Hiking The Unnamed Ridges Of Glendale Part 2

Some people like to hike some untrammeled peak in the Himalayas or in South America. I apparently like to seek out unnamed ridgelines in Glendale. As Tip O'Neill once said, "Politics is local" and so I guess are my hiking adventures. So on yet another recent trip to the Glendale area, I fired up Google Maps and got to hiking.


This hike was much different than the previous one I went on. If I could describe this hike in one word it would shrubsthattearatyourlegs (that's one word right?). So in other words, bring pants.

The hike starts out like most hikes do, in a residential neighborhood.

The trail is a little hard to puck up but basically you are looking for a game trail that heads up and to the West and you should find it pretty easily. The trail makes its way up the ridgeline through the scrub brush.

My tracks were the only one the day I hiked this (other than the coyotes) so be rest assured, the trail is not maintained and you will see no one else with ya.

If you find the fence, you are going the right way

(and make sure you stay to the left of the fence, private property and all)

Eventually, you will gain the ridgeline proper and the nice little slice of wilderness comes out before you.

Much like the other unnamed ridges of Glendale, this one is a bit of a roller coaster giving your legs a nice workout as you struggle through the scrub brush.

The above pic was the toughest scramble of the trip, not so bad on the way up but inspiring a bit of a butt scoot on the way down. The positive of trekking up this piece is the higher you get, the more the surrounding beauty discloses itself to you. The vistas are one of the best things about this hike.

You can basically hike to a road which is about 1.5 miles out from the start. Generally, if you see this windsock, you are there.

Of course, not all the sights are at eye level, the roots that are tripping you along your way up the trail have amazing patterns:

So sure, this hike doesn't have the best payoffs or the widest of trails or the strictest leash laws for the coyotes but it is a wild hike in suburbia and you will have the trail all to your self. A nice hike, if you can find it. ;)

Where you want to go to hit this trail is Mt. Carmel Drive in Glendale. All the way to the end. Here is a rough approximation of where you need to go:


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