Community Hiking Club Home Page

Saturday, May 18-A Different Approach to Elsmere Open space preserve

This hike will feature the newest addition to the Elsmere Open Space. It is a great 6 Mile Loop beginning at the Old Newhall Refinery Location. The first half of the hike is a moderate climb up hill to a view of the wonderfully remodeled I-5 14 Fwy Interchange along the Santa Clara Truck trail. Next we turn North thru the Open Space preserve across panoramic views of the Cathedrals at Elsmere Canyon. We will see ruins of oil derricks, Western Union Telegraph Lines and Canopied Oaks that will greet us as we begin the return loop along Dianne’s trail. Meet at Remson Road and Sierra Highway at 8:00 AM for an 8:15 departure from the trail head.

Directions: From the I-5 freeway, take the SR-14 to Newhall Avenue. Exit. The exit will offer a left and a right alternative. GO TO THE LEFT. This will take you around a circle to Newhall Avenue. Turn right, under the freeway. Go to Sierra Highway. Turn left. About 1 mile from this point, turn left at Remson Road. Remson road will be blocked with a gate. There is an open space sign at this point. Look for a stone arch on your right as you make the turn. This is a good landmark. You can park on Sierra Highway. DO NOT BLOCK THE GATE. Watch for speeding traffic.

Hike Leader Richard and Prince William (the famous backpacking Chihuahua)

Rated Moderate

Saturday, May 25- Haskell Canyon

There are 526 acres of new open space in Haskell Canyon to explore. This property contains an abundance of coastal sage scrub, oak woodlands and many threatened and endangered habitat and species. The land has steep hillsides and low valleys and contains a natural intermittent stream that runs through it. It borders the Angeles National Forest to the north. The hike trail is approximately 3 miles long. We will head up the canyon winding along a narrow trail on a slight incline. Around the 1 mile marker we climb up out of the canyon, up a steep but short climb. From there we wind around the ridge of the hills on a power line road. There are great views of Saugus and Bouquet Canyon. We end the loop by heading back down the hill to our cars. This is a great short hike right in the neighborhood.

There is no shade. Wear protection from the sun and bring lots of water and snacks.

Meet at the trailhead at 8:00 to sign in. Hike will depart at 8:15.

Directions: From 5 Freeway. Exit 126/Newhall Ranch Road. Head east 1 mile on Newhall Ranch Road (Right off the off ramp if coming from Los Angeles, Left off the off ramp if coming from Castaic.). Left on Copperhill Drive/Rye Canyon Road. Go 5 miles. You will see a Walgreens at the corner of Copperhill and Haskell Canyon. Keep going on Copperhill Drive. As you head up the next hill, make a left on High Ridge Drive into the suburban neighborhood. Go 600 feet. Right on Ranchview Terrace. Park in the cul-de-sac. Trailhead is at the end of the road.

From 14 Freeway. Exit Golden Valley Road. Head West on Golden Valley Road (Left off the off ramp if coming from Los Angeles. Right if coming from Palmdale.). Take Golden Valley Road 5 miles. Right on Bouquet Canyon Road. Go 2 miles on Bouquet Canyon Road. Left on Haskell Canyon Road. Go 1 mile up Haskell Canyon Road. Right on Copper Hill Drive. As you head up the hill, make a left on High Ridge Drive into the suburban neighborhood. Go 600 feet. Right on Ranchview Terrace. Park in the cul-de-sac. Trailhead is at the end of road. Signs are posted at the trailhead. Look for the American Flag to find your leader!

Leader: Steve

Rated: Easy

Sunday, May 26-CREEPY CRAWLIE NATURE SERIES!!!!

-It is not Halloween – indeed it is Spring and soon to be Summer. We spend more and more time out-of-doors and hopefully in the Placerita Canyon Natural Area. While here, you will see lots of local residents – birds, reptiles, some mammals but mostly, insects. No one is frightened by butterflies – in fact, most people like to look at butterflies as they are so beautiful and seem to be carefree flying from one flower to the next. The same cannot be said about bees, wasps, beetles and other bugs that share the world with the butterflies and with us. But they can also be beautiful and elegant – it is just that most people do not want to get up close and personal. Now you will have an opportunity and we guarantee you absolutely none of these insects will bite, sting, scratch or do anything else that might be noxious or obnoxious.

Come to a presentation on An Introduction to the Creepy Crawlies of the Natural World

Sunday, May 26, 2013 at 2 p.m.

Placerita Canyon Nature Center Classroom

Made available to you by the Community Hiking Club, the Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates and the staff at the Placerita Canyon Nature Center. Presenter: Paul A. Levine, Docent-Naturalist with the Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates

Saturday, June 1- Fish Canyon Falls – Azusa

This is a short, easy hike to one of the best waterfalls in the San Gabriels. The hike is 4.0 miles roundtrip with a 400’ elevation change. Since this is such a short hike, we’ll take time to climb down to the rocks and pools at the base of the falls, and enjoy the scenery before heading back to the trailhead.

We’ll be taking a free shuttle provided by Vulcan Materials to the trailhead. Dogs are allowed, but must be on a leash at ALL times.

Much of the trail is in open sun, so be sure to bring a hat and sunscreen. There is one creek crossing, so you may want to consider waterproof boots or water shoes. However, this time of year, the creek should be fairly low. Poison oak is VERY plentiful on this trail. Long pants are recommended.

Meet your hike leader in the Vulcan Materials parking lot at 8:15 a.m., or arrange with others to carpool from Santa Clarita.

We’ll sign in for quarry access at 8:30 a.m.

Rain will cancel this hike, since rain cancels quarry access.

Directions: Take I-5 south to the 210 west. Exit at Mt. Olive Avenue in Duarte. Merge onto the 605 north, turn right (east) onto Huntington Drive and go 0.6 miles to Encanto Parkway. Turn left (north). Drive north on Encanto Parkway. At 1.3 miles you’ll pass the entrance to Encanto Equestrian Center, on a dirt road going off to the left. In another 0.2 miles there will be a dirt parking lot on the left side of the road. Pass that and go another 0.25 miles and proceed inside the Vulcan main gate. There is free parking available inside the main gate.

Hike Leader: Linda Rated: Easy

Saturday, June 8-Bridge to Nowhere For Trolls

This is a fabulous, moderately strenuous 10.5 miles with 1000' elevation gain. Plan on being out at least 8-9 hours.

This hike features GOLD! The precious metal was discovered in the canyon in 1854 and almost overnight East Fork became a scene of bustling activity. The boom town of Eldoradoville with 3 hotels and 6 saloons soon followed. But the great flood of 1862 washed away the town lock, stock, and barrel. Hiking East Fork today you may see a few miners looking for gold.

The scenery on this hike is monumental. The trail follows the streambed to the Bridge to Nowhere. A road and bridge was completed in 1930, with plans to complete the road into the Wrightwood area. But the great flood of 1938 had a different plan. Although this area is prone to flooding the bridge was high enough to allow the flood waters to pass beneath, the same cannot be said for the road.

Our return trip is where the fun starts. Instead of following the trail back to East Fork we take the stream under the bridge (hence the name trolls in the title) and back to East Fork. Along the way we will take a short side trip to a 30' waterfall. There will be boulder hopping, rock scrambling, cave exploring, and crossing pools that are 4 to 5 feet deep. There is one pool were the water could be flowing to fast to cross. If that is the case we will take a side trail that will bypass the fast water. This isn't a fast pace hike. We will be taking our time and stopping to enjoy. Keep a sharp eye out for Big Horn Sheep as they have been known to frequent the area.

Note: This is a fun but tiring hike. Cold drinks and snacks left in your car might help restore your energy for the drive home.

Directions: Take the 210 Freeway and exit in Azusa at the 39 north/San Gabriel Canyon road. Drive 10 miles and turn right at East Fork road. Drive 8 more miles to the East Ford Ranger Station. Continue driving to the parking area at the end of East Fork road. (Beware, before the trailhead the road makes a U-turn. In the middle of the turn your road goes left.) The parking lot fills up fast. There is a good chance you will need to park on the side of the road and walk to the trailhead. Adventure Pass is required. Be sure to park correctly the rangers are prone to ticket cars at this location. Hike starts at 08:00 AM, please plan to be at the trail head at 7:45.

Carpool: Meet at Towsley Canyon park by the gate in the front parking area between 6:30 - 6:45 AM. We can make the final carpool arrangements at that time.

June 7, 8, 9-Camping in Wrightwood!!!!

BLUE RIDGE CAMPGROUND

June 7-9, 2013

Latitude: 34° 21.617 N

Longitude: 117° 41.241 W

Elevation: 7,896 feet

Introduction: This campground is located in the Santa Clara/Mojave Rivers District of the Angeles National Forest. It is located on Blue Ridge, just north of the Sheep Mountain Wilderness. The Pacific Crest Trail runs along this campground.

Directions: From Santa Clarita, take the 14 freeway north. Travel approximately 23 miles and then exit at the Victorville-Littlerock exit (Exit number 30). Veer to the left at the fork (direction Pearblossom and Little Rock). You will end up on Pearblossom Highway. Travel west on Pearblossom Highway for about 6 miles. Make a right at the intersection (with stop lights) to remain on Pearblossom Highway. Continue to travel on Pearblossom Highway. You will pass through the towns of Littlerock, Pearblossom and Llano.

Turn right (south) on N4/Largo Vista Road, which will be approximately 16 miles after your right hand turn at the light. The GPS coordinates for the turnoff to N4/Largo Vista Road are: N34° 29.900, W117° 45.194.

Travel south on N4 for approximately 7 miles until you come to a stop sign and the intersection with N4 and Big Pines Highway. Make a left at the stop sign onto N4/Big Pines Highway. The GPS coordinates of this intersection are: N34°24.695, W117°46.337.

Continue to travel (southwest) on N4/Big Pines Highway, until it dead-ends into Highway 2, approximately 7 miles after you make the left turn at the stop sign onto N4/Big Pines Highway. You will see signs for Mountain High Ski Resort.

Make a right at the stop sign onto Highway 2 (direction Los Angeles). After traveling approximately 1 mile on Highway 2, you will be at the turn-off to the road to the campground (3N26 or Blue Ridge Road), which is opposite Inspiration Point. The last mile marker you will see on your right before the turn-off will be 78.34.

The GPS coordinates of the turn-off are: N34°22.340, W117°42.595.

Travel approximately 3 miles down 3N26 to the campground, which will be on your right. Please note that you will be driving under ski lifts on 3N26. Do not be alarmed; you are not trespassing. Before you get to the campground, while driving on 3N26, you will see what looks like a possible fork in the road. Stay to the left when you see this. The right “fork” is a dead-end.

The GPS coordinates at the entrance to the campground are: N34°21.617, W117°41.241.

Amenities, Fees, and Rules: Blue Ridge Campground has 8 campsites for tents or RV’s up to 20 feet, which are on a first-come-first-served basis (reservations are not accepted). There are no RV sites or RV hookups. You must have a Golden Passport or Adventure Pass to camp, but there is no additional camping fee. There are vault toilets. There are no trash cans at the campground; you will need to pack out all of your trash. There is also NO water available at the campground. Please be sure to bring sufficient water for your hiking and campground needs for the weekend.

Each campsite has a paved parking apron, wood picnic table, and fire ring (no grills). (The average parking apron will fit two vehicles.) However, due to winter weather conditions and/or the heavy usage of the campground, tables are sometimes in bad condition or completely destroyed. Campers may want to consider bringing their own tables. Campers may also want to consider bringing their own stoves, grills, and/or fire rings, as the ones at the campground are sometimes not in the best condition.

Dogs are allowed, as long as they are on a leash.

Low-profile vehicles are not recommended. This is especially true if Blue Ridge campground is full, and we have to resort to Guffy and/or Lupine Campgrounds as back-ups. Guffy Campground is located about 3 additional miles southeast on 3N26, and Lupine an additional approximate 6 miles down 3N26. The road’s condition worsens as you travel to these other campgrounds.

Weather: The average temperatures this time of year, measured at nearby Wrightwood (elevation 5,935 feet) are a high of 79 and a low of 56. The average temperatures this time of year, measured at nearby Mt. San Antonio (Baldy) (elevation 10,069) are a high of 76 and a low of 49.

Hikes: We will be doing section hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail (mileage to be determined) on Friday afternoon/evening and on Saturday morning. We will go to Navitat Canopy Adventures in nearby Wrightwood (http://www.navitat.com/wrightwood-ca/) to do ziplining on Saturday afternoon. You MUST make your own reservations for Navitat Zip Lines before you get there. Reservations and pre-payment are required.

RSVP: To sign up for this camping trip, contact Dianne by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Please note that by reserving early with Dianne, she will do her utmost to get you a camping site. However, campsites cannot be guaranteed for any of us, due to the first-come-first-served rule enforced at the campground.

Saturday, June 15- Cooper Canyon to Cloudburst Summit

This great hike is 6+ miles roundtrip, -1,300 +800 elevation loss and gain. This is an incredibly beautiful hike, and part of it will be on the PCT.

Bring: Water, snacks, lunch, camera, shoes with good tread, poles are helpful if you have them. Wear sunscreen, hat, bug net (if you have one), and bug spray.

Meet at Towsley Canyon outside the entry gate at 7:00 AM to carpool, or meet at the trail head (directions below)

Meet at the trail head at 8:30 AM for an 8:45 AM departure. Adventure passes MUST be displayed to avoid a ticket. Day passes are available at any ranger station, and most sports stores (Sport Chalet in Stevenson Ranch usually has them). Cost $5 for a day pass, $30 for an annual pass.

- Directions to trailhead: From Santa Clarita, take the 5 south to the 210 east (direction Pasadena). Exit the 2 (Angeles Crest Highway), and turn left over the 210 freeway. Take the Angeles Crest Highway to the turnoff to the campground, which will be about 34.3 miles. The road to the campground does not have a name. All you will see is a gate (that will be open) that has a sign on the right side of it that says, “No Parking Anytime.”

The road to the campground is located between mile marker 58.19 and 58.25, on the left side of the road. If you see mile marker 58.25, you have gone too far. The GPS coordinates for the turnoff are 34°20.601N and 117°55.273W. There will be a sign for Buckhorn Campground on the right side of the road with a small arrow sign pointing to the left. Your total drive time will be about an hour and a half.

Once you turn on the road to the campground, proceed down the road about 0.4miles. You will then see the first campsite. Continue driving on the road, and follow the signs to the trail head at the far end of the campground. Signs will say either “Burkehart Trail Head”, “Trailhead Parking”, or “Day Use Parking”.

Leader: Dianne

Rated: Moderate with altitude

Saturday, June 22- Pico Canyon

This is a great 8 mile round trip hike with about 800 ft of gain. The first 2 miles of the hike is on a paved road to California Star Oil #4 Oil well (later to become Standard Oil of California. This part of the route is a gentle, flat 2 miles. Once we see the ruins of California Star Oil #4, we will begin to climb the next 2 miles to the top. At the top will be a table where you can have lunch, snacks, and relax. The views are amazing at this point! On our return, we will take a different, more challenging but shorter trail back to see a mock- up of an oil well, an old bar and a dance and recreation area. From there, we will return to our vehicles.

Meet at the parking area in Mentryville at 8:00 AM, for a 8:15 departure.

Bring lots of water, snacks, camera and wear boots with lots of tread for the return hike where you will be making your way down a small waterfall. Wear a hat, sunscreen and definitely bring poles if you have them.

Directions: Take Lyons Avenue WEST. It will become Pico Canyon. Continue on Pico until it ends. It will end in the town of Mentryville. Go over the bridge and park close to the big pepper tree by the rest room, where Dianne will meet you. You must pay MRCA parking to park here of $7.00. If you wish to avoid this parking fee, you can park outside the green entry gate for free, and walk in, but allow an additional 40 minutes to walk in.

Leader: Dianne

Rated: Easy++

Saturday, June 29- Haskell Canyon

-There are 526 acres of new open space in Haskell Canyon to explore. This property contains an abundance of coastal sage scrub, oak woodlands and many threatened and endangered habitat and species. The land has steep hillsides and low valleys and contains a natural intermittent (mostly dry) stream that runs through it. It borders the Angeles National Forest to the north. The city trail is approximately 3 miles long, but we will enter the forest and continue the hike on a fire road. The hike begins down cement steps with a handrail. We then enter a trail that will take us to the forest road. We head up the canyon winding along a narrow trail on a slight incline. Around the 1 mile marker we climb up out of the canyon, up a steep but short climb. From there we wind around the ridge of the hills on the forest road. There are great views of Saugus and Bouquet Canyon. We end the loop by heading back down the hill to our cars. This is an easy hike and suitable for beginners There is no shade.

Wear protection from the sun and bring lots of water and snacks. You may see rattlesnakes along the way. Be aware that they are there, and stay away from them. They will usually see you and head off into the grass. Please stay ON the trail.

Meet at the trailhead at 7:00 to sign in. Hike will depart at 7:15.

Directions: From 5 Freeway. Exit 126/Newhall Ranch Road. Head east 1 mile on Newhall Ranch Road (Right off the off ramp if coming from Los Angeles, Left off the off ramp if coming from Castaic.). Left on Copperhill Drive/Rye Canyon Road. Go 5 miles. You will see a Walgreens at the corner of Copperhill and Haskell Canyon. Keep going on Copperhill Drive. As you head up the next hill, make a left on High Ridge Drive into the suburban neighborhood. Go 600 feet. Right on Ranchview Terrace. Park in the cul-de-sac. Trailhead is at the end of road.

From 14 Freeway. Exit Golden Valley Road. Head West on Golden Valley Road (Left off the off ramp if coming from Los Angeles. Right if coming from Palmdale.). Take Golden Valley Road 5 miles. Right on Bouquet Canyon Road. Go 2 miles on Bouquet Canyon Road. Left on Haskell Canyon Road. Go 1 mile up Haskell Canyon Road. Right on Copper Hill Drive. As you head up the hill, make a left on High Ridge Drive into the suburban neighborhood. Go 600 feet. Right on Ranchview Terrace. Park in the cul-de-sac. Trailhead is at the end of road. Signs are posted at the trailhead.

Leader: Lise

Rated: Easy