Just-opened Haskell Canyon Bike Park in Santa Clarita gives mountain bikers space to learn and sharpen skills

A $7 million mountain bike park in Santa Clarita has officially opened, offering 15 miles of natural area trails for riders of all skill levels.

Professional mountain biker Jon Simek helped builders with the design and layout as over 380 acres were transformed to create Haskell Canyon Bike Park.

"We dipped our toes into every single aspect of mountain biking. This park has everything," Simek said.

Park designers say it's already becoming one of the leading mountain bike destinations in Southern California, offering a mix of cross-country, climbing and downhill trails.

"Most of these tracks, they're not designed by an engineer on a computer, they are mainly designed by athletes or riders themselves," Simek said.

Some of the park features include slopestyle lines, a dual slalom course, beginner and intermediate pump tracks, a skills learning zone, a dirt jump course, and over 12 downhill flow and jump lines for all skill levels.

Antoine Gohl of Valencia brought his 3-year-old son Kojo to the park to teach him some basics.

"Very lucky to have this venue here. We still have a bit to learn before we get to the bigger jumps, but it's a starting point," Gohl said.

Seven-year-old Eli Cortez of Simi Valley has reached the intermediate level. "It's like very fun, but sometimes it's a struggle to do it," he said while taking a break from the trail.

"It's been amazing to see, honestly. The progression is already starting and we're hoping that it will create this massive community in Santa Clarita, LA and surrounding areas," Simek said.

Eight-year-old Sean Simonian enjoys the technical courses and is working his way up to the bigger jumps.

"When you do the high one, it's a little scarier, and you need to pull up," he said.

Haskell Canyon Bike Park is located at 21450 Copper Hill Drive in Santa Clarita and is open year-round for free.