SkyPark at Santa's Village facts for kids
| Previously known as Santa's Village (1955–1998) | |
SkyPark at Santa's Village
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| Location | Skyforest, Lake Arrowhead, California United States |
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| Coordinates | 34°13′58″N 117°10′16″W / 34.2327483°N 117.1710950°W |
| Opened | May 28, 1955 (as Santa's Village) December 2, 2016 (as SkyPark at Santa's Village) |
| General manager | Bill Johnson |
| Theme | Outdoor Adventure Park |
| Operating season | All Year |
SkyPark at Santa's Village is an exciting outdoor adventure park located in Skyforest, California. It's a place where you can enjoy mountain biking, hiking, and many other fun activities all year round. The park is set on 230 acres of beautiful natural forest, with meadows, ponds, and even an apple orchard! At its heart is The Village, which has cool historic log cabin restaurants and shops.
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Welcome to SkyPark at Santa's Village!
SkyPark at Santa's Village is an Outdoor Adventure Park. It offers fun activities in the mountains near Lake Arrowhead, California. The park covers 230 acres of natural forest. You can find meadows, ponds, and an apple orchard there.
The main part of SkyPark is called The Village. It has old log cabin restaurants and shops. You can also find seasonal entertainment and outdoor activities here.
What Can You Do There?
SkyPark offers nearly 10 miles of trails for mountain biking and hiking. You can also try fly fishing, archery, and ziplines. In winter, there's an ice skating rink. In warmer months, it becomes a roller skating rink! Rock climbing is another exciting option. All these activities are included with your admission ticket.
The park also cares about nature. It has a special program to protect the environment. This includes the Henck Meadowlands Conservation Trail. They also offer conservation hikes and outdoor education for kids. About 30 acres of the park are kept untouched to preserve nature.
A Look Back: Santa's Village History
SkyPark at Santa's Village first opened its doors on December 2, 2016. But this location has a much older history!
The Original Santa's Village
The very first Santa's Village opened here in 1955. This was more than a month before Disneyland even opened! It quickly became a very popular place to visit in Southern California.
The original park had fun rides for kids. These included a bobsled, a monorail, and a Ferris wheel. There was also a petting zoo with live reindeer. You could visit shops like a bakery, a candy kitchen, and a toy shop.
Why Did It Close?
The original Santa's Village closed on March 1, 1998. Not enough people were visiting, and the park faced money problems. The property was sold three years later. It was then used for other purposes, like helping with logging work. The old candy cane sign and buildings became like a ghost town along the Rim of the World Highway.
The Reopening as SkyPark
In June 2014, a new owner bought the park. They planned to open it again as a year-round tourist spot. They wanted to call it SkyPark at Santa's Village. Many of the 18 original Santa's Village buildings were fixed up. The surrounding forest was also restored.
Finally, the park reopened on December 2, 2016. It came back as an outdoor adventure park, ready for new visitors!
