Where can you find a park that offers paths for biking, nature walks into a wildlife reserve, and even paved paths through the woods for wheelchairs and strollers? That would be the El Dorado Nature Reserve and Regional Park in Long Beach. Half an hour away, off the Bellflower exit, El Dorado is a two part park. On one side is a very big grassy park with ponds and trees and areas for camping and barbecues. It also has a section for archery, and one pond has miniature buoys in it for the miniature remote controlled sailboat enthusiasts to race in their weekend regattas. But wait, there’s more: the piece de resistance is the four miles of paved bike paths, mostly surrounded by grass. I mention this because it is ideal for children who are learning how to ride a bike. With no traffic or driveways or rocky spots to interfere with the acquiring of biking skills, children can feel free to focus on balancing, with soft grass nearby for the occasional tip over.

Finding a good place for a beginning biker isn’t such an easy thing. There is a long bike path along the beach in Santa Monica, but it is a wide path with skaters and bikers speeding by and a small drop to the sand. At El Dorado, the bike paths, and in fact the whole park is family friendly and easygoing.

Across the street from the Regional Park is the Nature Reserve. Paying a $6 car entrance fee to either side gets you into everything. The nature reserve is different from other reserves or state parks I’ve been to around Los Angeles. It’s more lush and green and there are some unusual birds to spot in and around the pond. A rustic cabin houses the nature center, which includes some hands on displays for children like snake skins and turtle shells, plus a reading corner and a puppet theater. It’s a small place, meant to be explored at one’s own pace. The large pond at the center of the reserve has lots of turtles swimming and sitting in the sun. Signs direct visitors to a few different pathways through the woods. The shortest one, which winds through the trees, is completely paved smooth. The other paths loop over a creek and up hills and past berry bushes filled with birds. There really is something for everyone who seeks to be in the thick of nature.

To the north, also about half an hour away, is Millard Canyon Falls, one of many hiking trails in the Pasadena area. The first trail we headed for was actually Eaton Canyon Falls, but after driving in circles looking for the entrance to the trail, and calling the rangers’ office to ask where it was, we discovered that the fence we’d noticed with the chains and padlocks, was the beginning of the trail.

So we moved on to Millard Canyon Falls and discovered for ourselves a place worth visiting again. Now this is a trail for people who enjoy climbing over and around the piles of boulders that have filled this dried creek. We saw plenty of little kids relishing the search for a path from stone to stone and it’s easily doable in sneakers and a skirt.

The air is spicy with the scent of eucalyptus trees and every once in a while the remnants of the creek make an appearance, requiring some balancing skills and careful maneuvering over the rocks to avoid getting wet. The trail ends at a waterfall, shooting water between precariously balanced boulders wedged at the top of a cliff. There’s something dramatic about water rushing over a steep stone ledge into a crystal clear pool below. The hike is only a mile, and well worth doing again.

Another thing we learned along the way is that a parking permit is required to park in the park. There was no entrance gate anywhere to purchase this permit. Apparently, we were supposed to have known that we have to buy one at a sporting good store beforehand, I guess. A ranger at Millard Canyon told us that rangers drive around to check cars for permits and if they don’t have a permit, they get a ticket—-for the cost of the permit ($5). So you don’t need to pre-purchase a permit after all. We never did get a ticket, but just know that you can still park without a permit and work it out later if need be.

Enjoy the outdoors during Chol Hamoed and be back home in good time for a matzah lasagna dinner.

Notes:
El Dorado Nature Center, Regional Park: 7550 E. Spring St., Long Beach, www.longbeach.gov/park/facilities/parks/el_dorado_nature_center.asp,
tel. #: 570-1745, Trails: Tu-Su, 8am - 5pm Museum: Tu-F, 10am - 4pm, Sun, 8:30am - 4pm, $6 for parking.

Millard Canyon Falls: Angeles National Forest near Pasadena, exit Lake Ave. off the 210, tel: 818-899-1900, www.pasadenacal.com/sports/hiking.html, $5 parking if ticketed or order at: www.fs.fed.us/r5/sanbernardino/ap/