17851 Goldenwest St, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Hours: Tuesday, Friday and Saturday (9 AM-1 PM) Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday (Closed)
Admission: Free to enter but a donation of $3 is suggested and appreciated.
Overview
For those passing through or living in the Huntington Beach area, Shipley Nature Center, which is part of Huntington Central Park West, is a great spot to meander the trails. In addition to the trails, the nature center boasts a great interpretive center for kids with taxidermy, animal displays, finger puppets and interactive areas. The interpretive center also includes a gift shop. Due to the park being entirely run by volunteers, the hours are very limited and can make visiting a little tough. For those that can manage to make it here during the hours of operation, you won’t be disappointed.
The most popular activities at the nature center include birding, hiking and visiting the butterfly and hummingbird garden. There is also a riparian, waterwise and color garden. My personal favorite thing to do here is to visit the small (less than 10 trees) redwood grove via the short trail. There are many other great hiking options here as well. Volunteers will greet visitors upon entering and those visiting should make sure to pick up a nature center trail guide.
Habitats of Shipley Nature Center
The nature center consists of eight different types of habitats. Each is worth exploring but my personal favorite is the Redwood Grove habitat.
These are the eight habitats included within the nature center property. For more information on each habitat you can click on the link below.
- Oak Woodland
- Meadow
- Redwood Grove
- Coastal Sage Scrub
- Blackbird Pond
- Riparian Woodland
- Torrey Pine
- Southern Oak Woodland
Scout’s Story
The past few days had been rather eventful for my wife, our daughter Scout and myself. We are not typically used to having family members visit but over the past week numerous friends and family had come into town to see Scout. A little more than a month prior, Scout’s cancer was placed into remission after a nine month battle. After having her central line removed and a few follow up visits, Scout’s Oncology team put on an incredible end of treatment/bell ringing ceremony for her. We are so grateful to have reached this juncture and were so thankful that so many family and friends were able to share this special day with us. Especially those that made the long drives and flights out, specifically for the ceremony.
With family still in town, my wife and I decided to take Scout to Shipley Nature Center before meeting up with multiple family members in Newport Beach. We visit Huntington Beach a good amount but with the wacky hours of the nature center, we have never been in the area when it is open. Everything aligned on this day and we wanted to make sure we didn’t miss our opportunity to stop in.
Scout’s Day at Shipley Nature Center
We arrived at the parking area just before 12 PM. Knowing the nature center closes at 1 PM, we picked Scout up and hurried toward the entrance. I grabbed a nature trail guide and studied it as my wife and Scout led the way into the Interpretive Center building. I was impressed by the inside and Scout had an absolutely wonderful time. So much so that we had to physically remove her so we could walk the outside grounds before they closed.
Younger kids will absolutely love the Interpretive Center. A huge mural and small sitting area greets visitors as they enter.
Just around the corner from there is a separate room that will keep kids occupied for a while. Additional murals exist in this room as well as taxidermy animals and exhibits of native animals and habitats.
The back corner of the room housed a small area with stuffed animals and a puppet show stage.
After wrangling Scout, we finally made our way outside to quickly walk what we could of the trails before the nature center closed.
We were disappointed that we didn’t have more time but luckily the trails are short and it’s easy to see a good portion of the grounds in a short time. After looking at the map, I realized that the one thing I really wanted to see was the Redwood Grove. It took about five minutes to make it over to them and I’m glad we did. While smaller than typical redwoods and although there was only a handful of them, the trees were still impressive and worth seeing. We made a few quick stops on our way out and were the last visitors to leave. We left feeling happy to have visited and eager to return back.
June 30, 2023
Getting to Shipley Nature Center
17851 Goldenwest St, Huntington Beach, CA 92647
Head towards where you entered the parking lot and follow the paved walking path (on your left) through the park for about a minute. A gated entrance for the Shipley Nature Center will appear on the right.
Notes, Questions and Thoughts
- Are restrooms available?
- Yes, restrooms are located adjacent to the interpretive center
- Are dogs allowed?
- No, dogs are not allowed, with the exception of service animals
- Big dedicated parking lot with free parking is located at the address at the top of the page. From there visitors can follow the paved trail for a few minutes to the nature center which is located on the right hand side of the park.
- Nature trail guides can be picked up at the entrance or found online here.
- Picnic Lunching is prohibited within the nature center.
- Please stay on maintained trails. The park asks that visitors walk and speak quietly, allowing everyone to enjoy the sights and sounds of the local wildlife.
