Incredibly overgrown trail with lots of history. It's hard to believe so many people have reviewed…read moreit since I've never seen a person past the 1st ford. Tough, scenic, true wilderness, and very close to LA.

LOLLYPOP, LOLLYPOP, OOH LOLLY, LOLLY, LOLLY LOLLYPOP!!!!…read more BACKGROUND: Amid the arid-looking mountains north of Castaic Lake, Castaic Creek flows the better part of the year through a sinuous gorge flanked by picturesque sandstone outcrops. The creek is perfect for wading - shallow, slow-moving, and warmed by the sun. Fish Canyon Narrows: In the trench-like confines of middle Fish Canyon, aridity and moisture stand side by side, separated by a matter of a few yards. Mountain mahogany, manzanita and other drought-resistant shrubs cling to the walls, while a shallow stream gurgles merrily past a line of oaks, sycamores, willows, and cottonwoods. It is almost as if a little slice of the Pacific Northwest was transplanted to Southern California. STATS: Distance: 8 miles Elevation Gain: less than 1000ft ESSENTIALS: At least 2 liters of water Know your limits Comfy hiking shoes with good lugs Layered Clothing High protein food/snacks Electrolytes Camera Hat (optional) Sunscreen Trek poles (optional) OUR ROUTE: From the parking area me and The Crew headed down an asphalt road which took us to the first canyon. In this first canyon there is a trail in some portions and not so much in other parts. There were a few spots of some minor boulder hopping and very short climbs. If there is any water it could be avoidable. At the end of this canyon is where we encountered overgrown trails, as well as no trail at all as we started our ascent to the loop trail. This section is less than an 1/8 of a mile and brought us to the middle portion of the route. The area does not get much use which can make the trail overgrown and difficult to find in some areas. In this area we had a rather continuous climb as we headed over to Wind Caves. The next portion was where it got interesting. A short portion of bushwhacking and an interesting canyon down climb got us back down and completed our looped route. The scenery is amid arid-looking mountains north of Castaic Lake, Castaic Creek flows the better part of the year through a sinuous gorge flanked by picturesque sandstone outcrops. The creek is perfect for wading - shallow, slow-moving, and warmed by the sun. Fish Canyon Narrows: In the trench-like confines of middle Fish Canyon, aridity and moisture stand side by side, separated by a matter of a few yards. Mountain mahogany, manzanita and other drought-resistant shrubs cling to the walls, while a shallow stream gurgles merrily past a line of oaks, sycamores, willows, and cottonwoods. It is almost as if a little slice of the Pacific Northwest was transplanted to Southern California. 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 fireman 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. Review 80 Yelp 100+ Challenge 2015

The Enchanted Forest Trail is one of the closest trailheads to the center of Pine Mountain Club,…read moreand one that was marked on both Google Maps and on the map of hiking trails provided by the Pine Mountain Inn (5*). With such an inviting name, my friend and I wanted to be sure to check it out. Arriving in Pine Mountain Club on a Friday afternoon in April, we decided to save a longer trail for Saturday and visit the Enchanted Forest Trail with about 1.5 hours remaining before sundown. The trailhead is very simple to find. From there, the trail was not difficult to follow until it brought us to a rocky dry watercourse on the mountain. We had read that the track might get lost, but most of the reviews on AllTrails saying that were from winter. We had followed the path pretty easily until the watercourse, but at that point we lost it. We considered scrambling up the rocky gorge but that seemed wrong. At that moment, we heard voices echoing in the canyon, and that directed my attention over across the watercourse into the underbrush. We realized we could cross the gulch and find the trail on the other side. Locating the path, we soon passed the people coming down from the trail's end. We asked how it was, and they said "it gets steep and rocky." It had already been like that, so we wondered how much steeper and more rocky it might be. After going on for another 5-7 minutes, we arrived at an area on the path that felt like it was vibrating with energy. Neither of us is particularly spiritual but this place, where a large redwood had fallen with a tremendous, splintered split across its trunk and where someone had placed a stone cairn, felt inexplicably mysterious. (See my pic. The place where the trunk splits is taller than the height of a person.) The sun had just dipped behind the ridgeline, and we decided this would be where we would stop. It's an out-and-back trail, so why not make this our back point? On the way down the trail, I started to get tinnitus in my right ear. This isn't something that has happened to me in recent memory. Maybe because the area is so quiet, I could hear a ringing in my ears. But then, out of nowhere, a tree started dropping its leaves on the path to our left. No wind blew, nothing discernible changed. Leaves just started dropping. We thanked the forest for hosting us, and made our way down the path--without urgency, but expeditiously. Whatever's enchanting this forest was probably having a good time. We did too. Just be ready for a hint of the chills as you hike along.

I like this trail, it lives up to its name and is very much like walking through a movie forest…read more Trees split in half, old rock slides, echo-y mountains give this trail such a good and on edge vibe. Unfortunately we had to head back early because the ground was too frozen to walk on without some sort of special ice gear.

How have I never been here before…read more... Sunday with no plans on the book. Let's take a drive to Frazier Park and go hiking. Same with that, never been to this little town as well. It's literally off the 5 freeway a couple miles in and you at the town. It was about half hour or 45 minutes drive up the mountain from the freeway till where the mountain start. There's different sections that you could go to if you wanted to hike or camp. We didn't really know where and what trails there was. Just ended up at of the campsite parking lot and went from there. There's loads of trails to choose from. Theres sign at the base that'll tell you the levels of hike and the distance. Also, the path was pretty wide on the one we were at which was nice. Right when you get out of the car, you could already smell the difference in air quality. Mountain air, being in nature with all the beautiful trees and noise of the birds. This place was beautiful. The path was nice to walk, slightly uphill and not hard. We passed loads of people but it still felt very quiet as you're in the woods. There's still loads of wildflowers growing. Temperature wise, it was perfect as your at a higher elevation and there was also nice breeze. Just walking and seeing all the beautiful trees, some covered in moss. The chipmunks running past you along the paths, it's a completely different experience from the hustle and bustle of the city. The views were amazing. When you get to the lookout point where the tower is, there was two tins/cans along the rocks that you could leave a message. Notebook and pen was provided for signing. This particular trail wasn't hard even though it said it was but very manageable. About 2 miles each way. But the views along and at the top of the lookout was spectacular. It's amazing that an hour or so from the city, there's so many hidden gems. Nature is beautiful if you haven't noticed. And another place for hiking on our lists.

Overlooked forest since Angeles Forest is nearby. We love Los Padres National Forest. The little…read moretown of Frazier Park is the last town before going up to Los Padres. We love the quietness and solitude you find here. The trees and winds make this beautiful sound. I honestly think this place is sacred. We have camped at McGill Campground and have hiked up to Mt. Pinos. Only about an hour drive from Los Angeles/Santa Clarita. The forest does get snow fall and I think we just had the first big dump of snowfall last night.

This is little-known short trail that leads to a great big rocky outcrop with steep drop-offs and…read moresweeping views of Castaic Wilderness in the Angeles National Forest. The trail is 1 mile (there-and-back). The trailhead is located up the road and north of Castaic Lake, off of Lake Hughes Rd. Park in the dirt off the the side of the road. You'll see a narrow trail that follows the edge of the mountain. There are sections that are slightly overgrown. I walked slowly watching carefully for snakes. You'll see all kinds of wildflowers if you go in the spring. The recent rains has turned the vegetation green. There was long grass flowing in the wind. Once you reach the large rock outcrop you'll get to examine a number of small openings in the rock, peak into small caves and climb through a large slit in the middle of the rock formation. There's a real dangerous cliff-section where you need to use some caution and not let kids play unsupervised. Overall it's a fun trail with lots to see and explore. It's a nice teaser that will make you want to explore other trails in the area.

Nice beach park. Pretty cool place for photography and hang out pretty cool place to chillread more

This location was great for day camping and jet skiing! There was a life guard on duty when we went…read morewho stopped by visitors' tables/covered cabanas and welcomed us. He also gave us pointers around swimming and jet skiing in this section of Pyramid Lake which is called Vaquero Lake. We had a fun time. It just sucked that there was green algae on this particularday that we visited, but we kept our dog out of the water and tried to not get it in our mouths if we ended up swimming. We will definitely return in the future.

I've done all of the major mountain ranges nearby and it's hard to find new local trails that…read moremotivate me; I have had this one on my list for a while, but have avoided it since it is mainly fire road all the way to the 'top'; It is however, close to the Sespe Condor Sanctuary and the last time we were at Slide Mtn we had a California Condor circle us from about 30 yards away while we were on top of the active Fire Lookout, so with the hopes of a condor sighting and the basic desire to get out of the house, off I went! Once you get over the first crest and away from the 5, the views were quite outstanding! Also, the actual peak itself doesn't have a trail to it, and to be honest, it's not worth the effort to get to, but it you want to EARN it and bushwhack your way up, you can, but the views won't be any better.

Whitaker Peak is in the Angeles National Forest, off the 5 freeway, north of Castaic. The path to…read moreWhitaker Peak Lookout starts at Golden State Hwy and Whitaker Peak Rd (aka Forest Road 6N53)(see pic). The old and cracked sign marks an old and cracked road. We parked on the huge shoulder on the highway. The trail is paved but the hardtop breaks down or is covered by dirt about 2.5 miles in. Some of the paved road can be avoided by taking a ridgeline trail a little over a mile up the road. The road follows power lines to communication towers at lookout. The initial freeway noise faded when moving east. The canyon views and manzanita fields were the best parts of the hike. The road doesn't go to Whitaker Peak but an overlook past the summit with a long view of Lake Piru (see pic). Little used, we came across one other person (a lone mountain biker) on the entire 9.0-mile roundtrip trek with a gentle 1200' elevation gain.

This is a 2-mile (out & back) trail that follows a rocky creek and ends at a waterfall that empties…read moreinto a large pool of water. Half the trail has you walking in the creek. The water mostly comes up to your ankles. There's a short section where the water reaches your chest. You can avoid it by climbing up a steep hill. There's some boulder climbing and some sections are overgrown. The waterfall at the end was fairly crowded so I wasn't able to fully enjoy it. You can climb up a ladder and cliff jump if you like. If I were to do it all over again I would definitely try to avoid the crowds by visiting earlier in the morning or on a weekday. Wearing pants with swim trunks underneath may not be a bad idea since it will decrease your exposure to poison ivy. There are some sections where exposure is almost unavoidable since the trail is narrow and the brush is overgrown. When you get home I would scrub yourself well with a washcloth and dish soap to remove the oils. The entrance is near a bridge. It's a popular spot so you will likely see a number of cars parked by the side of the road.

Not worth the trek, in my opinion. Covered in graffiti, trash everywhere, couple spots with poison…read moreoak, and living things swimming with you in the water . Also, not a fan of getting my feet wet while hiking. Not to mention water to my high thigh I am proud of myself for making it BOTH WAYS and my kids (10u) did it too, but the waterfall at the end wasn't worth the 2.8 mi hike end to end.

There are a lot of trails out here. Some are just for atvs and bikes. And you have to be careful,…read morebecause many of the trails have black diamond offshoots that can mess you up if you're. it careful, or at least prepared. lovely place.

Although COVID cancelled our hikes overlooking Lake Tahoe, we tried Bouquet Canyon reservoir as a…read moresubstitute. Granted, not an equal replacement but was still enjoyable with multiple vistas of the man-made lake and a few patches of wildflowers. We started at Forest Road 6N08 and Bouquet Canyon Road along the eastern edge of the reservoir and just kept going up until we reached the top of Martindale Ridge. The ridge is also accessible from opposite side via Sierra Highway near Agua Dulce. Not an area of the Angeles National Forest where environment concerns are at the forefront, the roads are legal for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use like dirt bikes, ATVs, and 4-wheelers. We were the only hikers on the dirt roads which we safely shared with six motorcyclists and a dozen 4x4s. As with most off-roading areas, multiple tracks were cut through the mountains. The trails were either named Martindale Ridge Road or Rowher OHV Trail. Consequently, it's easy to confuse the two and depending on the route taken, distances can greatly vary. For example, we hiked 5.0 miles going up and 3.8 miles returning down. The entire hike was 8.9 miles with a 1700' elevation difference.