Madrona Marsh Preserve

(Torrance, CA)

★★★★★

One of my favorite places to go walking (and photographing) in the South Bay. (SCBG is the other.) It’s the last remnant of the seasonal marshes that once covered the western part of the LA basin. (Basically a large city block that was set aside as a nature preserve.) It’s carefully maintained to assist the natural environment. Ponds form naturally during the winter and spring rains and dry out over summer. All kinds of waterfowl visit the pools during the wet season. There is a broad path suitable for strollers (and possibly wheelchairs?) that runs around the edges and through the center, and depending on the time of year and how much rain there’s been lately, smaller footpaths run between the ponds and through the wooded area. Very flat, mostly open, shade in the wooded corner where the ponds tend to last longest.

Great for spotting birds and small animals in all seasons, butterflies and dragonflies in spring/summer, and for hearing tiny frogs that hide very effectively in the grass and stop croaking when you try to locate them. Worth visiting in multiple seasons, too.

You can see some of the many photos I’ve taken there on Flickr and on my blog. Blog highlights include hawkspotting, winter birds and seasons of the marsh.

There’s a visitor center (with restrooms!) and a garden of local native plants across the street, and the gates shut at 5 pm.