Every now and then, Barbara and I choose an unknown (to us) trail in an unfamiliar (to us) part of LA County, that turns out to be a real gem. We didn't expect a whole lot today except "waterfall!" The hike as listed is only 1.6 miles, but we figured we could stretch it out to 2. Waterfall hikes mean shade, great for these final summer heatwave weekends. So we drove out to Newhall in Santa Clarita up the 405 to the 5 then the 14 and found the entrance to Walker Ranch on Placerita Canyon Road. The Walker Ranch and Placerita State Park surroundings come with rich California history. On March 9, 1842, years before California became a territory and state, Mexican Francisco Lopez took a noon siesta under a nearby old oak tree and dreamed of floating on a sea of gold. When he woke, he dug up some wild onions and, Eureka! found gold clinging to the roots—the first discovery of gold in California, 6 years before James Marshall discovered gold up north at Sutter's Mill in 1848. The "Oak of the Golden Dream" is now a California State Landmark. In the 1930s to 1950s, the heyday of cowboy movies, Walker Ranch became the setting for films by William S. Hart, Tom  Mix, Harry Carey, and young John Wayne, and the Walker Canyon became a familiar, bad guys' "hideout" on screen. Good to know, but not part of why today's hike was such a gem. Barbara and I followed the trail inside the Walker Ranch gate for about 0.2 mi. of gorgeous flatlands—a stunning hike on its own—to reach the Waterfall Trailhead. As we climbed the makeshift wooden steps rising to the mountain trail, the vibe change. Hiking gems like this one feel a little magical. We immediately stepped into an atmosphere of narrow dirt trails, slippery rock hops, and boulder climbs over and along a narrow stream of trickling water. Birdsongs. Aspens and oaks in cool, shaded thicket of trees. Perfect for summer and fall. Not recommended for rainy season because, well, heavy rain would disappear the trail. We hike, hopped, and crawled (yes) up to the massive wall of stone at the end to the trail, took a break, and hiked back done. Utterly gorgeous, risky, fun, adventuresome. Get out the bug spray (nasty little no-see-ums), and learn what poison oak looks like, and go! It's an utterly entertaining hike.