About the Park
Willow Springs Park is a native restoration project managed by the Office of Sustainability. The park hosts free community events, educational workshops, is home to a diversity of native species, and is a peaceful place for community members to connect with nature in an urban setting. Strolling through Willow Springs Park, you’ll witness an incredible revival of a once highly degraded, native ecosystem.
The Park also hosts a space for other community organizations such as Long Beach Community Compost and Farm Lot 59.
How to Get There
Hours: Dawn to dusk
Address: 2745 Orange Ave., Long Beach CA 90806
Parking: Park in the lot on Orange Avenue, at Longview Point
For information on how to arrive using public transit, please visit Long Beach Transit’s trip planner.
Trails and Accessibility
Willow Springs Park features three loop trails. Additionally, the park features the highest accessible peak in Long Beach, Longview Point, with stunning views of Downtown Long Beach and the Palos Verdes hills.
The entrance and parking lot to Willow Springs Park is on Orange Avenue. The closest loop to the parking lot is Longview Point (about 0.17 miles). This is a moderately accessible trail surrounded by Long Beach native plants and a walk through of the Longview Map Plaza. The trail is made up of decomposed granite and begins with a gentle slope. The Longview Point loop is surrounded by another less developed loop trail (about 0.38 miles) that runs along the ridge of the hill offering better views of Long Beach and the rest of the park.
Lastly, the outermost loop trail at Willow Springs Park (approximately 0.8 miles) takes you through most of the park. This loop features many informational signs at the park and passes by Farm Lot 59, the Long Beach Office of Sustainability Yard, a bioswale and artesian spring, water detention basin, and a Tongva mural painted in the ruins of the park. This trail has steep declines and inclines that may be difficult for some people.
History
In 1921, the City of Long Beach had plans to make the property that is now Willow Springs Park a large open space similar to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco or Griffith Park in Los Angeles. However, the plan was never realized due to the discovery of oil on Signal Hill. In 1922 the area became a focus for oil extraction. The increase in heavy disturbances and human activity quickly changed the landscape: invasive plant species crowded out natives, making it nearly uninhabitable for the local wildlife that depend on these plants. Oil field activities and invasive plant species prevailed until 2017 when work on the Willow Springs Wetland Restoration Project began.
To learn more about the history of the park – take our Willow Springs Audio Tour!
Quick Links
Contact Us
562-570-6396
411 West Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach CA, 90802
