Since moving to Burbank, we thought we’d give Griffith Park a try. It’s practically our backyard. The first time we went was last Sunday in the late afternoon where we did a short hike from Mineral Wells to Amir’s Garden. I liked it so much I wanted to come back and spend the whole weekend exploring more of the trails. I woke up early at 5 am on Saturday. I wanted to check out the southern end of the park and I knew accessing the trails from this end would be much more crowded. The parking was already starting to fill up when we arrived around 6:30 am. We hiked up the Riverside trail to the Hogback Trail to Glendale Peak and then the Mt. Hollywood Summit. The Hogback Trail was a nice workout! I really enjoyed this hike. It took a little getting used the being around so many people, but since it was a city hike, I knew that was to be expected. We had great views of DTLA and the hills were beginning to bloom with all kinds of flowers. This is going to be a great go-to place for us for hiking, especially when we aren’t able to make it up into the forest or even on a weeknight after work. After the hike today, we both agreed we wanted to come back and do some more exploring tomorrow.
There have been a number of rock slides in our local forests due to heavy rain and snow, so we decided to stick to lower ground and explore Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve in Calabases. I’d see pictures of this place with its rolling hills, grassy meadows and majestic oak trees, but I never had the opportunity to visit and right now, it is so incredibly green! This area is a habitat for the San Fernando Valley Spineflower and the endangered Red-Legged Frog.
We started our hike at the Victory Trailhead. As soon as we left the parking area, I felt like I was in a movie set for “The Sound of Music” This place makes you feel so far away from LA, but it’s quite a different feel then the wilderness hikes we are so used to doing. We did an easy 5 miles on the Lasky Mesa Loop. It was a pleasant walk with just a little bit of up and down. We saw quite a few dogs on this trail too. I’m always happy to see people out hiking with their pups. It was a nice change of pace, and I was grateful to be able to see this location while it’s looking so vibrant. In the summer, the hills will lost their green radiance and turn to earthy brown.
The trek from Onion Valley to the top of Kearsarge Pass was a spectacular day hike! The Kearsarge Pass Trail heads west from the trailhead at Onion Valley entering the John Muir Wilderness at approximately .7 miles. On this 11 mile round trip journey, we passed through foxtail pine forests, crossed over boulder fields, hiked alongside waterfalls and aquamarine colored lakes filled with golden trout. A final rigorous high altitude ascent up a barren, rocky slope lead us to Kearsarge Pass where the trail crests the Sierra at an altitude of 11,835 breathtaking feet! We were rewarded with the most sublime views I have ever seen; the glaciated Sierra peaks, sparkling turquoise pools of water and views into Kings Canyon National Park. Here are some photos with captions below each to describe our incredible journey.
