We took a late afternoon hike around Griffith Park, revisiting some of the trails we used to explore when we lived in Burbank. I enjoy hiking from the northern section of the park because it’s usually less crowded than the southern end near the observatory. Today felt especially quiet, with clouds rolling in and the weather hinting at rain. We parked at the Mineral Wells picnic area and walked along the Mineral Wells Trail until we reached Mt. Hollywood Drive. Mt. Hollywood Drive is a paved road free of car traffic and popular with cyclists. This hike offered plenty of scenery, with views of Burbank, Glendale, the Verdugos, and the San Gabriels. Our plan was to loop back via the North Trail, passing Amir’s Garden, and then return to Mineral Wells.

Along the way, I noticed ceanothus, also known as California Lilac, in shades of white and light purple. Ceanothus is native to California and one of the first signs of spring. I reacquainted myself with toyon berries, tobacco plants, California buckwheat, and the tall eucalyptus trees. The higher we climbed into the hills, the chillier it became, and a light rain began to fall. We reached a viewpoint overlooking Royce's Canyon, admiring the peaks – Mt. Lee and Cahuenga – and I spotted the pocket cave nestled in the canyon below. The hills were vibrant and lush, spring at its finest, and the rain enhanced the scrubby fragrance of chaparral and sagebrush.

We encountered some critters during the hike as well: a coyote, a skunk, and a pair of ravens playing in the wind. We passed the haunted picnic table, which looked even more weathered over the years, and after reaching the high point of the loop, we turned toward the North Trail to start our descent. We stopped briefly at Amir’s Garden to admire its beauty, lovingly planted into the hillside, with sweeping views over Glendale. As we approached the end of the hike, the clouds began to clear, the sun emerged, and the sky turned a clear blue – a perfect end to a perfect day.

Click “Read More” below for more photos from this hike.

I was super excited to explore a new part of the Angeles National Forest this past Sunday! One of the first hiking books I’d ever purchased was “Trails of the Angeles” by the late John W. Robinson. This hike is hike #1 in his book. In addition, Casey Schreiner of ModernHiker.com, recently posted a trail report about this hike, making it sound even more appealing.

The trailhead is about an hour and 20 minute drive from our home and is in the northwestern section of the Angeles NF. It starts off on the PCT, and we did pass a number of thru hikers headed to the Sierras as we ascended the mountain southbound.

The first part of the trail took us up switchbacks that were surrounded by blooming ceanothus (wild lilac) as well as patches of yerba santa. As we made our way up, we had wonderful views of the Antelope Valley, the Ventura mountain ranges, the San Andres rift zone and the Tehachapis. It’s a very interesting contrast considering the mountain we were hiking on was so lush and green.

As we continued, we passed through an incredibly beautiful pine grove filled with purple lupines. Various wildflowers were numerous along the entire route. As we climbed upward, Liebre mountain turned into a sprawling oak savanna and the clouds began to roll over us as they made their way across the mountaintop. We reached a junction where the PCT headed east, but continued along the trail (which was now more of a fire road then a single track) to reach the highest point of Liebre Mountain. To find the high point which is marked with a wooden stake and a pile of large rocks, we had to leave the road and do a little searching. We stopped here to relax, have a snack and enjoy the scenery. We also did a some exploring around the top of the mountain before making our way back taking our time as we did. As we descended, the temperatures had warmed up a bit and there was more wildlife activity; lizards warming themselves in the sun and insects enjoying the wildflower blooms. I stopped for a while to get some photos of a Clearwing Hummingbird Moth nectaring on the yerba santa at about 4,300’. It was quite a sight! I’d never seen one of these before! This was a lovely hike and another great day to be in the mountains!