LAist: Visits to National Forests Are Declining, Do You Hike the Local Ones?

Linkracer

Mon, 08 Dec 2008 09:11:56 -0800

Thanks guys. All of this is super helpful!

Canyon Kelp

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:43:13 -0800

Crime is keeping some people away Crime you say? Yes Crime Gangsters, drunk/high people, speeding motorcycles, auto burglaries Trash / poor facilities / closed roads Poorly maintained trails / closures because of environmental lawsuits But I personally use the Local public lands extensively visiting 2-3 times per week average

DAbend

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:37:33 -0800

Localhikes is great. I live in Pasadena so I do Eaton Canyon a lot- though I prefer nearby Echo Mountain where you can see the remnants of early 20th century hotels and a train line. In the greater L.A. area, I'd take the Mishe Mokwa trail in the Santa Monica Mountains http://www.localhikes.com/Hikes/MisheMokwa_4472.asp San Gorgonio mountain in the San Bernardino Mountains Devil's Punchbowl in the Antelope Valley. All doable on a long day's travel.

Zach Behrens

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 13:08:19 -0800

@linkracer We had a hiking expert interested in writing for LAist, but an injury or something got in the way. I'll check into it see if we can get him on board!

Colfax

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:58:56 -0800

I own a couple of good books about hiking in LA. Even though they're 15 years old, they're still a great source of info. "Walking in LA" is definitely the title of one. The other is similar "hiking in LA" or the like. TONS of great hikes - especially in the Palisades area.

Preparsed

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:27:46 -0800

Totally! A Seattle native and REI addict, I was highly skeptical about moving to LA... but I've been really surprised by all the great hikes close by... and yes, within 30 mins of my house in Echo Park. In fact, I probably get out on Saturdays more frequently now than I did in the NW. A good home-grown resource for finding trails and commentary about them is LocalHikes.org; their LA area page is here: http://www.localhikes.com/MSA/MSA_4472.asp/ My fav's so far in the Angeles (hwy 2 is an awesome drive in itself, btw) are Mt. Islip and Waterman Mountain. The latter had snow on it when I did it on Friday... so weird to be walking on snow less than 40 miles from downtown.

msmerymac

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:11:43 -0800

Eaton Canyon in Pasadena is by far the best hike I've had in this area, if you're nearby. Walk out to the falls. You'll probably get wet on the second leg, but it's beautiful and the falls are worth it. The Santa Monica mountains, of course, have beautiful trails, as well as Malibu Creek. I'd bet that you're less than an hour from either Pasadena or Malibu. I do go to National Forests and also have a National Parks pass. The boyfriend is big on camping. For Valentine's day we'll be camping at Death Valley.

rdm24

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:29:08 -0800

Yes yes yes! I hike all the f*cking time!!! Going anywhere in LA can involve an hour of driving, so Linkracer is a bit out of luck. But if you live close to the foothills, you can get deep into the Angeles without too much driving. However, some good "urban" hiking can be found at Runyon, Franklin, Rustic Canyons, Griffith Park, Debs Park, Palos Verdes, and Kenneth Hahn State Rec. Area. There are quite a few more than that, of course! In Long Beach, we have El Dorado, and Bolsa Chica is right nearby.

Linkracer

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:03:38 -0800

While you're at it, can you please highlight the great walking/hiking trails right in the city of LA? Anyone commenters who have had a good hike without driving an hour, let me know (post below!)