Once known as Castaic Junction, this Los Angeles County community of some 20,000 or so individuals enjoys a semi-rural setting and some interesting attractions -- Castaic Lake and Pyramid Lake. But of course, the L.A. theme park for thrill-seekers just 5-10 minutes away is Six Flags Magic Mountain.
Several budget, chain hotels in Castaic serve the theme park crowd wanting to stay overnight.
Located along I-5 north of Santa Clarita, the town is a well known truck stop featuring the usual fast food diners and restaurants such as Denny's, Domino's, El Pollo Loco, and of course, Starbucks.
With a library and the beautiful Castaic Sports Complex Aquatic Center, lap swimmers are glad to find this pool facility. Locals generally rank the parks and recreation facility with high marks for its maintenance and amenities.
Housing in Castaic ranges from the very affordable mobile home buy-ins to large ranches, and for the average single family home dweller prices tend to be slightly less than homes closer to Los Angeles and and Southern California beaches. Some LA residents actually move to Castaic to get the home of their dreams at a price they can manage.
There's a lot of fun stuff to do on the northern edge of the Simi Valley where you find Castaic. Fillmore Railway, The Reagan Presidential Library and the charming city of Ojai are all great places to explore.
Of course our favorite and the most popular attraction of tourists is the beach. Ventura beaches are nearly a straight shot from Castaic if you drive CA-126. The route passes through Santa Paula, home to an ag museum and oil museum, plus a summer street cruiser car show.
Ventura beach vacations are a mere 50 miles away. In Ventura you can also board the boats to the Channel Islands, for day trips and some permit overnight camping.