Boy did I find a nice little trail. Nestled at the top of Valle Viste Drive (which I think is technically in Glendale but if not, we are still going with it) is a beautiful little ridgeline that you access at the end of a residential street.
The ridge is only a mile long but for the first .5 miles, it is blessedly flat.
As you can see, it is your typical SoCal fireroad so be prepared for little shade. There was also surprisingly little wildlife except for the occasional ground squirrel so you will basically be alone with your hot thoughts is what I am saying.
There are other ways to gain the ridge as this junction shows
but I think this side trail cuts down the mileage a bit and since the hike is short to begin with (2 miles roundtrip) you may as well start at Valle Vista.
Its at this intersection that the trail begins to rollercoaster so be prepared to live by the hiking maxim, "what goes down must come up again".
The ridge does provide nice views of downtown LA and the surrounding mountains of SoCal and your head will be on a swivel as you make your way.
Once you see this tree
you are almost to the end of the ridge. The ridge then goes over a few more ups and downs until it ends in a circle (that sounds like a line from "The Craft") forcing you to go back the way you came. There are some pretty decent uphill climbs in this section of the trail so make sure you bring water with ya.
There seems to have been some evidence of a fire over the last few years which may account for the lack of animals but even the fire scars seem to up the beauty of this hike.
Overall, this hike is just a little guy, no question but a nice use of an hour if you are here in LA and looking to get out and about. There are no maps of this place but if you are looking for the starting point, Google maps will help point the way:
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Nice little secret hike in the corner of LA. I love these little finds.
ReplyDeleteYea this was definitely a cool little find. This will be a series, just hit another ridge today!
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