I was in a dream state and although I slept well the closer I got to Griffiths park the harder my…read moreheart hurt. I'm glad I found this trail pretty easy to follow but I wouldn't go alone. I get lost easily. I made it to the top in 40 minutes going pretty slow as I had a panic attack which subsided. It was a hot Sunday and was back in the car by 11 am. It's nice to end the hike with a good stretch under a shady tree. Next time I will end my hike with some fruta. I miss you so much Atom.

I'm pretty sure there is an easier trail to get here than the way I took. I took the switchback…read morewith inclines and needed a few breaks so I wouldn't over exhaust myself. You're at the top when you see the stair pathway and then you turn back and there is Bee Rock. However, the section for bee rock is closed. You can see it to a certain point. I took the same way back because it was shorter than the easier trail which is longer. I was too tired from the way up I wanted to go the shortest way back.

A nice fire road to hike in La Canada…read more My friend and Yelper Jo Anne S. texted me that she wanted to hike, so I met her at the beginning of the trail. The Earl Canyon Motorway is a fire road that begins just west of the new Jessen Bridge right by the intersection of Solliden Lane. To get to Solliden Lane you would drive north on Palm Drive from Foothill Boulevard. First, we headed straight up the road that starts as a residential street. If you go straight you'll see a big sign for Hall Beckley Canyon. Eventually there will be an intersection and you will turn left. Don't go straight down Beckley Canyon because it dead ends in about a half mile into a spillway and abandoned home. There is a tree rope we used to climb to the top of the spillway, but once you get to the top there's no trail. I think the Santa Monica Conservancy or City of La Canada needs to start some work to re-build the trail once something is done with that abandoned house. It kind of gives me the heebie-jeebies and I was glad I wasn't hiking alone. Who knows if riff raff hangs out in this old house that is mostly boarded up. We turned back and got back on the actual fire road and it goes up a few miles. Next time I hike it I will try to get to the top and I'll edit this review. We started late and it started getting kind of warm so we turned around. Also, the Yelp map is off, but I'll get that fixed. I sent an e-mail to Yelp HQ with the coordinates. The view is amazing up there. We could see the Santa Monica Bay clearly with the naked eye. The photos didn't look as clear with iPhone. We could see to Catalina Island which was nice. This is definitely a nice trail on the side of Mt. Lukens. It may be an easy route to the summit and I'll try that in the near future.

We were looking for something to do in the area since we had time to kill. My brother suggested…read morethat we give this place a try and was really just a hop skip and jump away from home. I can't believe I have lived here for a large portion of my life and don't ever remember going on this hiking trail. According to my parents, they took me here once when I was younger but I don't have any recollection of this. As you walk up (or down) Jessen, you'll see a little road that leads past a few more homes and then slowly heads up the hills. While the path isn't paved, you definitely won't "lose" the path or find yourself in a bind with things blocking your way. The first trail definitely has a wide enough area where you won't have that sensation of falling off the side of the mountain. It is slippery because of all the loose rocks so make sure to wear good shoes. This is especially important for your trip back down because some of these places are steep enough to cause you to slide. You came here not just for the exercise but the scenery. On a bright sunny clear day you can see the skyline of Los Angeles as well as the ocean and making it up to the top really gives you a sense of accomplishment. If you really wanted more, you could continue hiking another 3 miles to head to the next view point. I have seen many people running as well as riding their bikes up the mountain (how they do that I don't know because I was already dying just walking). You can also walk your dogs up here (but please be responsible and pick up after them!). Definitely recommend this if you're in the area and looking to get some good pictures of the city :D

SHUTTLE AWAY!!…read more Continuing the Conditioning Hike Series of reviews. Several months ago, me and The Crew were headed to the backcountry on a strenuous backpacking trip. To prepare, I wanted to do some conditioning hikes to decrease my chances of having to be airlifted out. This was one of the trails I did several times prior to the trip. Back when I was a wee hiker, The Crew planned a shuttle hike. What the heck is a shuttle hike?!?!?! STATS: Distance: 6.5 miles Time: 2.5-3 hours Elevation Gain: 1700 ft. Rating: Intermediate, not for beginners Trail: Fire Road, Non-maintained Fire Road and Single Track w/very little shade. Just northeast of Griffith Park lie the Verdugo Mountains. Like Griffith Park, there are a freakton of trails, some are maintained and well-traveled, some are not. Like the trails at Griffith Park, the trails in the Verdugo's are not all that shaded, and it gets super hot haulin yourself up an ascent to capture a 180+ view of the city below, not to mention, watch as planes arrive and depart Bob Hope Airport, as the sun sets. If the air is clear enough, you can see the sun dipping itself into the ocean as its glow illuminates on the water. Fast forward years of hiking with The Crew, I learned quickly and almost the hard way what a shuttle hike entailed. I also learned that I'm not the only one who goes through this growing pain. Anywhoo, while hikes are up and back, or in and out, or point A to point A, where the starting and ending points are the same, a shuttle hike is a one-way hike and takes a more planning and organizing than a one-way hike. Everyone meets with their cars at the ending point, hikers pile into as few cars as possible, and carpool to the starting point/trailhead. The route mapped out should lead hikers back to the initial meeting point and drive those whose cars parked at the trailhead are carpooled back. Most often, The Crew does shuttle, or loop likes, one-way is typically on backpacking trips. The Skyline trail is in the Verdugo's, and just as every trail, can be one-way, however, The Crew makes it a car shuttle hike. So we left some cars at our initial meeting point, in this case, Brand Park. A short ride down the street and around the bend, to a residential area is where we began our hike. The track is overgrown and a bit challenging in a few spots, but rewards hikers with some outstanding scenes of the Burbank and Glendale areas, and a nice steady incline, great for conditioning. The trail back down to our cars is the rutted firebreak that connects Beaudry to the library and can be a bit dangerous, but there are other, safer trails that lead back to the Brand Park, should you choose to do a car shuttle. Otherwise, y'all can return the same way you came, and make it a one-way hike. DISCLAIMER: Hiking is not something that can be taken lightly. It can be life-threatening as you see and hear on the news, people die or get lost all time. Please, if you are going to hike, never go alone and prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Remember when going for a hike, no matter how short you think it may be, always be prepared. Carry at least two liters of water for every five miles (more if the weather is warm), protein bar, nuts, and electrolytes. Wear sturdy lug sole shoes and protective clothing. Some areas the weather can change quicker than a firefighter can put on his gear. It is also very important, always always always let a family member or friend know where you are going and when you expect to be back. Lastly, have fun when you hike it up.

Start on Via Montana, east of Country Club Drive. The trailhead is to the right of a blue portable…read moretoilet in a vacant lot. Head through the yellow gate and the rest is fairly obvious. It is 5.1-miles roundtrip with a 1600-foot elevation gain from the trailhead to the Verdugo Mountainway on the crest of the mountain range. It is 8.4-miles roundtrip with a 1900-foot elevation change from the trailhead to Verdugo Peak, the highest point on the range. For the biggest experience, try a loop of Skyline Trail to Verdugo Peak and back down Wildwood Canyon which can be done in 8.8 miles with a 2200-foot change. The trail mostly runs on the northern side of the ridge. There is some shade from the ridge, but that land mass also lessens the view of Burbank. Views are mostly of the canyon with shots of Glendale. Of course, reaching the top has a view of most of Los Angeles. Compared to Stough Canyon, Wildwood Canyon, and Brand Park, this is the least busy of the trailheads that go into the Verdugo Mountains from Burbank. Wear long pants to protect the legs. Although the trail is clear, it's not heavily maintained. Parking is on a city street around condos.

Verdugo Mountains are a small, rugged mountain range of the Transverse Ranges system, located just…read moresouth of the western San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, Southern California. These mountains offer seven different elevation trails: (a) La Tuna; (b) Hostetter; (c) Vital Link; (d) Stough trail; (e) Skyline Motorway; (f) Beaudry and (g) Las Flores Motorway. I took the Vital Link trail, a 3-5 miles with 1,275 to 1,890 ft of elevation. The Verdugo Mts have a wide variety of wild plants, trees, rodents and lizards. What I like about this mountain is its 360 degree view of LACounty. Little to no shades going to the summit, so bring sunscreen and water. Overall, I enjoyed hiking this mountains. It keep me fit af!

"There's only one hill!' said the announcer before the Verdugo Mountains 10k this morning, waiting…read morefor knowing chuckles from returning runners. Only one hill......yep. The steepest hill ever and straight up 1,735 feet! Even though I've lived in the area for almost 20 years, I had never actually hiked the fire road out of Brand Park. The Verdugo Mountains 10k gave me the opportunity at last. I'd had this 10k on my radar for several years but, quite frankly, was quaking in my running shoes at the prospect of actually doing it. I'd heard it described as extremely grueling; to be honest, if anything, this aspect of the race has been under-hyped. I'd been "training" and thought I might be kind of ready. Well.......I finished it but not in any kind of decent time for me and found this the hardest race ever. It's a given that running straight uphill is difficult. But a bigger problem was coming downhill. I'd assumed it would be possible to make up some time; but the road was SO steep and rocky that this was not to be. If anything I ran more slowly downhill than up so as not to slip and fall and to avoid killing my knees. Thankfully it wasn't just me; my friend and goddaughter agreed that this was the toughest run EVER. The http://www.runtheverdugos.com/ organization did an excellent job with this race. Staff was placed strategically to ensure safety on the trail, with plentiful water stops. Everything went very smoothly, even the pancake breakfast at the end. (Five stars for the pancakes!) The Verdugo Mountains themselves offer lovely views and wonderful cool breezes floating down the canyons. This being spring, wildflowers bloomed everywhere. If you are into high intensity workouts and challenging runs, this is the road for you. Who needs to pay money to a gym? Just drive to Brand Park, take the road past the Doctor's House, breathe deeply, and start running. Enjoy!

This trail (and by the way I have no idea how it got its name) is hidden in the hills above…read moreGlendale and La Crescenta. It's one of my favorite hikes in the area because it's pretty strenuous, yet it's all uphill out and downhill back (my favorite kind of hike). I love it because you got some pretty awesome views after just a few minutes of hiking. In fact I think this trail has some of the best views of the Crescenta Valley in the area. The Yelp directions are really accurate but parking is limited as it's in a residential area. I was lucky enough to hike on a weekday and have no idea what it would be like on a weekend; I found parking easily and didn't see another soul, other than a gazillion lizards. Be safe, take a cell phone and any other safety gear that's needed. And don't forget water.

Happiness does have a smell. And that's nature. Let us begin this hiking trail review…read more Flint Canyon Trail is a short loop half-mile trail Cherry Canyon Park that connects Owl Trail to Cerro Negro Trail. It's located in Hampstead Rd and Cherry Canyon Motorway in La Cañada Flintridge, CA. I arrived late Friday mornin. The trail is considered easy to moderate for experienced hikers with an elevation gain of 390 feet. The lower section of the trail is surrounded by oak trees which provide shade as you go through the hike. This trail's upper section intersects portion of Cerro Negro-Owl Trail which has steep incline that leads to Five Points and Sugar Loaf. The trail is doggo friendly, single friendly, married friendly, family friendly, good for running, biking and dancing. Lol. ;D The trails were well kept and easy to navigate thanks to direction sign posts. I spent roughly 2 hours (6.07 km) hiking, a perfect cardio workout. As for parking, there's no designated parking area for visitors. Thus, park along Hampstead road but careful the road has Tow Away Zone. Overall, I enjoyed hiking Flint canyon trail and it's other interconnected trails. I recommend this trailhead.

We went on a Sunday morning. Lots of people walking their horses which we enjoyed watching. Because…read morethere was a lot of rain, there were parts that were muddy. I took a stroller and was able to get through a good amount even with it being muddy then needed help. But I believe if it wasn't so muddy, going with a stroller wouldn't be much difficult.

This was easily one of my favorite hikes around LA, mostly because it was such an unexpected…read moreadventure. My friend originally wanted to hike the Brown Dam hike, but last minute suggested this trail and I'm so glad she did. We parked near the Angeles Crest Highway and followed the trail up to the La Cañada Teepee. The hike itself was long but relatively easy, and we were lucky that the weather was slightly overcast that day which it made the trek much more comfortable. We knew we were close when we saw the mailbox along the trail with a chain blockading the road to the teepee. That's when we ran into two Kenyan women who gave us a quick heads-up about what was ahead: stunning lavender fields, a cool telescope (I thought it was a model of the Griffith Observatory--haha), and even a little maze hidden within the flora and bushes as you get closer to the teepee structure. The sisters also mentioned that the area is actually private property, but the owners generously allow people to visit. We didn't run into the owner's, but we were able to explore and enjoy the incredible views and the massive teepee structure at the top. It truly felt like stumbling upon a hidden gem right in Los Angeles--one of the best surprises in such a long time. Highly recommended if you are an avid hiker. Best, Lina C.

This is a fun hiking destination! You can approach from the east or the south and you won't be…read moredisappointed.

Mt Wilson was an amazing hike, utterly beautiful. The observatory at the top and the picture…read moreopportunities were fun. We hiked on a perfect weather day and enjoyed ice cream at Mother Moo Creamery at the bottom. Wonderful experience. Please come and create your own adventure.

+ Fun hike! Good exercise if - it weren't for the fires…read morecausing destruction. Mt Wilson trail is now in disrepair and inaccessible. No notice of when it'll reopen. - Before driving 1 hr up there, I searched online "mt wilson forecast" to check for road/trail closures. The websites don't mention any. I drive up there, turns out Mt Wilson is closed! D:{ + But thankfully Chantry Flat just 5min drive away is open. + Decent single restroom at the Mt Wilson trailhead. + There's a restaurant at Mt Wilson summit, near the Observatory haha . Moderate amount of shade on these trails. - Lots of flies on these trails trying to fly into my mouth.