The Fake Angeleno

Angeles Crest Highway (Route 2) Above La Canada Reopens

 

Great news for Southern California hikers: The western entry to the Angeles Crest Highway has reopened to vehicle traffic.  It's been a two-year wait since the station fire ravaged the front range of the San Gabriels, closing the main thoroughfare into the range and leaving a vast swathe of burnt forest. 

The highway's re-opening means the end of circuitous, lenghty detours to prime trails.  

Even better - the forest service re-opened half of the burn area last month. For a complete rundown of which areas are back in business, see the Moder Hiker's list and coverage.

[Angeles Forest: Re-Opened Trails]

Also see Patch's Dan Abendschein's article on how you can help the area continue to recover from the station fire: [LINK]

Hiking to The Bridge To Nowhere - East Fork of the San Gabriel River

Hidden above Azusa is the rushing current of the San Gabriel River - which flows year-round with a force and rapidity that's surprising given the surrounding desert lowlands.  There are all kinds of great trails up here, including Bear Creek, Smith Mountain, Crystal Lake, Rincon OHV, Bichota Canyon, and many more.

This weekend, we finally got around to taking the absolutely delightful, 10-mile Bridge to Nowhere out and back.

To reach the Bridge to Nowhere trail, you take highway 39 straight up into the mountains, passing two giant dams and reservoirs. Looking at these structures, it's easy to imagine how L.A. was prone to cataclysmic flooding in its early years.  Proceeding North on 39, you'll take a right on 'East Fork' road about 12 miles into the hills.  You'll follow this road all the way to the East Fork fire station, park, and then proceed on foot up the East Fork of the river.  Be ready to get your feet and lower legs soaked to the bone. This hike features at least 10 different river crossings over the course of 10 miles.  

As always, you can get a comprehensive trip report and great directions and tips from The Modern Hiker. If you're interested in taking this hike, use his post as a resource.

[Modern Hiker on The Bridge to Nowhere]

Here are a few of our choice snapshots from the trail:

 

Still dry at this point... 

Red Rock Canyon/ Calabasas Peak - Weekend Hiking Report:

After six month layoff to avoid the worst of the summer and fall heat, we're back on a regular weekend hiking schedule here at Fake Angeleno central.  We continue to explore the Santa Monica Mountains extensively, and last week was no exception.  Red Rock Canyon and Calabasas Peak proved a satisfying 6-7 mile hike, with solid elevation gains and an uncrowded feel. 

We made a loop of it, going the wrong way.  We parked on Stunt Road at the trail head for Calabasas Peak. Along the way, we headed up a spur trail and found ourselves in the Fred & Alma Meier nature preserve.  From there, we cut down onto old Topanga Rd. and regained the trail by walking up the entirety of Red Rock Road - a semi-private neighborhood street with some beautiful houses and a dry stream bed that's sure to be beautiful come the rainy season.    

For a much more extensive recap, check out the Geek Hiker's Red Rock Canyon Park & Calabasa Peak report.

Some pictures from our hike below...

 

A giant-sized breakfast nook on the trail.

 

A John Kerry-like slab of rock in the background...

Could these folks also be the namesake of Meier St.?

 

Thanks for a great hike, Red Rock Canyon Park!

More Weekend Hiking: Eagle Rock and Temescal Peak

This hike was really satisfying both as a workout and a feast for the eyes. It's one of those trails that makes it hard to remember you're still standing in the country's second largest metropolitan area.  The Santa Monica Bay views were particularly enjoyable... And the "Eagle Rock" was fun to scramble around on too.

Here's a photo our good friend Mai snapped on the peak:

 

If you're thinking my hike description is incredibly lazy and pedestrian, you'd be right.  Fortunately, the Modern Hiker has an exceptional review of this trail -- complete with maps, points of interest, and dozens of excellent photos.  I highly recommend you check it out.

[LINK: Modern Hiker on Hiking Eagle Rock and Temescal Peak]    

Weekend Hiking Report: Escondido Falls

We were back in Malibu last Saturday, to enjoy the Escondido Falls trail after the recent rainstorms.  Although the terrain was fraught with general muddiness and some slightly precarious stream crossings, we were well-rewarded with a lively waterfall view at trail's end.  As a bonus, we scrambled up above the initial waterfall money shot and enjoyed some fun boulder hopping, some steep ascents, some auxiliary falls action, and some lovely views. 

 

We were accompanied by friends Miriam and Jack -- who turned out to be the most adept of our group at boulder hopping and advance reconnaissance.

Solstice Canyon: Weekend Hiking Report

Solstice Canyon was a real winner.  We hiked 9 miles there on Sunday morning and were rewarded with waterfalls, ridge-line views, intriguing ruins, and a great workout.  Though most of the parkland was burnt in a 2007 fire, it's coming back nicely now.  As for the intriguing ruins, there's a burnt-through modernist home foundation on the trail that's somewhat mind-blowing. (The place was built in the 50s, photographed by Julius Shulman, and then burnt down in 1982 after the owner's heirs didn't bother to maintain the water-piping system built to protect the house from fire.)

Also: The Modern Hiker has a great writeup on this trail.

And: Be sure to take a right on the "Deer Valley Loop" off of the 'Sostomo Trail" -- it makes for a better viewing experience and is less confusing...

Here are a few pictures:

 

Weekend Hiking: Tree People Trails

Why is the Fake Angeleno so serious in this photo?

Maybe the majesty of a San Fernando Valley vista on a clear day has him in a reflective mood.  Or maybe he's just slightly worn out from the uphill section of a nice out-and-back hiking trail originating at the Tree People complex at Coldwater Canyon Park.

Reading Material 12/29: Majesty of the Outdoors Edition

1. The modern hiker's been enjoying the San Gabriel snow -- with the photos and excellent hike suggestions to prove it. [Modern Hiker]


2. Plenty Magazine goes kayaking on the L.A. River and gives a history and urban planning lesson along the way. [Plenty]


3. While I'm at it, here's a link to the wonderfully informative website of the Santa Monica Mountains conservancy. [LA Mountains]

Weekend Hike: Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Area

Baldwin Hills looms over Culver City kind of like a hulking older step sibling of limited intelligence and dubious social skills.  What you see is mostly blighted oil derrick wasteland, dusty open space, and a some weird '60s housing stock.  Still, there's something charming about the whole setup, simply because it's a huge chunk of land -- smack in the middle of the city -- that lies mostly fallow.  Nestled up there on one of the bigger hills is the 319 acres of park land known as Kenneth Hahn State Recreational Area. 

Wikipedia notes that, "as one of the largest urban parks in Los Angeles, some have called it L.A.'s Central Park."  I may well have to go in and edit that entry... 

I know Central Park like Loyd Bentsen knew Jack Kennedy; Mayor Supervisor Hahn, your park is no Central Park.  By way of analogy: Central Park is to Hahn Park as The Empire State Building is to whatever the second tallest building in Los Angeles is.  (Plugging in the U.S. Bank Tower to that equation would be giving Hahn Park too much credit in relation to Olmstead's jewel.)

Which is not to say Hahn Park sucks and isn't worth visiting.  Far from it.  This weekend, we enjoyed an afternoon of trail exploration and panoramic L.A. views courtesy of those 319 acres.  The park has two main loops you can hike, and it looks fairly bike friendly as well.  Unfortunately, there's a $4 parking fee on weekends, but weekdays are free. 

Here's a picture of Jessica looking West from the "Autumn Ridge" rest area.  Notice the Pacific glimmering in the top-left of the frame. If you're interested, there are a few more pictures after the jump.

Weekend L.A. Hiking Itinerary: Malibu Creek State Park

This Saturday, we woke up early and headed up to Malibu Creek State Park for our latest hiking adventure.  Though we had actually meant to take the Talepop trail loop, we ended up on another trail entirely.   This wasn't a bad thing.  The out and back route we ended up taking started out in open grassland, but soon began to follow the creek bed through some lush and shaded terrain.  It wasn't difficult hiking and there was enough scenery to stave off boredom throughout the hike.  Highlights of the trail included the gorgeous Century Lake and the patch of park where Robert Altman shot some scenes for M.A.S.H.   Evidently, Ronald Reagan's old ranch site is on the trail too, but we turned around before we got there. 

Here's a picture of me expressing my regard for supply side economics:

 

Here's Jessica at the M.A.S.H. filming site: (Trapper John not pictured)

Century Lake...

At any rate, we can certify Malibu Creek State Park as being worth your weekend time.  Here's more of what the Parks Department website has to say about the place:

Just 25 miles from downtown Los Angeles, the park features hiking, fishing, bird watching and horseback riding opportunities.  There are 15 miles of streamside trail through oak and sycamore woodlands an chaparral-covered slopes.  Twenty-five-mile Malibu Creek in the park is the principal water-course of the Santa Monica Mountains - from Boney Mountain to Malibu Lagoon.  The park was the center of Chumash Native American life for centuries and was once used to film numerous movies and TV shows...