Unless we have a very specific area in mind, Barbara and I choose our hiking locations by whim. We look for a trail or area we haven't hiked, check the maps, pick one, and go. Every new hike is an adventure but some, like this week's, are pure serendipity. We half-expected an urban hike when we parked in the lot of the Palisades Recreation Center. As we followed the trail bordering the baseball field, we overshot the "secret door" leading to the canyon. Backtracked, found it. Found riparian wonderland. Behind the door, 52 stairs led us down into a beautiful 46-acre passive park with seating areas, trails, information boards, and romping areas for Fido. New and so pretty—fresh tree plantings dot the sides of the canyon. A meadow of native riparian plants stretches down a mile and the Pacific at Will Rogers Beach comes into view.  Someday soon, plans include a beach access trail leading all the way down. The beach at the bottom of the canyon across PCH is the historically significant former site of the "Long Wharf", aka Port Los Angeles, built by Southern Pacific in 1897—the first port of Los Angeles. We walked along the side of the meadow, and then couldn't resist following the trail a bit farther for a glimpse at the ocean and beach below. Surfers, hikers, bikers, and the Will Rogers Lifeguard Station; and the Santa Monica skyline in the distant south. The care and forethought put into the landscaping, planning, native plants, along with the trails and ocean views made this hike and George Wolfberg Park a treasure. Go now for a "I remember when" memory of a park that is sure to become a Palisades favorite.