LA Area Hiking

“Hi. I'm going to be spending about a week in LA to visit a friend in a couple weeks and will have my days free for hiking. Any recommendations on places to kick around during the days? I'd primarily be interested in long day hikes, and I don't mind a bit of driving to get there if the destination is worthwhile. Any ideas would be very much appreciated. Thanks.”

“I've hiked just about everywhere in the LA area, and I have to say that my absolute favorite hike is Boney Mountain in the Santa Monica Mountains.

It's a bit far from actual Los Angeles, but it's got just about everything you want in a hike, and it's well worth the extra drive

Total, it's about 9.5 miles, with a 3,000 foot ascent (give or take). You end up with an uninterrupted view of the coastline for a good 75 miles or so on a clear day. You can see all the Channel Islands. In addition, you can see inland for a good hundred miles or so. From the very top, you have about 270 degrees of uninterrupted view.

To get there:

Take the 101 freeway north into Newbury Park/Thousand Oaks

Exit Wendy Drive and make a left
Turn right on Lynn
Just a bit past Reino Rd., you'll turn left at a big sign that says something along the lines of "Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area: Rancho Sierra Vista, Satwiwa Park" (it's kind of easy to miss, so pay attention)

Park at the end of the road

if you follow the signs, it's pretty easy to get to the top and there's usually not many people up there. If you want some extra fun, there's a decommissioned trail (called the "climbing route") that I always take. It isn't a real climb, but it's a lot more fun. If you're interested, I can give more detailed directions on how to follow the climbing route up.”

“My LA hikes are mostly in the San Gorgonio Wilderness: http://www.sgwa.org. A free hiking permit is required. The wilderness is very pristine and has some great views. You have to drive about 70 miles east of LA to get to the trailheads.

Closer to LA around Mt. Baldy there some nice trails also. Icehouse Canyon and the Ski Hut trail are nice. You can find more info on those hikes with a few searches.

Good Luck!”

“That's great. Thanks for the help. Both look great. I'll be sure to check them out when I'm out there.”

“Ranger Tarol hasn't posted here in a while, but if she did, she'd tell you to check out her web page.

http://www.tarol.com/”