Hiking Southern California's Trails
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Be you a novice walked or expert rambler, there's a fabulous SoCal hike for you. Here are some of our favourite trails dotted around Los Angeles.
Deep Waters: Bridge to Nowhere
Want a little history, swimming and bungee action all rolled into one? The often busy 10-mile round trek to the iconic Bridge to Nowhere is the adventure for you. This hike is exposed and can involve wading through water in the wetter months, so hat on, sunblock at the ready and pack some jelly shoes.
Begin by walking along the track to Heaton Flats Trail Camp, where you’ll find bathroom facilities, before pushing on via the San Gabriel River which can be thigh-high after rain. Eventually, the 1936-built abandoned bridge, which used to be part of a washed-away road through the San Gabriel Mountains, will come into view. Crazy cats come here to bungee jump, with Bungee America being the only approved operator. If your stomach is not up to being hurtled from a great height, simply take in the awesome vistas, then cross and descend for the divine swimming hole.
History Lesson: Echo Mountain
Although half the distance, this 5.8-mile hike offers a glute-busting 1,400 feet of elevation, as well as an historic railway and stagger views across Pasadena. Start from Cobb Estate Gate at the north end of Lake Avenue, and follow signs thereafter for the Sam Merrill Trail.
The White City In The Sky, proudly perched atop Echo Mountain, was built in the 1890s by renowned aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe to include a 40-room chalet, astronomical observatory, zoo, dance hall, bowling alley, tennis courts, a palatial 70-room mansion, and even its own private railway and tram cars. Sadly, financial ruin and a series of fires in the 1900s destroyed the entire resort, but it still makes for a fascinating wander, with many of the ruins reimagined via informative plaques.
Cave Rave: Cave of Munits and Castle Peak
Shorter still – measuring up at a mere 2.1 miles – but offering about as many thrills as a breakneck rollercoaster ride, the hike up to the Cave of Munits and Castle Peak starts with a gradual warm-up across rugged El Escorpion Park. Adventurous types will then want to explore the vertical cave in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, which doesn’t require climbing equipment but will require a steely constitution to lead you up to its top where you will join the final ascent to Castle Peak. Wham-bam panoramas of San Fernando Valley await at the summit.
Island Hop: Trans-Catalina Trail Loop
Not content with terra firma for your outdoor adventure? Try Santa Catalina Island for something totally different. It takes only 15 minutes by helicopter or one hour via high-speed ferry to this luscious island. Hop on a ferry from Long Beach, San Pedro, Dana Point or Newport Beach to Avalon, where you should walk through town and up Avalon Canyon Road to Hermit Gulch Campground, and the start of the Trans-Catalina Trail Loop. This 11.75-mile trek across the ridges of Santa Catalina boasts staggering ocean views.
Bridge to Nowhere / Camp Bonita Rd / San Gabriel Mountains National Monument / Azusa
Echo Mountain / 3302 Lake Ave / Altadena
Cave of Munits and Castle Peak / 24501 W Vanowen St / West Hills
Trans-Catalina Trail Loop / 125 Claressa Ave / Avalon / Santa Catalina Island