My family is a big fan of the parks in Santa Clarita! We love how the parks are so well maintained and the playgrounds are periodically resurfaced and updated with new playground equipment. We have almost visited all 34 parks in Santa Clarita. Each one has unique features, amenities, and places to explore. The following is a review of Valencia Heritage Park, located at 24155 Newhall Ranch Rd.
The playground at Valencia Heritage is very nice, with the toddler play structure separate from the older kids' section. Both structures have a canopy for shade and sits atop a blend of wood chip and rubber flooring. The toddler area features two slides, monkey bars, a kid-sized table/bench under the structure. The section for older kids features three slides and climbing structures.
Kids love to climb the bear! This installation is located near the playground. It is part of the California Bear Project, a public art campaign in Santa Clarita that started in 2003. The bear is a life-sized replica of the 2,350-pound Monarch grizzly bear, which is depicted in the California state flag, and was shot in Santa Clarita in the 1880s according to legend. There are five other bears around town! Have you seen the others? The bears are located at:
■ Heritage Bear: Valencia Heritage Park, 24155 Newhall Ranch Rd
■ Climbing Tree Bear: Westfield Valencia Town Center, 24201 Valencia Blvd
■ Canyon Theatre Guild Bear: Canyon Theatre Guild, 24242 Main Street
■ Transit Bear: Santa Clarita Transit Maintenance Facility, 28250 Constellation Rd
■ Golden Valley Grizzly Bear: Golden Valley High School, 27051 Robert C. Lee Pkwy
■ Tour of California Bear: This installation is mobile and appears during the AMGEN Tour of California
Kids enjoy playing around and climbing the stone soccer balls. There are several fields at this park and plenty of space for sports. The fields are often used for soccer games and both Valencia Heritage parking lots can fill up on busy soccer weekends. 
Valencia Heritage is connected to the paseo system. There are plenty of paved walkways within the park for biking, skateboarding, and riding scooters. If you want to take a longer ride, you can connect to the San Francisquito Creek Trail, which is connected to the park.
The most interesting swing in the 34 Santa Clarita parks is here at Valencia Heritage! This blue parent-child swing is really fun and allows for face-to-face swinging with your young children. 
Behind the tennis courts, there is a paved walkway leading to a small amphitheater with a view of the Bridgeport Marketplace and duck pond. On July 4th, there is often a gathering here to watch fireworks but I would not recommend it. The fireworks are launched from the parking structure of the Westfield Valencia Town Center and this park is too far away to get a good view.
There is a large covered pavilion with 6 benches at Valencia Heritage Park. This is a large space for an event like a birthday party and it's located next to the playground. Email reservation@santa-clarita.com to ask about fees and availability. You will need to fill out a picnic request application and reservations must be made at least 2 weeks in advance.
As of Sept 2017, the fees for reserving a picnic area/pavilion are:
$25/hour: 1-50 people
$50/hour: 51-100 people, insurance required
$100 refundable security deposit
Thanks for reading my review of Valencia Heritage Park. Get out and enjoy the wonderful Santa Clarita parks!
Macaroni Kid Santa Clarita is a free weekly e-newsletter and website that highlights all of the great things for kids and their grown-ups to do in Santa Clarita and nearby communities. Subscribe to keep up to date with the latest events, get the scoop on deals, and read articles of interest to Santa Clarita families. You are also invited to submit events to be listed on the Macaroni Kid Santa Clarita calendar. Thank you!
