Patch Picks: Pick Your Picnic Spot

The weather is just begging us to be outside, and there are few better ways to spend family time together and enjoy being in the fresh air than with a picnic. Picnics can be as grand or as simply as you like, whether laying out a blanket or making use of a park’s picnic tables. Pack up sandwiches or stop by your favorite eatery for to-go meals, and don’t forget the kites, games, and sunscreen. 

Invite family and friends or just grab a good book and make your way to the five picnic spots Patch has found nearby. Each offers something a little different, but all guarantee a great day in the great outdoors.

The Mayor’s Discovery Park, La Cañada’s newest city park, provides a grass lawn, picnic tables, and the comfort of restroom facilities. A special children’s discovery area features a buried treasure theme. Located right at the Foothill Boulevard and 2 Freeway intersection, the green space also provides plenty of parking.

Kites and skateboards are common sights at , but it’s also a great place for a super easy, low stress picnic. Claim a picnic table or just bring a blanket and stretch out on the vast grassy area. You could even have a pizza delivered, thanks to its in-town location. The 38th annual Fiesta Days celebration comes to the park May 28 to 3o. Be sure to see the schedule of events to keep from missing any of the tradition’s fun activities.

While it spans 1300 acres, Hahamongna Watershed Park offers some shady spots to picnic right along Oak Grove Drive across from . Divided into two parks on this western side, the Upper Oak Grove area offers picnic tables and a restroom facility, while the Lower Oak Grove also provides a playing field. Parking is available as well as walking trails for that after-meal stroll.

Two-Strike Park, 5107 Rosemont Ave, La Crescenta, is nearby and perfect for picnics. Open from 9 a.m. to sunset, the shady park offers picnic tables and shelters, as well as restrooms and playing fields.

For something a bit more akin to a day trip, make the short drive out to Eaton Canyon Nature Center, 1750 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena. The park provides numerous programs, including docent-led hikes and educational activities. Open daily from sunrise to sunset, picnicking and exploration are encouraged at the 190 acre preserve, where volunteers and staff run a nature center, library, information desk, and gift shop.