Wonderful hike, if you don't mind getting your feet wet. Starting from the Stonyvale Picnic Area…read moretrailhead, there are five creek/river crossings before you reach the ascent into the mountains. Be prepared; take hiking sticks, knee-high waterproof boots or waders, unless you like getting wet. The water was running pretty swiftly today, well above the ankles. The landscape changes from chaparral, to riparian, to oak woodlands with some conifers as well, which is beautiful and adds variety. There is no cell phone reception on the trail, so highly recommended to take a satellite location device. You may park in the Stonyvale parking lot, with an Adventure Pass. Gorgeous hike.

Had so much fun hiking here. We climbed to the peak of a couple mountains, made it to two stone…read morepiles. Our starting point was at the opposite way of the loop, the trail wasn't very clear but we kept moving forward. We began hiking around 9 AM made 4 or 5 stops and finished at 5:40PM, I started tracking the distance roughly by the 3rd hour of our hike and it marked 14.7 miles. Most of the signs up were all rusty and unreadable. The combination of strong and cold winds, the rocky trail, a loose sandy ground on the steep areas were to die for- literally. Some parts were incredibly challenging but it was an exhilarating experience.

Will never give nature less than 5 stars but this was a CHALLENGING hike. So beautiful and plenty…read moreof rest points to break up the hike but man was I feeling it afterwards. We packed plenty of water and snacks and followed the trail etiquette(downhill hikers mover over to uphill hikers, ect) Our figure 8 route included: 2.5 miles to echo Another 2 to inspiration point where we sat and ate a quick lunch- love the telescopes all over!! Another 1.5 to Mt Lowe! This part was definitely the hardest for me, quite a bit of elevation gain in a small space but I did it! The swing wasn't at the top but still a gorgeous view. 10/10 would hike again and a great conditioning hike for Mt Wilson!

Beautiful trail with views of Big Tujunga Canyon and, as promised in the name, a multi-tiered…read morewaterfall. The trail is well maintained with several parking spots at the trailhead. It's only downfall (haha) is that it's all downhill at the start and all uphill on the way back. But, don't worry, it's not super steep and the views are worth it. To see the waterfalls close up, you do have to clamber over some rocks, follow along the creek, and eventually cross the creek (bring your waterproof boots.) As of this date, the creek had a decent current, so be careful. As always, bring water and your mobile tracking device (I've watched one to many "disappeared on the trail and never seen again" videos, sorry!). And enjoy.

First thing to know if you plan on going to the waterfall is you will get wet in the creek at the…read morebottom, and you should wear covering pants for your legs and long sleeves because there are a lot of overgrown plants here along with poison ivy or oak. Really I rate this as a 3 1/2 star but going down with the curve score due to the elements and conditions. Falls creek falls trail head is about 6-7 miles away from Trail Canyon Falls on Big Tujunga and only a mile away from the Big Tujunga Dam overlook. The trail going down to the creek is easy to follow but is has a lot of rocks and overgrown plants all over the trail so I would recommend coming here with your kids or pets. Once you're at the bottom there's a spray painted arrows on one of the rocks pointing to the right, that's the path to stay on the trail to go wherever it leads to. If you're heading to the waterfall go left and walk through that creek. I'll admit I wasn't about an hour trying to avoid walking through the water in the creek and I probably fell into some poison ivy and might also have Lyme disease because of all the plants I went climbing through. Do yourself a favor, don't waste your time trying to make a path away from the water, just go through the creek. It's maybe shin high and the water is clear enough that you can see where you're stepping. Closing this long ass review up, this is So Cal and it barley rains. Best time to check this waterfall out of the week right after it rains so you can see a decent flow. I came here a month after the winter rain we got and it's almost dried up again. This trailhead is in the Angeles National Forest so you'll need to display your adventure pass when you park.

This lookout tower is quite visible from many vantage points along the maze of hiking/running…read moretrails in Glendale. There are a variety of options for trails that are moderate to difficult , from fire road to single track. The trails are great for hiking, running, and are dog friendly. Access points are found within several residential spots in the area and the Sports Complex.

I'm a fan of historic hikes, especially ones that feature old relics, so visiting this historic…read morelookout tower was right up my alley. Cerro Negro (formerly San Rafael) fire lookout tower was built in 1934. It was operational for 26 years until the county turned it over to the Glendale City Fire Department in 1960. Since then it has been used as a communications site. It's unfortunately not accessible to the public and can only be viewed from behind a chain link fence. Located near the tower is an old, nonfunctional, Chrysler Victory Air Raid Siren. I've read that it produced the loudest sound ever achieved by a siren, delivering 138 decibels, and that it could be heard 25 miles away. It was tested on the last Friday of every month at 10am up until 1985. It's an interesting piece of Cold War era history that, depressingly, is starting to have increasing relevance today. You can access the site a number of different ways. For quick access you can just drive to the end of Sugar Loaf Dr and walk a short distance. My recommended method would be to take the 4-mile roundtrip hike from Descanso Gardens. There's an easy-to-miss entrance off of Descanso Dr before you turn right into the park that takes you to Descanso Motorway. From there it's a moderately strenuous climb where you'll travel counterclockwise, encircling the park, along the ridgeline. After you make the semicircle you should be able to see the lookout in the distance. The path should be fairly obvious from there.

The Trails Council Link closes the gap in the City's system of trails…read more This link is only a short .4 miles, but it connects with the trail by Armstrong Garden Center, aka Cross Town Trail, under the power lines and you can go all the way to the San Gabriel Mountains. The link entrance is located at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Indiana Avenue. It is directly across the street from Armstrong Garden Center. There is a nice new parking lot at the beginning of the trail. This area has also been freshly landscaped with lots of drought tolerant plants, a few benches and trash cans. The trail heads south on Edison property (you can tell because you are under the power lines) and it crosses the 210 Freeway by an existing foot bridge. The trail continues past Verdugo Boulevard via a lighted crosswalk and ends on Descanso Drive. You will see the entrance to Descanso Gardens right across the street. If you cross the street and head north you can hop on the Descanso loop trail which goes up behind USC Verdugo Hills Hospital and makes a huge loop around Descanso Gardens. That loop is a little over 3 miles. You can access the rest of the Cherry Canyon system of trails as well. Misc. Tidbits: The parking lot is right next to Magpie's Grill so you can have a nice hike and go for brunch. Lupe's is also right there for a more casual dining experience.

What a fun experience walking up the trail to the Nike Missile Control Site. There was parking…read morereadily available, it was easy enough for all ages, and best of all, it was dog-friendly! Once you were at the top, there was a water fountain (complete with a water bowl for the pups), and even a restroom. It was nice to have a few places to sit and rest before heading back down. The lookout point at the top is a beautiful spot to look around at LA.

Cold-War relic. Interesting reminder of our past. Show your kids, they need a dose of reality!read more

Limited hours, limited parking. Hidden in the residential area of San Marino. Don't let that…read moredeter you. This was a VERY quick see of the old mill interior as it was closing before its scheduled time. There is a gallery occupying one of the rooms. There are a lot of succulents and plants that surround the building which are green and vibrant against the rustic molino viejo.

The past is the way to the future. Without further ado let's begin the landmark review…read more El Molino Viejo aka The Old Mill (est 1816) is a two-story architectural landmark with huge grounds and tranquil gardens in the city of San Marino. It was the first ever grist mill constructed in the early 19th century California to serve Mission San Gabriel; and personally designed and supervised by Padre JM de Zalvidea. It's facility was powered by a waterwheel. Impressive!! Walking around The Old Mill you'll notice it has a fortress-like design with five ft thick brick walls surrounding the mill's 43,500+ sq ft grounds. It serve as a protection in the event of disturbances during that time. Moreover, throughout its history it was vandalized, foreclosed, sold and passed down to state/city, to prominent California families and a company. Blimey! At present time, the El Molino Viejo is a lovely museum and event space. I bet most LA locals were oblivious that this exist; who knew this historical landmark was right under my very nose. I spent 35 minutes and 30 seconds to visit and explore the entirety of the museum grounds. Street parking only. Admission is free. Hours are limited. Beverage is permitted in and around the museum. Overall, I enjoyed my visit and recommend you visit.

Hubby and I took a brief field trip to check this place out over the weekend. The surrounding area…read moreoutside the gates isn't great. There are homeless encampments everywhere. I was very pleasantly surprised when we walked through the gates, how clean everything was - NO graffiti or carving into signs, trees, etc. - everything was pristine. The yard could use some maintenance, trimming bushes, pruning things, etc. BUT, I know that the parks dept has like ZERO dollars budgeted for them. The city just screws them over constantly, and by default, really screws over the citizens who should be able to enjoy these places. Anyway, the docent was a lovely young woman. She had been there all morning actually cleaning the inside of this magnificent old house. It really is a beautiful sight to see. The craftsmanship is just spectacular. The docent was so nice and answered all our questions and told us interesting facts and stories about the Lummis family, etc. It was a really lovely brief outing and I highly recommend it.

My husband and I planned to visit the Heritage Square Museum and the time to wait for the tour, we…read morewalked ten minutes to visit this beautiful museum, the house of Charles Fletcher Lummis, journalist, writer and fluent person politically. He gave a lot parties, friend of Will Roger, John Muir, President Roosevelt went to visit him. The house preserve the native adobe style, had guests houses and a nice garden. It is free! The family lived until 60, because that you see modern kitchen and laundry. It is worth to visit.