Hikes in the Verdugo Mountains

Henninger Campground is a sprawling trail camp in a scenic and special pine forest on Henninger Flats in the San Gabriel Mountains. From Altadena, it is a 3-mile one-way hike up Mount Wilson Toll Road to Henninger Flats, where the charming campground is accompanied by a visitor information center and tree nursery operated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department. ...Read more.

Sometimes it can seem ambitious just to go for a hike in the rugged San Gabriel Mountains, but Thaddeus Lowe was way more determined than that, devising an incline tram and railway to bring guests to a resort, tavern, and mountain overlooks that he created in the San Gabriel Mountains about a century ago. His railway and resorts have long been destroyed, but hikers can still visit the remnants. ...Read more.

Vetter Mountain has got to be one of the more scenic peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, boasting a 360-degree summit that's a total stunner. For decades, hikers marched up the mountain to see the historic fire lookout tower that stood at the summit, but in 2009, the Station Fire destroyed the tower and scorched Vetter Mountain. The area is still in recovery from the wildfire, but trails to the 5,908-foot summit are open, allowing hikers to enjoy spectacular views over the San Gabriels. ...Read more.

For those times when you can’t get out of LA to go for a hike, the city offers several urban trails. Those who live around Loyola Marymount University (in Culver City, Ladera Heights, Marina Del Rey, Playa Vista, Westchester, West LA, etc.) may enjoy getting a taste of the outdoors along with some exercise on the LMU Trail, also know as Westchester Fire Road. ...Read more.

Good things do come in small packages, like Rocky Oaks, one of the tinier parcels in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The park covers less than 200 acres, but a collection of interwoven trails allow visitors to hike about 2 miles in this park. For a short and level half-mile loop, stroll around a seasonal pond that was used as a cattle pond when Rocky Oaks was a ranch. ...Read more.