, densely populated city.

What a beautiful gem, amidst all this urban and sub-​urban sprawl! Being here, you don’t even feel like you’re in a city anymore. It’s just perfectly green, and full of animals. I love it, and venture out this way often.
Also, the packed sand trails are great for cycling or jogging. I haven’t ever had any trouble riding my road bike on it either.

Wow, it’s hard to believe that I’ve lived in the San Fernando Valley all my life and I’ve NEVER been here. I knew of it but never knew where it exactly was. Sheesh, didn’t realize how many times I’ve passed by! LOL
So, the only reason I was here was for my Biology class field trip. Man, it sounds like I’m in grade school, but we were there to observe plant and mammal life. There are people running this dirt path and people just taking photos of wetland life. You can’t bring your dog here, not even on a leash.
There are plenty of animals that I saw… woodpeckers, Canadian geese, herons, ducks, etc. It’s a world on it’s own and it’s here for us to enjoy. I have to come here one day when I can really explore on my own because you really feel like you’re in forest with wildlife. Woohoo… ENCHANTED Forest here I come! :)
Note: Wear your OFF products here, because there are lots of bugs here. Yesterday those gnats were flying everywhere and I ended up with a mosquito bite on my leg. :-/​Don’t say you weren’t warned. LOL

It gets five stars from me just because of its location, it is in the middle of barren, repetitive and unoriginal urban development which the «valley» can be at times. It is a welcome respite from the land of the mini-​malls, stuccoed-​condos and oil&lubes. Hundreds of egrets and ducks, nice area to walk and play and somewhat wedged in Japanese gardens. It’s great when it rains and is a little quiet…

the basin is a really nice little local retreat to those of us who are in the valley and don’t want to always travel for a little outdoors… across from balboa lake and woodley lake golf course, is the fabulous grouping of woodley park — which hosts everything from pet adoptions, dog shows and vintage car shows to impromptu raves, — the japanese garden, the sepulveda dam, sporting parks, and the wildlife preserve…
after my saturday plan to escort my mom to lacma for the opening of the new contemporary building was thwarted by her realization that she was supposed to see the Color Purple, i decided to buckle down and devote the entire day to catching up on my reading for my two classes… so i drug myself out of my morning stooper drove to noah’s bagels for my Noah’s standard– Lox Sandwhich with everything, love those capers and cucumbers– and then booked it to the basin!
a gorgeous and glorious day i had originally planned to do my reading in the japanese garden having forgotten they are closed on Saturdays… thought twice about the wildlife preserve as i did not wear any bug repellant and my sweet blood would surely draw mosquitoes one and all upon my unprotected arrival… i settled on foregoing the cricket grounds and perching below the picnic station on one of the stone landings in the landscaped boulder rock garden just before the wildlife preseve…
i read happy as a clam, with my shoes kicked off and skirt pulled up over my knees to enjoy the sun blazing down on me…
a very nice way to spend an afternoon

Need to get out of the city, but are only willing to go as far as the southern edge of the valley? Well, waste no time and get yourself to the Sepulveda Basin!
This area is a mixture of active use (athletic fields) and passive use (nature trails and ponds), so has plenty of options for dog walking, jogging, birdwatching — heck, there’s even an airport for radio-​controlled planes!
The basin is a really great resource to have, and best of all it’s FREE!