During a ceremony attended by local dignitaries and first responders, the city of Santa Clarita dedicated 208 acres of Bee Canyon to the open space preservation district.
Bee Canyon has now joined what is already 13,000 acres of open space being preserved by the city of Santa Clarita.
“You have 110 miles of trails out there that will connect from your homes out into open space,” said Mayor Laurene Weste during the ceremony, referring to the entire open space preservation district in Santa Clarita. “Nobody has that.”
Weste said that the addition of Bee Canyon had been a long-term goal for the city, with city leaders having worked on introducing the canyon to the system for approximately 20 years.
“Doing this is part of keeping what we all love, what we all want to pass on to future generations and to the kids,” said Weste. “They need to be able to get out and enjoy nature.”
Following speeches from Weste and Tom Clark, the director of economic development for the city, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held, officially opening the recreational space to mountain bikers and hikers throughout the Santa Clarita Valley.
“I’ve walked this property many, many times and it is truly beautiful,” said Clark. “And I think people will really find it something special.
Bee Canyon is located near the intersection of Stonecrest Road and Soledad Canyon Road. In order to access the open space, residents can take Soledad Canyon Road underneath Highway 14, proceed another 1.2 miles and exit on the third left.