A Nice Walk at El Dorado Nature Center
An oasis in the middle of the city
A few days ago I took a walk at El Dorado Nature Center. El Dorado Nature Center is located within El Dorado Regional Park in Long Beach, California.
The 105 acre nature center contains two miles of dirt trails and a ¼ mile paved trail that wind around two lakes, a stream and forested areas, with a variety of plants and wildlife. It is a nice oasis in the middle of the city.
Visitors have the option of the paved ¼ mile trail, or dirt trails of 1 mile, or 2 miles in length. I took the 1 mile trail. Much of the trail was under a canopy of trees, and followed along the stream and one of the lakes.
The Nature Center was opened to the public on May 17, 1969. At the time there were about 20 native-born foxes and 30 opossums, along with many cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits, and dozens of species of migratory and resident birds.
Today there are an estimated 150 different species of birds at the center, along with other animals, including turtles, snakes, squirrels, raccoons and skunks.
There is also a Nature Center Visitor Center and Museum, and a gift shop.
Entrance to the Nature Center is free, but there is a fee for parking. This was my first time visiting the Nature Center, I was surprised at how many people were there late morning on a weekday. It was a nice walk. I plan to go back sometime in the near future and do the 2 mile trail.
Update, 12/9/2024: If you would like to see more photos, check out my slideshow video below.