Santa Susana Park & Railroad - Simi Valley, California

Danielle C. W.

This park is beautiful. The restrooms are clean and have soap! The play area is perfect for kids and the rock formations are fun for older kids to climb. There is plenty of shade and just the perfect place to relax. I hide rocks here so if you find one, please post on Simi valley rocks on Facebook.

Denise K.

Went to the park and really enjoyed it with my 20 month old! Quiet, lots of trees (shade), picnic tables, and the playground's enjoyable for both baby and me!

William J. J.

This is a gorgeous setting. There are lots of old growth trees like pines and oaks that provide ample shade. There is a great playground for kids to play on. The park also has giant boulders that are great to climb on with lots of fun spaces to hide in. As well, there are restrooms that were clean when I visited the park.

The park is next to railroad tracks which is fun to see trains pass by. The park also has a museum attached to it that has many historical facts and time period pieces inside. The museum also has a scale model of the surrounding area which is fun to observe. This really is a great place for families to visit.

D&D E.

Nice train museum with a great tour guide, be sure he takes you to the second floor. Free parking at the park.
The park is great for kids, with stone decor to play around too. Plenty of Pickwick tables and bathrooms. Trains pass by and there is a train swapmeet in the morning 4 times a year at the park.

Zealous

This place is so well maintained it's beautiful, bathrooms are very close by and sanitized often, neighbors are kind as they come here often as well. Have both shady and sunny dining areas as well as 2 playgrounds, climbing rocks, climbable trees, and even a little tunnel to entertain the kids while the parents prepare food.

I give this place a solid 5 as other parks I've visited near the valley have very dirty parks and this is was a great breath of air.
Please do your part to maintain it clean as it is definitely a community effort

Michael M.

As a Simi Valley resident and a local history buff, I'm almost embarrassed to say that it had been at least 10 years since I last visited. But, having recently visited the RR museums in Tehachapi and Barstow, I knew we needed to come back.
While the other 2 mentioned museums were really quite impressive, I couldn't help but notice that the Model trains in those places can't hold a candle to the set up these guys maintain at the Santa Susana Depot. For pure railroad history and the artifacts displayed, I think that Barstow and Tehachapi are probably a little better. The Santa Susana focuses more on local history than just railroad history.
The best part of our visit, though, was meeting our docent, Curt. It is quite apparent that he loves telling the stories and sharing his knowledge of Santa Susana and Railroad history. You could also tell from the way he talks that he's still very active in learning even more. He took us upstairs, which was not open until 4 or so years ago, to the living quarters of those who worked this depot and, boy, was it fascinating. Curt truly is a master at creating a living image in your imagination as you take in the ambience of the place. One of my photos is of Curt with my wife. I hope, if you're considering visiting, you'll have the privilege, as did we, of meeting this fine gentleman to glean from his extensive knowledge. He truly is a treasure.
Most of my photos are of the model train exhibit and, even though there are more than just a few, I only got a tiny fraction of all that is entailed within. The gentlemen (and lady) who care for this "world" truly take pride in their work and it shows.

Ata T.

I never knew this beautiful & peaceful park ever existed, but I'm so glad to discover it. Not only is the park nice but the biggest plus to the discovery is the Train Museum Depot next to it. Curt, the docent at the museum is very pleasant and extremely knowledgeable about the whole history. It's very interesting to know how they did the things before in order to have everything done, without the technology we're having now. I strongly recommend this place to everybody. Believe me, what I've seen and learned about the train depot before, makes me realize how lucky we are now to enjoy what we have.

Adrián G.

A great park for the family, your pets and even your mother-in-law with a twist of history of the Santa Susana Mountains and Simi Valley. Great views of Simi Valley and surrounding mountains from the rocks. Hiking trails along the park. BBQ and kids playground, restrooms... By the way the restrooms always have toilet paper, unlike some other parks. Alcohol is prohibited unless you are given permission by park rangers with advance notice.

For those of you who love trains, you'll love every passing train that goes right by. Amtrak, Metrolink, BNSF, Santa Fe. There's a museum right next to the park, railroad depot and museum which once served the Santa Susana area. I'll be posting pictures shortly. Be sure to wear hiking or walking shoes, and take your time.