OT: Hiking north of Los Angeles

[JanG]

I will be in LA for a few days at the beginning of August, staying downtown. I'd like to be able to do some hiking in the San Gabriel Mtns north of Pasadena, Altedena, etc. and would appreciate any local knowledge or recommendations. I've enjoyed hiking in the area around Topanga Canyon and even the more urban trails behind Griffith Park or west of Runyon Canyon. However, I've not previously gone north of the Hollywood sign.

I'm willing to drive a bit further into the mtns to a trailhead, if necessary. In fact trail head info is one of the things lacking in the online resources I found. Parking at the beginning of some trails looks non-existent or sketchy.

Thanks.

Jan G.

[mosca]

I'm not much of a hiker but I've enjoyed the Mt. Lowe/Echo Mountain hike in
Altadena a few times in the past. Easy access from downtown and parking not a problem iirc.

Here's a decent description:

http://geekhiker.com/2009/05/06/hike-mt-lowe-railway/

[vqdriver]

well, you've already done runyon canyon. and that's where all the out of towners seem to flock to get their celebrity fix.
in pasadena is the trail behind jpl, hahamongna wathershed. that's the same parking lot and trailhead for the brown mtn/el prieto mtb trails. nice little canyon there with a creek running thru. very popular local trail.

eaton canyon falls trail is also quite popular and closeby but i don't know if there's water still.

both have dedicated parking lots. don't park at hahamonga parking lot tho. that's the wrong side of the watershed. you wanna park in the mountain bikers lot on windsor and w. mountain view.
eaton canyon has a large lot but the hike is much longer from the lot. is it a self-pay lot???? can't remember. if going straight to the falls there's access mid trail but you'll have to find street parking. all residential area.

[maunahaole]

there is this:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/26/19696404-la-area-campgrounds-shut-down-after-squirrel-tests-positive-for-plague

[cinema]

if you mention san gabriel you have to mention bridge to nowhere. pretty great moderate difficulty hike. The best part, ironically, is not the stupid bridge, but a waterfall just beyond it where you can cool off after your hike. get there early, like 6-7. get a parking pass from a sporting goods store or at the trail head (the parking pass spot at the trailhead opens around 7 or 8 i think)

[cat6]

.

[Uncle Jam's Army]

If you're looking for something more than a hike on a trail, there's Strawberry Peak. Easy Class 3 section toward the end is really fun.

The Mount Lowe/Echo Mountain recommendation is good, too. Nice history there, not too hard hike. There's always the Mount Wilson trail, a very long slog I don't find very interesting, but a solid workout. Rattlesnake Peak/Iron Mountain is probably the toughest of all in the San Gabriels.

[JanG]

Many thanks for the suggestions so far. I thought mountain lions were the only concern, not bubonic plague.

As for for distance, I'm willing to plan around any hike from 3-4 hours on the short side to most of the day if it seemed worthwhile. The ability to replenish the camelback, or lack of it, may be a factor.

Jan G.

[Dave Ferris]

There is the Verdugo Mountain range over by me in Glendale. It's pretty much all open fireroads and steep.

This is the trail I more or less run and ride 2-3 times a week. It's not this green this time of year btw.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfw0TyHbINU

The drag about this area in the summer is there's no shade cover at all. It gets pretty toasty really quick. Unless you really like the heat and sun, I'd recommend starting at no later then 7 AM if you want to spend a huge amount of time up there. Evening hikes are good as the temps cool off dramitically. Just time it so your not out there after dark obviously

There are several access points. One off Canada as you are going North. You turn left on Colina, the first stoplight north of Verdugo park. take it all the way up to the top of the hill...turns into Sunshine. You'll have to park about an eighth of a mile from the gate as it's all red curb. It's 2.36 miles to the first hub. You can go on from there...just bear to the left towards the 6 big radio towers. You can keep going all the way across the range into Burbank. In the very early morning, the Sunshine trail is pretty well shaded from the eastern sun exposure.

Another access point is off Beaudry by the Oakmount Country Club. Beaudry has a bit more shade for the first mile and a half or so. If you do go up Beaudry, take the right fork about a quarter mile up to best access the entire range.
There's also another fireroad you can access from Brand Park in Glendale as well as DeBell Golf course in Burbank.

Over in La Canada if you park at Hahamonga Watershed Park across from La Canda HS or at Windsor (where all the mtn bikers park) , you can do the upper Arroyo. This is almost all flat and much shade cover. Very popular trail. Also El Prieto is really nice and lots of shade cover in places. Just watch for crazy Mtn bikers bombing down on the weekends (the ones that are out of control). This area used to be the crown jewel of the San Gabriels but has taken a big hit from the massive Station fire years ago and the ensuing floods. It's coming back though and worth checking out.

Out in the Valley if you get off the 101 at Reseda and go south to the end-you can access the Santa Monicas. Very popular area ! Sullivan Canyon , Trippet ranch, many fireroads and single track.

Staying in LA, off Sunset in the Palisades is Will Rogers park. This is the backside of the aforementioned Santa Monicas.

Many places to check out. Have fun...

[JanG]

Thanks to all who made suggestions. Last Sunday, my son and I drove out to Chantry Flats, north of Sierra Madre, and hiked from there. We did a loop going to Sturtevant Falls (along with a ton of other people), then up to Mt. Zion (almost nobody), and then back to Chantry Flats along a different trail. It was nice and shaded for most of it, although with the cool temperatures last weekend we were never really hot.

The Verdugo Mtns were my backup plan but since my 21 year old was willing to wake up early enough to be picked up at 0730, we went further afield. The Bridge to Nowhere is on the agenda for November if the weather permits.

By coincidence the US National Track championships were being held last weekend in Carson. We went on Saturday and enjoyed the racing. What a great velodrome at the Stubhub Center.

Jan