Santa Clarita

Understand

Santa Clarita is a suburban city, 35 mi northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It contains the western-themed Old Town Newhall district and the Valencia Town Center mall, home to numerous upscale shops.

In terms of climate, Santa Clarita has hot, dry summers with cool nights; mild springs and autumns; and cool, rainy winters. In August, the average high is 94 F and the average low is 64 F; in January the average high is 65 F with a low of 45 F. Snow in the city is extremely rare, but happens occasionally in the outlying hills. Surrounded on three sides by mountains, the city offers plenty of opportunities for outdoor recreation.

Get in

By plane

The closest and most convenient airport is in Burbank. Other nearby airports include Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario, and Orange County.

Prime time offers shared ride vans to/from LAX. Stand under the orange "shared ride vans" sign in the center concrete island outside the LAX airport. Tell a customer service representative that you need a ride to Santa Clarita. They are easy to identify by their red jackets. If no representative is available, then flag down a red van with a "Santa Clarita" placard in the windshield. Approximate cost is $30 per person. Approximate time to Santa Clarita is 1 hour.

The cheapest way to get to Santa Clarita from LAX is to use Metrolink. Stand under the green "FlyAway, Buses and Long-Distance Vans" sign in the center concrete island outside the LAX airport. Board a blue FlyAway bus heading to Union Station (there are FlyAway buses going to Van Nuys and Westwood as well). It will cost you $4 one-way (a 30-minute trip). The blue FlyAway is a large charter-style bus, and is occasionally not labeled. FlyAway buses operate every half hour, 24 hours a day. If you are boarding at the airport, you will not be charged until you get to your destination. At Union Station follow the Metrolink signs. Walk to the Antelope Valley Line (typically platform 4B, but varies so check signage) in Union Station. Inside the terminal is an automated kiosk for purchasing tickets. One-way tickets for the AV Line are $7.50, or $10 for a day pass on the weekends. There is a discount for seniors, students, and people with documented disabilities, which generally includes any disability that would prevent them from walking or driving a car. The travel time is approximately 1 hour, which cuts off as much as 45 minutes with the traffic conditions at times.

By train

The closest full-service Amtrak station is Los Angeles Union Station. From there, you would take the Metrolink Antelope Valley line up to Santa Clarita. At Union Station follow the Metrolink signs. Walk to the Antelope Valley Line in Union Station (typically platform 4B, but varies so check signage). Inside the terminal is an automated kiosk for purchasing tickets. One way tickets are $7.50, or $10 for a day pass on the weekends. There are discounts for seniors and people with disabilities, which reduces the one-way ticket price to $3.75. The student discount reduces the one-way ticket price to $5.75. The travel time is approximately 1 hour, which cuts off as much as 45 minutes with the traffic conditions at times.

By car

Interstate 5, which runs between Downtown Los Angeles and points north, runs along the west of the city, while the Antelope Valley Freeway ("the 14") runs along the east side. The 5 and 14 intersect at the massive Newhall Pass interchange south of town. Below the interchange are the intersections of the arteries San Fernando Road, Sierra Highway, Foothill Boulevard and The Old Road. Just south of the Newhall Pass interchange, two more freeways branch off I-5: Interstates 210 and 405. Highway 126 connects Santa Clarita to Fillmore and Ventura.

From Los Angeles or other southern cities take Interstate 5 North, which is called "the 5 freeway" locally. Santa Clarita starts with Lyons Avenue/Pico Canyon Exit and ends around Hasley Canyon Exit. Slightly West of the 5 freeway in Los Angeles is the 101 North to the 170 North which ends at the 5 North freeway. In South West Los Angeles the 405 North also connects to the 5 freeway North. From the North East, the 14 (Antelope Valley) freeway South will take you to Santa Clarita, exiting at Soledad Canyon.

By taxi

• United Taxi of Los Angeles +1 323-207-8294

Get around

By bus

Santa Clarita Transit operates bus routes throughout the city. Full fare for a single ride is $1, with children 5 and under free. Adults over 60 ride for a reduced fare of $.50/single ride. Transfers are free.

By bicycle

Santa Clarita has many bike paths and paseos. You can easily get around by bicycle as everything is connected by paseos where you can avoid waiting for traffic lights. A map of the bike paths is available online.

By horse

There is a large equestrian community in Santa Clarita and horse trails throughout the city. A map of the horse trails can be found online.

By train

On weekdays, four bus lines have service to/from the Metrolink station that connects Santa Clarita to Los Angeles. Routes 501-504. They are designed to run for commuters, but work great for those wanting easy/fast access to Los Angeles without the hassle of traffic. Details of times the run and stops are on the Santa Clarita Transit website.

There are two Metrolink Stations in Santa Clarita operating on the Antelope Valley Line which ends at downtown Los Angeles (Union Station). From there you can connect to other Metrolink train lines or LA's subway/bus system as well as Amtrak or the Flyaway buses to LAX airport:

• Jan Heidt Newhall Metrolink Station, 24300 Railroad Ave. Directions: From the 5 Fwy., exit Lyons Ave. Go East on Lyons to San Fernando Rd. Go South on San Fernando Rd. to Market. Go East on Market to Railroad Ave. There are 150 parking spaces available, and there is no fee for parking.
• Santa Clarita Metrolink Station, 22122 Soledad Canyon Rd. Directions: From the 5 Fwy., exit Valencia Ave. Go East on Valencia Ave. Valencia becomes Soledad Canyon Road. There are 350 parking spaces available, and there is no fee for parking. Bike lockers are available.

Go next

• Take the Antelope Valley Line to Los Angeles.
• Once you get to Union Station via the Antelope Valley Line, transfer to the Orange County Line to Anaheim or Buena Park, homes of Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm, respectively.
• Palmdale - 37 miles north of Santa Clarita on Highway 14. In 1962, Palmdale became the first city in the Antelope Valley to incorporate, and today it is home to over 150,000 people. While it lacks exciting tourist destinations, the town does offer hotels and restaurants.