The Mount Baldy area is a Southern California hiking treasure.  In fact, three of our favorite hikes (Backbone Trail to Baldy Summit, Ice House Canyon, and Stoddard Peak) are all in the same general vicinity.  As a result, we are now on the e-mail list for the Mount Baldy Ski Resort, and get their solicitations regularly.

One promotion that caught our attention was their Moonlight Hike at BBQ at the Top of the Notch Restaurant, which we had previously enjoyed for an apres’ hike beer after visiting the summit.  The BBQ consists of tri-tip, chicken, roasted red potatoes, vegetables, and salad for $16 in advance when purchased online.  You can hike both ways, or purchase the dinner with a round trip ride on their chair lift for $33.50, or hike one way and ride the lift the other for $26.  They will even allow you to plan to hike both ways, eat dinner, and then change your mind and buy a one way ticket down for $10.

In doing some quick research, we found that in the past few years, they do this on the Friday closest to the full moon every month during the warmer months–or at least the months where there isn’t snow on the mountain.  This allows you to walk down after dinner in  the light of the moon, which sounded pretty cool to us.

Unfortunately, the first Friday that worked for us wasn’t until October, which was to be the last one for the year.  Having it on a Friday makes it a little tricky if you actually work for a living (which both of us do–mostly).  Dinner is served from 6:30-8, so there is a bit of a window to arrive in, and we planned to arrive at 5:30, so that we could hike up in the light as the sun set, and make sure we got up there by 8, just in case the hike was harder than expected and took longer than we planned.

Parking lot, looking towards the "Warming Hut" and shop.

Warming Hut, where you exchange your vouchers for tickets.

View of the far end of the parking lot, where the trailhead is.

We got to the base right on time, and exchanged our pre-paid voucher print-out for a meal ticket at the shop/office in the parking lot.  At the far (west) end of the parking lot, you could find the fire road/trailhead to the top.  The first 1,000 feet was the steepest part, and the road (on this day at least) was in the worst condition of the hike.  At the end of that 1,000 feet, you hit an intersection with another fire road that was in better shape, and not quite as steep.  Turn right here, and there are no other decisions to make on the two mile hike up.

Beginning of the fire road/trailhead at the edge of the parking lot.

You can see that the road isn't in great condition here, but it isn't bad.

View back down the path, with the evening sun hitting the ridge across the valley.

Steep, but not unmanageable.

Hiking up at sunset gave us some great views down the canyon towards the Inland Empire as the sun, well… set.  Seemed like every turn of the trail gave us more changing colors.  On a clear day, you can see all the way to Catalina from the Baldy notch and the trail, but while the particulates in the air blocked that particular view on this evening, they also made for a beautiful sunset!

The road after the junction is much better maintained.

First view of the rising moon, over the last view of sun on the ridge.

Sunset over the IE.

Prettier sunset over the IE.

If you look really closely, you can see the Top of the Notch restaurant there in the middle of the screen to the left of that tree.

Zoomed in view of the restaurant from the same spot.

Sunset over the IE getting better and better!

Is that awesome, or what? God bless smog!

Now getting dark, the restaurant is lit up in the distance.

There were little lights along the trail in the final stretch to the Notch.

The last stretch of the trail passes just below the restaurant.

After that initial stretch (which really wasn’t so bad), the walk was really quite pleasant to the top.  We reached the “Top of the Notch” restaurant just as it got dark, and the meal was actually really good!  It was served buffet style, and there was a bar with beer and wine there as well.  There were fireplaces and tables inside, with live entertainment being provided by a man on a guitar.  But even though it was warm and cozy inside,  and pretty cold outside and a bit windy, we had brought our dog, so we sat out on the patio to eat, near the outdoor fireplaces, with a view of the lights of the Inland Empire below.

Entertainment inside of the restaurant.

Bar inside of the restaurant.

Our table out on the patio--where the dog was allowed.

Picture not quite up to our standards on our food blog, The Taste Place, but you get the idea...

The view from our table of the lights below.

Warming ourselves by the outdoor fireplace before heading back down.

We wandered away from the lights of the restaurant a little bit to take in the stars above and even the view of the High Desert off the back side of the notch not too far away.  The way down was even more pleasant than the way up!  We had brought headlamps and flashlights for the walk down, but with the light of the moon, there were only a couple of spots along the way that were too shaded by trees to let the light through where we actually had to use them.  The rest of the hike was very nicely lit by the natural light from above, and it seemed like we were back down in the parking lot in no time–it is quite obvious where you have to make the left turn near the bottom to get back where you want to go, as it is the only junction you’ll hit.

We enjoyed it enough that we’re looking to do it again this year with another group of friends.  It really does make for a nice group date night with outd00rsy friends.  If you wanted to make it a little more rugged, there is a single track loose gravel trail that goes right up the middle of the canyon under the chair lift that is shorter, but steeper, and much less traveled than the fire road route.  There’s also, of course, the much easier route–the chair lift!

A second option that we may consider in the future is their “sunset and stargazing” dinners, which are very similar to the moonlight dinners, except they are held on non-full moon nights, when the stars are a bit more visible.  You’d likely need flashlights/headlamps (or the chairlift) to get back down, but I’m sure those are nice evenings as well.

They just started these dinners up again this month (May), and they will likely run through October again, weather permitting.

NOTE:  While we love lots of things about Mount Baldy, their website is terrible, and it is very possible that the direct links to the event pages will not work.  If not, just go to their front page:  http://www.mtbaldyskilifts.com and click on either the ad at the top, or one of the dates at the bottom.

View Baldy Notch Moonlight Hike.kml in a larger map

Elevation profile. Click through for clearer view.

We first heard about this hike in January 2011, from Hikespeak.com, while looking for dog-friendly hikes up in the Santa Monica area.  Jeff and I were immediately intrigued by the reputed association between Murphy Ranch and a group of pre/WWII American Nazi sympathizers.  We kept this hike on our radar for the next year, never quite making time to drive all the way up to Santa Monica for a hike of less than 4 miles — particularly since we knew that we couldn’t extend our mileage into either of the neighboring state parks (Will Rogers and Topanga) if hiking with a dog.

But, when Jeff read on Hidden LA earlier this year that the building ruins were being targeted for demolition, we figured that we better get our butts out there soon.  Apparently, pretty much everyone in Southern California seemed to have the same idea because the street parking, trails, and ruins were CROWDED.  Jeff and I grabbed our beagle, invited our friend Joel (who had his 1-1/2 year old son for the day, while his wife had a girls’ day), and headed up to Rustic Canyon last month.

This expensive neighborhood that borders Rustic Canyon was packed with cars belonging to hikers and mountain bikers.

About Rustic Canyon

Rustic Canyon is a Los Angeles residential neighborhood, and neighboring open space, situated in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.  It is located next to Brentwood, Santa Monica, and Pacific Palisades. The neighborhood consists of multi-million dollar homes nestled among beautiful hills with ocean views, and the immediate adjacent open space — Rustic Canyon Park — is part of LA City Parks.

Aside from its natural beauty, part of the lure of Rustic Canyon is its colorful “history” — whether that history is factual, watered down, or just urban legend.  Some folks even allege that Charles Manson and his gang hid out in Rustic Canyon in the late 1960s.

About Murphy Ranch

Murphy Ranch is reputed to be the former site of a 55-acre American Nazi compound, acquired in 1933 by an American couple who started building a secluded self-sustaining safe base of operations in anticipation of the U.S. losing the Second World War. Most of the news articles I find all seem to cite the publications of local historian Betty Lou Young, who died in 2010. Some blog posts claim that the compound was raided in 1941.

The ranch was sold in 1948 and later converted into an artist colony in the 1960s and 1970s, but was closed after an October 1978 fire raged through Rustic Canyon, destroying buildings here and on the ranch of Anatol Josepho (see About Camp Josepho).

If you’re interested in learning more about the reputed history of Murphy Ranch, check out:

• Hikespeak.com
• Huffington Post
• Los Angeles Times
• Pacific Palisades Patch

This history nerd intends to track down copies of Young’s works to read up more on the area, and to see if she cited any primary sources in her research.  But, in the meantime, check out these Travel Channel videos about Murphy’s Ranch.

About Camp Josepho

Camp Josepho is a 110 acre Boy Scouts of America camp located in Rustic Canyon.  It was gifted to the Boy Scouts in 1941 by Anatol Josepho, a wealthy businessman who invented and patented the self-service photo booth.  Josepho was born in Siberia, but fled the Russian Revolution, immigrating to China and then to the United States.

The Hike

Our write-up adds a 1/2 mile (round-trip) on to the actual trail, due to having to park 1/4 mile from the “trailhead”. If you arrive early enough to actually grab a spot near the trailhead, factor in a 1/2 mile less.

The terminus of the neighborhood road. Head right to catch the fire road.

Getting to the Trailhead

We have to give credit to Seth from Hikespeak.com for his excellent directions!

From Sunset Boulevard, 3 miles west of the 405, turn north at the light onto Capri Drive. After 1/3 mile continue through the traffic circle, remaining on Capri Drive for another 1/3 mile until it comes to and end at Casale Road. Sullivan Ridge Fire Road begins to the left. Find street parking to the right or on an adjacent road.

Trailhead to Murphy Ranch Ruins

The trailhead for this hike is the beginning of the Sullivan Ridge Fire Road, which provides foot, bike, and restricted vehicle access down to Camp Josepho. There is a great ocean view spot from the trailhead. The fire road proceeds past a lone abandoned home, then starts its exposed route down into the canyon.

Make sure you periodically peak back over your shoulder for great views of the canyon and ocean.

What the hike along the canyon access road is like the entire time -- exposed.

About 1/4 mile from the trailhead, you’ll hit the first set of stairs down into the canyon — a wooden set, partially hidden from this direction. Those stairs don’t reach the Murphy Ranch ruins, but they do get you down into the canyon. Immediately after, you will encounter a yellow gate that remains closed most of the time. The gate provides access to parks and emergency vehicles, as well as Scout camp visitors and employees.

The first set of stairs (wood, so we passed) leading down into the canyon.

This gate, managed by Camp Josepho and park rangers, is closed most of the time.

The Murphy Ranch ruins are most directly reached via one of two concrete staircases. At 3/4 of a mile from the wooden steps and the gate, we came upon a chain link fence on our left, and a big break in the fence that opens up at the top of the first set of concrete steps (the second set of steps, if you miss these, is by the water tank a little further up the road). This first set of stairs plunges 500+ steps down into the canyon. Although the descent is 2/10ths of a mile, those 500+ steps calculate out to just under a 300 foot elevation drop…2/3 of your entire elevation change.

When you see the chain link fence appear on your left, that's your clue that you're approaching the second set of stairs.

Look for the break in the fencing, and head on in!

That's right. Over 500 concrete steps down!

The stairs seem like they go on forever, down into nowhere. Expect to see other hikers resting, especially if they're taking the stairs back up to the road.

Once you hit the bottom of the stairs, you should see a dirt footpath off to your left, running between a clump of trees. This dumps you on to what must have been the main road running through Murphy Ranch. Turn left, and follow the dirt and old concrete-ridden road for 1/10th of a mile until you hit a fork. The right (high) road from the fork is a ramp that takes you to the first set of ruins. The stretch of old road from the stairs to the ruins is quite pretty — very green, with groves of trees on either side of the road.

You'll encounter a dirt path at the base of the stairs. Follow it, then make a left to proceed to the ranch ruins.

This old, now overgrown, road makes a horseshoe curve before leading you northwest towards the ranch ruins. When you hit this fork, take the high road.

Murphy Ranch to Camp Josepho

The first set of ruins you encounter is a raised garden. Although the garden has grown wild, you can still see the concrete planters. Walking through the garden brings you to the base of that second set of concrete steps from the fire road. You’ll also see another short set of concrete stairs that take you down to the old abandoned power building, with just about every inch covered in graffiti. You can walk all through the old building — even climbing the rickety stairs up to the catwalks and roof, or scampering through the crawlspaces under the original floor, if you so choose. We passed — we’re too old for that (and we had a baby).

The raised gardens.

More stairs at the end of the gardens.

The power house. Now covered in graffiti that is both infuriating, yet oddly pretty.

Inside the power house, catching a glimpse of a group of teens picnicking outside.

Watching a more youthful and daring hiker venture up the ladder to the catwalks.

The equally graffitied back view of the power building.

A short walk back on the road next brings you up to the old machine shed and garage — again covered in graffiti. There is a short worn trail on the far side of this structure that allows you to climb up above the ruins and take in a better view of the area. When back down on the road/trail, you’ll see another short worn path dropping 15-20 feet to a graffiti-covered abandoned VW bus laying on its side and sporting a 1969 UCLA parking permit.

The machine shed and garage are just a short walk from the power building.

The machine shed and garage.

Again, the graffiti is both infuriating yet beautiful.

About 15-20 feed below the trail, at the base of the machine shed, is an old VW van that sports a 1969 gate pass for UCLA.

After you climb back up from the bus, continue following the road for another 4/10 of a mile to get to a really cool graffitied abandoned barn. A word of warning — there was a huge bee hive on the front face of the barn.

This stretch of trail, north of the Murphy Ranch ruins, heading to Camp Josepho, is by far the prettiest part of the hike.

Once you climb up from the creek bed, the trail becomes much more open.

Encountering a group of hikers hiking/returning from the opposite direction.

An abandoned barn, not part of the Murphy Ranch compound.

Similar graffiti adorns the interior of the barn.

Old, dilapidated horse stables.

Backbone Trail junction.

From the barn, it’s a 1/2 mile hike to the official terminus of this trail, and the permiter of Camp Josephus (about 2.2 miles total from the trailhead).

This stretch of trail is beautiful. Very woodsy, with the option to hike along the creek (which we did) or follow the trail up on a slight ridge. You’ll see some additional ruins scattered throughout here as well.

On this leg of trail,  you will hit the junction with the 65-mile long Backbone Trail system that heads into Will Rogers State park and traverses the Santa Monica Mountains, if you want to up your mileage.

This stretch of trail is obviously an old abandoned road.

Ruins on the trail between the barn and Camp Josepho.

Majestic inviting trees also grace this stretch of trail.

Although the official trail terminus is a popular turn-around for hikers who do an out-and-back route through the canyon, continuing on provides you with a glimpse at Camp Josepho and the chance to enjoy some higher views down into the canyon via the return loop.

I have never seen a Boy Scout camp before, but my Scouting friends assure me that Camp Josepho is one of the biggest. The short walk from the Rustic Canyon trail terminus back to Sullivan Ridge Fire Road takes you through the campground, past the stables, past the old historic lodge and cozy little cabins, by the archery field, and into the parking lot, where you catch the fire road again.

At the trail terminus, Camp Josepho makes an appearance.

We resisted snapping photos of the campgrounds, out of respect for the privacy of those camping, but we did catch some photos of the buildings and stables.

The official entrance to Camp Josepho.

Camp Josepho to Trailhead

From the Camp Josepho parking lot, proceed up the paved fire road and follow it all the way back to the trailhead. Expect a good climb, made easier via the hairpin turns in the road. After the first hairpin turn, you’ll come across a big octagonal railed concrete platform — and get a chance to take in some great views of the camp down below. The next stretch of road takes you through the big arch welcoming visitors to Camp Josepho. At this point, you start gettng good views of adjacent Sullivan Canyon.

Returning to the trailhead via the loop route -- on the fire road.

Returning this way provides great views of the canyon you just traversed.

And better views of Camp Josepho. Who knew the Boy Scouts had it so good?!

Climbing up to the gate welcoming Scouts to Camp Josepho.

The view from the camp gate, looking south. The route to the left (the canyon access road) returns you to the trailhead. To the right is a lookout spot.

Looking north, from just outside the camp gate. We saw mountain bikers heading up that single track, and hikers taking the fire road.

Looking east, to your left, into Sullivan Canyon. You'll see a trail packed with hikers and trail runners right across the canyon.

After 1.5 miles you come upon the ornate Murphy Ranch gate, flanked by a stone wall. Although it’s locked, a section of the wall has been knocked down on the far side of the gate, providing hikers with unofficial access to the road that heads down into Murphy’s Ranch.

About 1.5 miles from Camp Josepho, you hit the old Murphy Ranch gate.

Although locked, there is a well-busted out section of wall just left of the gate, which provides an unofficial entry point.

In another 1/4 mile, you’ll encounter that gap in the chain link fence that priovides access to the concrete stairs we used to climb down into the canyon. From this point on, you retrace your steps to the trailhead. Your total mileage from the Murphy Ranch gate to the trailhead should be about 1.1 miles.

A final look at Rustic Canyon from up on the fire road.

Despite the warm dry winter and spring, there were some wildflowers present.

Our youngest hiker did great, and got to ride in style!

View Rustic Canyon: Murphy’s Ranch to Camp Josepho in a larger map

Elevation profile. Click the image to view a bigger size.

Jeff and I are happy to invite our fellow Orange County hikers and Orange County history buffs along for another History Hike sponsored by the Orange County Historical Society, as we continue to kick-off this exciting new program. Our inaugural History Hike out to San Juan Hot Springs was a great success, and filled up within 2 weeks of our announcement.

About OC History Hikes

To help expose, educate and connect people to Orange County’s fascinating history, the Orange County Historical Society launched a new program in November — Orange County History Hikes. These hikes will take place at least a couple times per year, and are open to the public. Each hike will showcase an Orange County historical destination, allowing history and hiking enthusiasts to see some of these destinations in a new way. Hikes will vary in distance, topography and difficulty, but will stay within a range that most reasonably fit people can accomplish.

History Hike: Exploring the Olinda Oil Museum and Trail

Learn about the cultural history and geological significance of the Olinda Oil Fields in Brea.  Jeff and I just hiked this trail for the first time in February.

Olinda, California, circa 1920. Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.

Why bother joining this group hike instead of hiking it alone? Because the History Hikes crew has a team of local historians on hand to provide detailed interpretive narrative that you can’t get from the trail signs or brochure.

• Date & Time: Sunday, April 15, 2012 (9am-11:30am)*
  • 9:00am: Parking gates open
  • 9:15am: Orientation in front of Field House Museum
  • 9:30am: Docent-led tour of the museum (includes a video) and grounds
  • 10:15/10:30am: Interpretive hike
• Location: The Olinda Oil Museum and Trail, 4025 Santa Fe Road, Brea, CA
• Distance: 1.94 miles round-trip (very exposed, mostly single-track dirt trail)
• Elevation: 390 foot total elevation gain
• Event Fee: None (limited to 25 people), but the Museum accepts donations.
• Parking Fee: None (20 vehicles max, so carpooling is necessary).
• Meeting Spot: Olinda Oil Museum

Please feel welcome to pack a picnic lunch to enjoy in the picnic area after the hike. There are two covered picnic tables and restrooms available.

Special Instructions: Must be 7 years of age or older. People-friendly dogs are permitted, on a leash. Please bring water, sunscreen, a hat and sturdy closed-toe shoes. If your dog is joining us, please bring water and waste bags.

Reservations Required: Please use our online Reservation Form to RSVP for your spot at this event. You may submit one RSVP for your entire party.

Directions: Take the 57 Freeway to Exit 10 (Lambert Rd) in Brea. Head east on Lambert Road for 1.8 miles, where it turns into Carbon Canyon Rd. At 0.6 miles, turn left onto Santa Fe Rd (into a housing tract). Turn right on the 2nd residential street (after Merrifield Dr.). This dead-ends at the parking lot for the Museum.

Historical Significance

According to Phil Brigandi’s Orange County Place Names A to Z, “The Olinda Tract was laid out in 1887 on several hundred acres north of Yorba Linda and east of Brea.” Brigandi explains that the town of Olinda was established shortly after oil was discovered in 1897 in the Carbon Canyon area of the tract. What is particularly significant about the Museum is that it houses the oldest Orange County oil well in continuous operation.

Want to extend your mileage?

If you want to extend your hiking mileage (weather permitting) after the official History Hike is done, you might want to:

• Drive down the street to tackle any number of trails at Chino Hills State Park or visit the new Discovery Center (no dogs on trails). Parking is $5 per vehicle or a State Parks Pass.
• Join Greene Adventures for an additional 3.4 mile (90 foot elevation gain) scenic kid-friendly loop hike through Carbon Canyon Regional Park — right across the street — and a picnic in the redwoods grove (dogs allowed). Parking is $5 cash per car or an OCParks Pass.

* This hike is subject to cancellation due to inclement weather. Please check our Facebook Page for last-minute updates that morning.

View Olinda Oil Museum Trail in a larger map

(Photos courtesy of the Orange County Archives.)

As Southern California hikers, we know that there are good hikes for summer (shaded or near the coast), and hikes that can only be done in the winter–especially some of those out in the desert.  One of our favorite hikes last year was one of those “winter hikes”, Devil’s Punchbowl and Devil’s Chair, out near Palmdale in the High Desert.  We’d hoped to get in some more desert hikes this winter, but the unseasonably warm/hot temperatures have actually forced us to hit the coast three different times since November!  Finally a few weeks ago, temperatures were projected to be low enough to head out to a desert hike we’ve been wanting to get to since before last summer–Whitewater Preserve, between Banning and Palm Springs, off I-10, past the Morongo Casino.

Entrance monument to Whitewater Preserve.

Lions and bears and snakes and flash floods, oh my! Didn't see any on this particular day...

I’d seen pictures of it posted on Facebook by several of my friends who live out in the Inland Empire, and all had posted about how beautiful it was (though they also warned about the wind…).  And since the two most popular trails in the Preserve were only about 4 miles round trip, which is within our current poor-fitness range, we took advantage of the first cool day to get out to the desert.  Of course, if you want to go farther than four miles, the Pacific Crest Trail cuts through the middle of the Preserve, so you can take a leisurely 725 mile hike to Tuolomne Meadows at Yosemite, or if you really want to stretch your legs, you can go the full 2,445 miles to Canada!

Mileage monument. Pretty cool to hike a trail that you can follow to Canada...

In one of my favorite trailhead encounters, just as we got ready to start our measly 4 mile hike, which does, in fact, overlap the Pacific Crest Trail for a mile or so, a couple pulled up in a brand new Corvette with dealer plates, and the girl in the passenger seat asked, “Are there hiking trails here?”  I nodded in the affirmative, and she asked “How far can you go on them?”  I answered, “Canada!”  Her eyes got really big and she asked, “How long does that take?”  I answered that it took about 4-6 months usually, and she stared at me, said thank you, and they took off back down the road.

The grounds around the trailhead and parking lot are very nice, with shaded picnic tables, a visitor’s center, and some big ponds full of giant trout, a tribute to the property’s past as a fish hatchery and trout farm, where they still hold youth fly fishing days to this day.

Great picnic area near the parking lot.

Covered picnic tables.

Visitor's Center above one of the old trout ponds.

Picture doesn't do them justice, but these are some big ol' trout!

Path across from the visitor's center to the trailhead and informational signs.

The Preserve itself is almost 3,000 acres, surrounded by the San Gorgonio Wilderness, and featuring the year round Whitewater River running through a valley right through the middle of it.  The eastern wall of the valley is pretty steep and rocky, and is a common place for spotting bighorn sheep, while the western side is a little more rounded.  The road into the preserve features hillsides covered with energy producing windmills–hinting at the near constant winds in this area.

Weather-wise, this is an interesting spot, as we were in dark cloud cover and occasional rain on our drive all the way from Orange County to Whitewater.  Nearly exactly at the offramp for the Whitewater Preserve, we came out from under the cloud cover, and were suddenly in the sunlight.  Over the western wall of the canyon, we could see the dark, rainy clouds, which looked like they were blowing on over us, but somehow they never did.  It was fascinating to watch them appear to be moving towards us, but never getting to us.  It was the kind of meteorological effect that I wish I understood better.  It stayed quite windy the whole time, but it remained sunny in the canyon, even as it was cloudy and wet on the ridge.

A look at the looming clouds over the ridge above the trail.

Head north from the visitor’s center to the trailhead, where you’ll find the mileage monument above as well as an informational display and even a trash can designed for your “dog waste”.  The trail is very clearly marked, and lined with small rocks along the initial stretch.  There are two quick junctions, one where you go straight, and one where you turn left, but both decisions are pretty obvious, by following the signs and the rock lined trail.

Beginning of the trail.

Very well marked trail to begin.

Really hard to get lost here...

The bigger path is straight, but the marked one is to the left.

Shortly thereafter, the rocks lining the trail disappear, but it is easy enough to figure out what the proper path is.  In a wet season, or after a rain, you may have several water crossings on the initial stretch, but on this particular day, most washes were dry, and the ones with water in them were easy to cross on rocks, so we didn’t get wet.  About a half mile from the visitor’s center, we came to the last one on the initial stretch, across the largest stem of the river.  It had a wood bridge laid across it, though older hiking reports indicate that it is frequently washed away.

A look downstream from the first crossing.

In the dry river bottom.

Not as well marked here, but still hard to get lost.

The biggest crossing. A bridge spans the water on this particular day, but it apparently gets washed out regularly.

Crossing the bridge.

Not too long thereafter, we  came to a large limb planted in the ground, with a faint path to the right, and a clearer one towards the left.  The limb may not always be there, but again, it is obvious enough which way to go.  This happened to be where we re-joined the main trail on our return trip down the river, so it is worth noting.

Big stick marking the way towards the PCT.

A quarter mile or so past the bridge, you will come to the signed junction with the Pacific Crest Trail.   To the left is the southward stretch of the PCT to Mexico, and the 3.5 mile loop of Canyon View Trail.  To the right, is the northbound trail you can take all the way to Yosemite or Canada–or roughly another mile or so to red dome, which was our choice today.

A surprisingly marshy area on the other side of the river.

Another makeshift crossing.

PCT junction! Turn left here to head to Mexico (or the Canyon View Loop Trail), stay straight to go to Canada (or red dome)!

Hey! We're on the Pacific Crest Trail!

As cool as it was to be hiking along “the” Pacific Crest Trail, this section was really the most boring part of the hike.  There were no water crossings (on this day, at least) and it was largely desert scrub vegetation.  After about a mile, you’ll see a reddish point on a ridge approaching the trail on the left, and a red rock towards the right in the river bed.  When you hit the red rock point, you will actually find yourself passing between the point on the left, a red volcanic rock on the right, and the river directly in front of you.

It may look like I'm tipping my hat here, but I'm really just trying to keep it from blowing off my head in the wind!

Dry wash--no telling what this would be like in a wet season.

Clouds still appear to be blowing our way--yet never actually move past the ridge.

Approaching the red volcanic ridge near the dome.

That's the red dome off to the right of the trail.

This smaller red rock on the side of the trail doesn't appear to be "the" red dome, but it makes a nice rest area next to the river.

You might think this is red dome, but as far as I can tell from our map, the actual red dome is about 50 yards down river to the right.  On this day, there was a series of logs across the river for crossing on your way to Yosemite, but again, there is no guarantee, because of the great potential for flooding through here.  This crossing by the rock and on the river makes for a really nice place to snack or lunch or just rest and even read before heading back.

This red rock at the crossing isn't red dome, but it's a lot like it.

Looking further north up Whitewater River Canyon.

This was the way to cross the river on this particular day if you were continuing along the PCT. We weren't, but Holly and I never miss an opportunity for a water crossing!

Red Dome, just downstream from where PCT crosses the river.

Red Dome! Again, not terribly exciting, but a good marker.

I prefer loop hikes to out-and-back trips, and prefer riverside hikes to dry hikes, so we decided that rather than just walking back on the same trail from whence we came, we would return along the river instead, picking our way along the sandy, boulder strewn banks.

Heading down river from Red Dome. Very easy to follow.

This was a much more entertaining way to return, and we enjoyed the choose-your-own-adventure nature of our trek.  The river was beautiful, and lived up to its Whitewater name, as it cascaded loudly and frothy over the rocks all the way downstream.  Even when a path we chose seemed to dead-end or become impassable, rarely did it take us more than a few seconds to find a new route, and never more than 50 feet or so from the river.

Much prettier along the river than on the actual trail.

Looking down the canyon.

We've got sunshine, on a cloudy day.

Holly loved following the river, and took every opportunity to play in the water.

This is about as rough as the non-trail got. And we probably could have picked an easier path here, but chose to hug the river rather than move even 50 feet away.

Mount San Jacinto as seen through my awesome Peaks App.

One of the whitewater-ier stretches of the river.

A really great and scenic hike all the way.

You can see dust being kicked up by the wind in the distance. It was pretty consistently windy all day.

The switchbacks are the PCT as it heads up the west wall of the canyon, this is the path you take for the Canyon View Loop Trail.

The last stretch along the river before re-joining the main trail was a bit weedy, but far from impassable.

Hey, there's that stick trail marker again!

A little less than 2 miles downstream, we rejoined the main path, at the junction with the big stick.  From there it was a quick half mile back to the visitor’s center and our truck, and an hour and a half back home to Orange County.

Approaching the visitor's center.

View towards the visitor's center from the parking lot. Apparently a bighorn sheep was spotted on the rock wall above the center not long before we got there, but we didn't see it. Can you?

We’ve heard that the Canyon View Loop Trail is great for wildflowers in the spring, but we fear that the lack of rain this year is going to spoil the bloom.  It does have great views of Mount San Jacinto, though, which we have hiked previously, so we may return this year even if there aren’t any flowers to see.

Both of us loved the desert beauty of this hike, and the bubbling river, and highly recommend this hike.  But definitely check the weather first.  It can be deadly hot in the summer and on unseasonably warm spring and fall days, and it is frequently very windy.  On this day, winds were consistently present, and while the average may have only been 10-15 mph (as the weather forecast suggested), the ranger said there were gusts up to 40 mph, so if the weather reports high winds in the area–believe it!!!  Furthermore, if you look at the pictures of the river bed, it can get VERY wide and high during flash floods, so be wary if rain is predicted in the mountains and check in with the rangers before you go whenever possible.

Elevation profile for hike. Click through for larger view. It looks like more of a climb than it felt, btw. We didn't feel like we were climbing at all, as it was a very gradual incline and decline.

View Whitewater PCT to Red Dome.kml in a larger map

While scoping out locations for potential future Orange County History Hikes, I came across this site and brochure (.pdf) advertising the Olinda Oil Museum & Trail. I’ve visited the museum before — shortly after it first opened, but the trail was still a future dream then. I hadn’t realized, until just a couple weeks ago, that the trail was already a reality. So, after a fuller hiking day on Saturday, I suggested to Jeff that we squeeze in this very brief hike on a Sunday afternoon, after church — particularly since it’s pretty much right in our own backyard.

Parking is free and available daily 9am-4pm! There are around 20 regular spaces and 2 or 3 handicap spaces. That's the field house Museum off to the right.

The museum is located inside the former field office, first constructed in 1912. Be sure to sign the guest registry if you go in for a peak. It is worth the visit!

We arrived at the park and museum around 2pm (after church, lunch and grocery shopping).  And we spent a good hour touring the museum and the museum grounds.  That didn’t put us on the trail until about 3pm, but, being just under 2 miles round-trip, we weren’t too worried about making it back to the museum by the time the park gate closes at 4pm.

Olinda oilfields, circa 1920. Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.

Olinda, California, circa 1920. Photo courtesy Orange County Archives.

If you’re like most people, including many who’ve lived in Orange County their entire lives, you might be wondering where the heck Olinda is located (it’s now part of the city of Brea), and why you should visit it. I’ve lived in Orange County the majority of my life and am a local history nerd, but until a few years ago, I couldn’t tell you anything about Olinda or identify it on a map of the county.

According to Orange County historian Phil Brigandi in his book Orange County Place Names A to Z, “The Olinda Tract was laid out in 1887 on several hundred acres north of Yorba Linda and east of Brea.” Brigandi explains that the town of Olinda was established shortly after oil was discovered in 1897 in the Carbon Canyon area of the tract. Aside from the museum, and the oil pumps scattered throughout the area, nothing remains of the historic town, although there is a modern housing development named Olinda Village in the general area.  What is particularly significant about the museum is that it houses the oldest Orange County oil well in continuous use — it’s still pumping.

Olinda Oil Well #1, located near the museum. First drilled in 1897. This is the oldest Orange County well still in operation.

The grounds adjacent to the museum are filled with very cool old "oil field" equipment, like this 1924 Model T Ford truck.

We highly recommend that you spend at least a few minutes visiting the museum and wandering around the museum grounds to learn a bit more about the area, its history, and some of the views you see from the trail. But, although the park and trail are open daily from 9am to 4pm, the museum is only open on Wednesdays from 10am to 2pm and Sundays from 12pm to 4pm (or by appointment). Friendly knowledgeable docents work in the museum. The historic park is a joint venture between the city of Brea (who oversees the museum), and Chino Hills State Park (who oversees the trail and surrounding land).

The hike trailhead is located to the right of the museum.

The hiking trail is located adjacent to the museum. It winds behind the museum grounds and historic Olinda Oil Well #1 on a mostly single-track very exposed dirt trail until you hit a paved service road. After taking in the view and interpretive sign at the junction with the road, cross the paved road to re-join the single track trail.

Most of the hike is a single-track dirt trail that winds through the hills.

Shortly after heading up the trail, you reach a junction with a service road. There's a scenic lookout and interpretive sign to the right. You catch the trail straight across (note the two people standing at the trail).

This lookout allows you views of the museum down below and Olinda Oil Well #1.

This is where the trail picks up again across the service road.

It’s a gentle climb, via a series of switchbacks, to the high point of the trail, where you encounter another interpretive sign located under a small shady grove of trees. There’s also a geocache located near the “summit”.

We were surprised to find switchbacks on such a short trail.

The oil wells along the trail are a constant reminder of the role that oil has played in this area's history.

Looking out at Carbon Canyon Regional Park and dam.

There was a surprising variety of flora along the trail -- particularly in such a dry year.

The trail high point (aka "summit"). Geocachers take note.

On the descent down, you continue to follow the single-track dirt trail heading southeast, with views of a housing tract and Chino Hills State Park, located just down the road. After climbing down into a canyon, the trail becomes a fire road for a brief stretch before hitting a paved service road that runs alongside Carbon Canyon Road. We “hiked” on sidewalk, through a housing tract, the rest of the way back to the museum.

The trail descent down offers great views of Chino Hills State Park and the Robert Diemer Treatment Plant expansion project in the park.

The trail loop descends into a small canyon. This is the last stretch of real trail.

Once you hit the bottom of the canyon, the trail turns into fire road.

When you hit the fork in the fire road, stay right.

Although there are no mind-blowing views from the trail, on a clear day (which we did not have), you can view north and central Orange County, Catalina Island and downtown Long Beach. You get a great view from above of Carbon Canyon Regional Park (located across the street), including the dam whose construction, according to Brigandi, forced out the the remaining town residents in 1959. You also get the kind of unusual experience of hiking right alongside 5-10 active oil pumps, with views of more in the surrounding rolling hills.

The fire road suddenly turns into a paved service road. Popular with joggers. We had a nice long chat with a very friendly Chino Hills SP ranger here.

The paved service road runs parallel to Carbon Canyon Road for much of the way. This is a pedestrian walkway that provides foot access between the two roads.

Where the paved service road joins the residential Santa Fe Road. Head right.

Follow Santa Fe Road until you see the right-turn back to the museum parking lot.

Our only complaint with the hike is with the highly misleading numbered markers placed all along the dirt stretch of trail. We initially thought these markers were supposed to correspond with the park/trail brochure, but there is no further interpretive information in the brochure or on the website. When I chatted with Sean Matlock from the city of Brea this week, he advised that the numerical markers were not ever meant to be interpretive in nature,  they are meant to identify specific spots along the trail in the event something needs to be reported, or if you need to call the rangers or 911. While we “get” the intent, this is just poor trail signage.

One of the highly misleading numerical markers situated along the trail. No, this isn't Mile 8 of this less-than-two-mile hike. Nor does it correspond to any interpretive information (although the rattlesnake sign migh make it appear so).

Since this is such a short trail, if you want to extend your hiking mileage, you have two excellent options in the immediate vicinity – Chino Hills State Park or Carbon Canyon Regional Park. If you’re hiking with a dog, Carbon Canyon is your only option.

View Olinda Oil Museum Trail in a larger map

Click to view a larger image of the elevation chart.

Santiago Oaks Regional Park is one of our favorite local hiking spots, giving a near-wilderness feel right in the middle of town.  Very popular with mountain bikes and horseback riders, we’ve written up several of our favorite hikes there in the past (See Inner Loop and Robber’s Roost to Weir Canyon), and have also spent a lot of time at another of our favorites, nearby Irvine Regional Park, which we’ve also written about.  Combining the two parks is quite easy, and something we’ve now done a few times, with a couple different ways to hike between them.

This particular one is the shortest way to make the journey.  You could start either at Irvine Regional Park or at Santiago Oaks Regional Park, but we’ve always started at Santiago when we’ve done it (though having ice cream at Irvine Regional Park isn’t a terrible way to end a hike…).

As you enter the park, you’ll hit the fee kiosk, where you pay your parking fee (unless you have an annual pass) and usually can pick up a trail map.  Pull into the parking lot, and head east down the stairs towards the Santiago Oaks Trailhead (or you can take the Historic Dam Trail, which pretty much puts you at the same place).

Ample parking! Most of the time, anyways...

The Santiago Trail head is off to the left, across the creek, but there are doggy bags, a watering station, and a map near that kiosk there.

Crossing the creek near the parking lot. Sometimes the water level is much higher and faster. If it is a lot higher and faster than this, check with the rangers before attempting to cross the other two crossing on this hike.

Cross the creek on the concrete steps, and turn right down the main Santiago Trail.  The trail is mostly shaded and probably the prettiest year-round trail in the park.  You can check out the overlook at the Historic Dam, which is pretty cool and has a little plaque explaining the historical significance of it.

The shaded first stretch of the Santiago Trail, our favorite part of the park.

The historic submerged dam, from the overlook.

Info kiosk above the historic dam.

Oak Trail heads towards the left to get to Robber's Peak. Stay right on Santiago Trail.

Junction with Pony Trail. Take it to the right.

About a third of a mile along the trail, you’ll come to the Pony Trail.  When there is water in the creek, this is a popular trail for dog owners and people who want to play in the water.  In wet seasons, you may have to wade to cross this piece of creek.  In dry seasons, it may be completely barren.  Usually it is somewhere in between.  If you do take this route (which I recommend, especially if you want to duplicate as little of the path as possible), you will quickly come to a corral, which makes it look like you’ve left the trail and park entirely.  But if you go across the corral, you will re-find the trail on the other side, which you can then take on up the hill to the top of the big dam, passing a left turn back down to Santiago Trail along the way (which you’ll return on later, if possible).

One potential crossing at the Pony Trail.

On this day, there was an easier crossing just left of where the Pony Trail hit the creek.

Just past the creek, you'll come to this sign announcing the end of the park. Ignore it, and continue across the corral.

Approaching the corral.

The other side of the corral. Ignore the trail to the left (for now) and head straight up the road alongside the dam.

View from the top of the dam. Middle peak is Robber's Roost, which we've written about before. Peak on the right has a scenic overlook we've also written about elsewhere.

The trail to the top of the dam is paved.

Once across the top of the dam (just less than a mile in), the high point of the trail, you can stay to the right on the high route along the Santiago Trail, or take the left fork and head down the Egret Trail.  The Santiago Trail is the most popular route, but is a little too close to the backyards of the houses bordering the park for our tastes.  The Egret Trail creates a little more illusion of nature and wilderness, and takes you a little close to the reeds and riparian habitat of the Creek, but gets you to Irvine Park just as quickly.  They’re really only about 50-100 feet apart, with several unofficial connecting trails between them, so even if you start on one, you can switch to the other at several points along the way.

Once over the top of the dam, you can hang right underneath the other dam, or turn leftward down the Egret Trail. We prefer Egret, but they'll both get you the same place.

View down Egret Trail towards Irvine Regional Park.

Egret Trail and Santiago Trail are both very exposed, and can be quite miserable in the summer or even in the middle of any particularly warm day, but in the morning, or on a cooler day, it is very pleasant.  In the spring, there are great wildflowers along this stretch, but it is admittedly brown in the late summer, fall, and early winter, like when we made this particular hike.  About 1/4 mile past the split, you’ll come to a shaded structure (that looks like it should have a picnic table or something, but didn’t on this particular day) right at the junction with another trail.  You could take Willow Trail here to get to Irvine Regional Park, but our preference is to repeat trails as little as possible, so in the interests of making this more of a loop, we will continue on Egret and return on Willow.

Shelter at the junction of Egret Trail and Willow Trail. Stay right.

You're never really far from homes along this stretch.

The trees on the horizon are the border of Irvine Regional Park.

Not too long after you hit the 2 mile mark, you’ll hit a dead end at a trail that runs perpendicular to Egret and Santiago Trails right at the edge of Irvine Regional Park.  There is a whole line of trees here at the beginning of the park, so it is really impossible to miss.  Turn right to re-connect with Santiago Trail and then turn left to head into the park.  You’ll find yourself at the southwest corner of Irvine Regional Park, not too far from the main entrance, and possibly more importantly, not far from the restrooms (flush toilets!).

The perpendicular trail at the end. Turn right and follow to the left. That cut to the right up ahead is Santiago Trail.

The skinny one to the left heads right to Irvine Park. The fire road on the right doesn't.

Irvine Regional Park!

If you want to explore Irvine Regional Park, there is a lot there, especially for kids.  You can visit the small zoo, get a hot dog or ice cream at the concession stands, ride the miniature railroad, check out the Spanish-American War Memorial, or just hang out at one of the many picnic tables to eat your lunch.  We just sat down in the shade and lush grass at the corner of the park, watered the dog, and ate our beef jerky and trail mix before heading back to Santiago Oaks.

Holly enjoying the cool grass. Restrooms are in the distance.

A little cross trail at the west end of the park, heading toward Willow Trail.

The Willow Trail junction on the left.

There are a couple ways to return to that trail at the edge of the park (really a continuation of Santiago Oaks Trail, if you look at the map), but from there, you can connect to the Willow Trail, which is actually our favorite of the four different options to return to Santiago Oaks.  Willow trail is more shaded than Santiago and Egret, and more direct than Roadrunner, which we’ll discuss when we write up the longer trans-park hike another time.  This trail has much more of a riparian feel, and when there is water in Santiago Creek, you will regularly see running water alongside the trail.

You'd think the Willow Trail sign would be actually at the junction, rather than near the junction, but no.

Beginning of the Willow Trail.

Willow Trail. More shaded than Egret or Santiago.

In a wetter season, there would be water down there on the left.

The end of the Willow Trail. In a really wet season this may be impassable. You might want to ask first...

Back at the shelter where Willow rejoins Egret. A picnic table would be nice here!

Approximately 1 mile from Irvine Regional Park, Willow Trail reconnects with Egret Trail, right at the covered shelter I mentioned earlier.  Turn right and continue down Egret Trail back towards the dam.  At the top of the dam, just before you hit the corral that connects you to Pony Trail, there is another informational sign and a junction with Santiago Trail to the right.  Take Santiago to the right here, and head down towards the creek.

Returning towards the dam and Santiago Oaks Regional Park.

Top of the dam heading back. The small trail back is just to the left of the chain link fence.

Turn right before the corral, taking Santiago Trail to the creek.

Scary warning signs. Ignore them.

You may pass a series of warning signs before coming to the edge of the creek itself.  We’ve been here during a wet, rainy year, when this crossing was basically impossible, but usually it is pretty easy.  If you are a particularly conscientious/prepared hiker, you might ask at the entrance of Santiago Oaks Park whether the Santiago Creek crossing in front of the dam is open or not, but if it isn’t, you don’t have far to backtrack to get to the Pony Trail creek crossing.  And if you can’t get across either, then you never made it to Irvine Park in the first place, did you?

The creek is usually crossable.

But sometimes not. If it looks like this, heed the warning signs!

Holly enjoying the cool water at the crossing.

These are the signs you would ignore coming from the other side.

Santiago Trail on the way back to the parking lot.

If you stay on the Santiago Creek Trail, you will rejoin the junction with Pony Trail in about a half mile.  From here, you will repeat the beginning of the trail for the last third of a mile or so to re-cross Santiago Creek at the concrete steps and get back to your vehicle.

Back in the shaded part! It's nice to end in the shade, especially on a warm day.

So this isn’t really technically a loop trail, or even a lollipop trail, but by using our route choices you only repeat the third of a mile at the beginning and end (the best part, btw), and a half mile in the middle between the top of the dam and the Egret-Willow split.  At just over 5 miles and very little elevation gain, it is a really nice mid-range hike that is really easy to get to, and provides the illusion of getting out of town, without really having to drive very far at all.

View Santiago to Irvine Inside Park Loop in a larger map

Elevation profile. Click through for clearer view.

Labor Day week (also my birthday week), we headed up to Santa Barbara for some hiking and relaxation at the Old Yacht Club Inn, where we had gotten a really nice discount through Spreebird.com (which used to be Screamin’ Daily Deals).  On our first day, we hiked up to Seven Falls, above the city.  It was a great hike, but the exposed portions of the trail were very hot, and the temperatures the next day were supposed to be even hotter–reaching 110 degrees inland, where most of our other potential hikes were located.

We decided to tour the La Purisima Mission State Historical Park up by Lompoc in the morning, and hit Solvang for lunch and possibly some shopping, before deciding whether we had time to do a coastal hike/walk somewhere on the way back.  It was every bit as hot as we feared it would be, and Solvang was downright miserable, so we left quickly after lunch, and headed back down the coast.

I had identified a popular trail between El Capitan and Refugio State Beaches, which was right on the beach, so we wouldn’t have issues with the heat.  To do the complete round trip is between 5 or 6 miles, depending on where you start and finish, but we figured if we got tired or sore (still feeling the hike from the day before a bit), we could stop anywhere along the way and turn around.

Parking lot at El Capitan State Beach.

We turned into El Capitan State Beach, about 20 miles north of the City of Santa Barbara, and paid the fee ($5 per car, I recall) to park.  There is a nice sized, well-regarded campground here, and a day use parking lot, though the state park website today warns that you should call (805) 968-1033 to check on the current status of the park.  Not sure why that is, at is isn’t listed on the official state park closure list, but it never hurts to do your research.  In the parking lot there was also a camp store, which was well-stocked with camping necessities and various beverages, snacks, and other beach staples.

Trailhead to beach from parking lot.

In the western corner of the parking lot, just to the left of the store, you’ll find an interpretive sign and the trailhead/pathway/stairs to the beach.  Head on down to the sand and go west (right).

The trail down to the beach, as seen from the parking lot.

Trail to the beach.

There is really not official trail for the first half of this walk/hike.  You merely head up the sandy beach towards Refugio.  During lower tide periods, there is plenty of dry sand to walk on, if you so choose.  You may also choose to walk amongst the waves and on the wet sand, but see the note on footwear below for a note of caution before you do.

On this particular day, the beach wasn’t crowded at all (but we didn’t expect it to be, on a mid-week day after Labor Day), but the few people that were on the beach were almost all clumped near the parking lot and lifeguard towers, and as we headed west, there were hardly any people to be seen.  It was a beautiful day, with nice views of the Channel Islands offshore, blue waters to our left, and steep bluffs to our right.  And while it was over 100 degrees inland, it was incredibly pleasant walking on the beach.

View of the "crowded" part of the beach to the left.

View of the "trail" portion of the beach to the right.

Wide, sandy stretch of beach trail with cool bluffs alongside.

More sandy trail, this time with birds!

One of the potential stairways/paths up the bluffs to the campground area.

It wasn't always easy to stay dry, but we didn't really care (see footwear note below).

Didn't notice when we first took the picture of this sand castle, but doesn't it look like a happy monster with his hands in the air?

And this side looks like an evil sand monster! Don't know if this was intentional, or simply a result of wave and wind erosion...

Approaching the final passable point.

Continue along the beach for roughly a mile and a half.  In an area called Coral Beach (or Canada de Corral on my Delorme GPS Maps), we saw a family on the beach near a trail up the bluffs, but walked on by them to see how far we could get on the beach, rather than the bluffs.  Unfortunately, we only made it around the next corner before we realized that the water was too high on the bluffs to continue.

Oh hey! A perfectly decent path up the bluffs! We ignored this. You shouldn't.

Cool rocks around the last point.

More rocks, less beach!

Yeah, I think we'll turn around now...

Rather than double back, we decided to scale the bluffs on a make-shift path in the final little cove we were in, and managed it without too much difficulty, but it would have been a difficult descent, and we really recommend you take the established path up the bluffs at the end of Coral Beach (but perhaps after exploring around the point as far as you can go, because it was cool back there).

Scaling the bluffs on our unimproved, unadvised, improvised path.

Kinda steep. And very unimproved.

A look back down into the cove we climbed out of.

The not very improved path from the bluffs to the bike trail.

Whether you take the established path or the improvised path, you will soon come to the paved, striped Pacific Coast Bike Path that runs along the coast from Canada to Mexico, though only certain stretches of this are separated from vehicle traffic like this piece is.

Now THAT'S a trail! The Pacific Coast Bike Trail, to be precise.

Random view from the trail to the beach and bluffs.

The brush along the trail is often over head height, preventing any views in some areas, but at other times, there are great views of the coast and the beach.  There were a couple of dirt side trails that led out to nice promontory points that had particularly good views.  This trail is also almost immediately adjacent to the train tracks, which you might not even notice until a train passes by 10 or 20 feet away!

High brush alongside the trail.

Cool dude fishing on the cool bluffs overlooking the cool ocean.

Train! It's quite close to the bike trail through here...

Colleen’s feet were hurting too much from the grinding of the sand in the wet sandals (see note on footwear below) for us to make it all the way to Refugio, so we had to stop short of our goal after about 2.2 miles.  We had only gone about a half mile on the paved trail, and were only about a half mile from Refugio Beach, but that meant an extra mile round trip, and we knew from experience that if her feet were torn up already, adding another mile to the distance was not a good idea.

We discussed whether to take the paved path all the way back to El Capitan, or whether to return to the sand, and decided that if we went back on the sand, she could take her sandals back off and walk barefoot the rest of the way, which was not an option on the paved trail. The correct path (as opposed to the bogus one we took up) down the bluffs back down to the beach was just past where we’d come up and was well-marked and easy to find.

Heading back towards the trail down to the beach--you can see the white sign at the entrance in the distance.

Sign and trail entrance up close.

Sign up really close. REMAIN CALM!!!!

Relatively steep, but relatively improved, trail back to the beach (the one we skipped earlier).

As we returned back down the beach, we noticed the tide had gotten visibly higher, and was coming much closer to the bluffs, and in quite a few places, was coming all the way up to the cliff faces.  We regularly had to time quick dashes between waves on the narrower portions of the beach, but it wasn’t quite high enough to be a serious danger.  If you think about it, you might check on the tides ahead of time, and try to hit it before low tide, or at least avoid an extra high tide or storm surges that might make the beach disappear entirely.

Back on the beach. Note that I am carrying both pairs of sandals on my backpack, because that's the kind of chivalrous guy I am...

Look back east towards where we started--water is a bit higher!

Yeah, definitely higher water. But still some sand.

And now it is gone. Time your movement down the beach between waves, if you care.

Another shot of the intermittent trail.

By now the sun was getting much lower on the horizon at our backs (this is one of those weird California beaches that runs east-west, even though it seems like all beaches should run north-south), giving us some different colors and shadows than we had on the trip out.

Pretty sunset-ish light and colors behind us.

Look back from the trail up to the parking lot.

While we wished we could have made it all the way to Refugio, it was a relatively arbitrary stopping point, and one could easily go further or turn around sooner, like we did, and still have a good time.  We really enjoyed the walk (despite the sandy sandal issue) and would recommend it to others looking for something that doesn’t require any special equipment and can be done on even the hottest days.

A note on footwear:  We wore our hiking sandals initially, and made the mistake of letting the waves wash over our feet.  This resulted in wet, sandy sandals that started to grind the skin off our feet.  We decided fairly quickly thereafter to ditch the sandals and just walk barefoot across the sandy portion of the trail, which was great!  You always have to worry a bit about oil balls on your bare feet in Santa Barbara, but we didn’t have any issues.  When we left the beach for the paved bluff path later, we put our sandals back on, but they were so wet and sandy that they kept rubbing our ankles and toes to the point that even with moleskins, Colleen finally couldn’t take it any more and we had to turn around before reaching our goal.  My recommendation is to start in bare feet, carrying your sandals.  Put on dry sandals when you climb the bluffs, and then take them back off when you return to the sand later.  You could also wear hiking boots and socks the whole time and just do everything in your power to stay dry, but what would be the fun in that?

Boring and probably inaccurate (most of the hike was literally AT sea level) elevation profile of the walk, but you can click through to read it better if you want.

View Beach Hike El Capitan to Refugio State Beach in a larger map

On December 30th, Jeff and I met (slightly surpassing) our goal to hike 200 miles in 2011.  We have trekked through some pretty spectacular scenery this past year, all of varying difficulty, topography, climates and ecosystems.  While we don’t regret any of the trails we’ve traversed, some are much more likely to be revisited by on future hikes.

This New Year’s weekend, the two of us agreed upon a handful of hikes that stand out as our absolute favorites of 2011.

Favorite Hikes of 2011

These are listed in no particular order.

Mount San Jacinto via Mountain Station

Mount San Jacinto Summit

A great 10 mile hike to Mount San Jacinto, the second highest peak in Southern California. It’s not easy, but achievable for anyone in decent condition if you take the route from the Palm Springs Tram. Jeff and I completed this hike on July 2, 2011, and we both agree that this is probably the most diverse beautiful trail we have ever hiked. We plan to do it again in 2012 — bringing friends along this time.

• Date Hiked: July 2, 2011
• Distance: 9.85 miles round-trip
• Elevation Gain: 2,409 feet
• Kid-Friendly: No (but rare exceptions)
• Dog-Friendly: No

Mount Baldy via the Notch and Devil’s Backbone

Devil's Backbone

A great hike to a great Southern California peak. This strenuous (6.3 mile, 2,300 ft elevation gain) hike to the the top of Mt Baldy it totally worth it, and is quite popular. We first did this hike in 2009, and repeated it this year with a group of friends. This is one of those super cool fun rugged trails that we would welcome doing every year.

• Date Hiked: June 18, 2011
• Distance: 6.34 miles round-trip
• Elevation Gain: 2,315 feet
• Kid-Friendly: Yes (if experienced)
• Dog-Friendly: No (unless you hike up to the Notch)

Mount Baldy Notch Full Moon Hike

Baldy Moonlight Hike

During the summer months (no snow), the Mt. Baldy Ski Lift runs a Moonlight Hike & BBQ package on the first Friday before the full moon each month. For $20 per person, you get a decent multi-course BBQ dinner at Top of the Notch Restaurant on Mt. Baldy, killer views, and the way cool experience of hiking at night by moonlight.

We couldn’t fit this into our schedule until the final hike of the season (October 7th), so we aren’t planning to publish our write-up until closer to next season (when it’s warmer). But Mt. Baldy announced last week a special date this coming Friday, January 6, 2012. We were freezing cold at the notch the night of October 7th (we had to eat outside because of our dog), so we can only imagine how cold it will be up there this Friday.

• Date Hiked: October 7, 2011
• Distance: 4.4 miles round-trip
• Elevation Gain: 1,352 feet
• Kid-Friendly: Yes
• Dog-Friendly: Yes

Ice House Canyon to Timber Mountain

Ice House Canyon

Ice House Canyon is a beautiful hike, and if you do the full loop we did, has a tremendous variety of terrain and scenery. If you’re in halfway decent shape, it’s a great trail! Since Jeff and I started hiking together in 2008, we kept hearing about Ice House Canyon, so we were thrilled to tackle it in 2011 — even though our knees were shot by the end.

• Date Hiked: June 4, 2011
• Distance: 11.9 miles round-trip
• Elevation Gain: 3,388 feet
• Kid-Friendly: Yes (if experienced)
• Dog-Friendly: Yes

Devil’s Chair via Devil’s Punchbowl

Devil's Chair at Devil's Punchbowl

A great 7.74 mile dog-friendly hike into a geological wonderland called Devil’s Punchbowl out to the Devil’s Chair, right on top of the San Andreas Fault. Located where the Mojave Desert meets the Angeles National Forest, the rock formations and landscape are amazing, and if you pick up the visitor’s guide at the visitor’s center or research it in advance, quite educational!

• Date Hiked: April 9, 2011
• Distance: 7.74 miles round-trip
• Elevation Gain: 622 feet
• Kid-Friendly: No (unless experienced)
• Dog-Friendly: Yes

Bonita Falls in Lytle Creek

Bonita Canyon Falls

Bonita Falls on the South Fork of Lytle Creek: A short, but deceivingly difficult, 2.8 mile hike to the 2nd highest waterfall in Southern California. Lots of boulder hopping and some stream crossing leads to a beautiful waterfall less than a mile off the road in the San Bernardino National Forest.

• Date Hiked: February 21, 2011
• Distance: 2.8 miles round-trip
• Elevation Gain: 660 feet
• Kid-Friendly: Yes
• Dog-Friendly: Yes

Hikes We Wish We’d Done (Again) in 2011

Sure, I can add feats such as Whitney and Half Dome on this list, but those were never realistic options for us — so, why bother. And although they’re on our “in the next couple years” list, we also knew from the start that Santiago Peak, San Gorgornio, and Wilson wouldn’t make our 2011 cut.

But, the following are hikes we either attempted or meant to do, and just didn’t fit into our hiking schedule last year.

• Bridge to Nowhere: We hiked this super cool spectacular trail in 2009, but the heavy spring rains and high water levels, and then the hot summer temps and thunderstorms kept us away this year. Next year, with friends.
• Mount Baden Powell: We attempted this beautiful hike in May, but the late heavy snow (up to our thighs, no trail visible) this year forced us to turn back about 1 mile from the summit. And we just never fit it back in before summer temps and thunderstorms kicked in. Next year, with friends.

If I was forced to live in a city for the rest of my life, but allowed to choose which city it would be, it would be Santa Barbara.  I still sorta regret choosing UCLA over UC Santa Barbara back in the day, but I do enjoy visiting whenever I can.  So when I saw a “Screamin’ Daily Deal” for an extremely discounted stay at the Old Yacht Club Inn bed and breakfast, I grabbed it and booked it for my birthday week, right around Labor Day.

In doing our traditional pre-hiking trip research at Trails.com and other places, I found the Seven Falls and Inspiration Point Trail.  Our plan was to do both parts–the beautiful falls and pools, as well as the scenic lookout point, with views of Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands.  The total was billed as less than 4 miles, which seemed quite reasonable, based on descriptions of oak canopies and a shaded trail.

Roadside parking.

To get to the trailhead, you get to drive right by the Santa Barbara Mission, which is always a treat for history geeks like us.  You climb up the base of the mountains on Mission Canyon and then Tunnel Road, through some very nice neighborhoods.  On weekends and holidays, you will almost certainly begin to see cars parked on the side of the road considerably before the trailhead at the end of the road.  We found a parking spot about a third of a mile (and 150 feet in elevation) from the trailhead, but there were quite a few people parked further down the road.

Signage at the end of the road.

Signage and gate at the trailhead.

The trailhead was very well marked and pretty much impossible to miss.  Just walk around the locked (at least the day we were there) gate across the paved road, and head up the canyon.  We were there in the early afternoon, which we usually try to avoid, but on most days in Santa Barbara, it never gets that hot, so we weren’t too worried.  Unfortunately, it was a particularly hot week, and the wildfires from a few years ago had burned away any trees that might have lined the trail, so the canyon road was completely exposed to the afternoon sun, and it got uncomfortable quickly.

The very exposed fire road/trail ahead up the canyon.

A look back towards the Channel Islands over a burned tree along the fire road.

We kept thinking we’d hit that shaded area soon, and it would become comfortable, so we kept looking for our turnoff up towards the creek bed.  We had a brief false hope at the metal bridge, where we thought we might be turning, but it was clear from our GPS (and lack of signage or obvious path) that we weren’t where we needed to be yet.

The creek passing under the metal bridge. If you wanted to, you could probably go all the way up the creek from here, but we went on to the trail we were told to follow.

Turn left at this trail junction.

Signage at the junction.

Fortunately, it was only one more bend to where we’d been promised the trail “descends into the  forest” and we’d be sheltered from the sun.  Unfortunately, much like the fire road, the stretch of the forest at the beginning of this trail had also suffered serious fire damage, and there were very few trees that still provided any level of shade at all.

You can see how this used to be a nicely shaded trail, but not after the fire!

As we cooled off under one of the few shady spots there near the beginning of the trail and realized there may not be any shade anywhere along the trail, we discussed turning back.  Right about then we encountered a couple of hikers returning from the falls, and they looked wet and refreshed, and they assured us that the trail would quickly go down to the creekside and become much more shaded.

Single track trail heads down to the creek here. Sign to my right points to the trail on the left.

Sure enough, within 500 feet or so, there was a single track trail that headed off to the left and quickly started to descend into the canyon.  Just as quickly, there were real trees with real leaves to protect us from the afternoon sun.   And about 650 feet or so from the trail junction, we were at the water’s edge.

Approaching the creek. This last 50 feet or so is pretty steep. The people on the other side of the creek are coming back from either the Inspiration Point hike or the "high road" trail up to the falls.

Water was murky on this day, but you could see how it would be a nice swimming hole earlier in the season when the water is moving faster.

This late in the season, the water right there at the crossing was sort of murky and still, but it definitely cooled down the trail.  Early in the season, this is probably a popular place to wade and relax on the rocks and in these pools.  Right across the creek was the trail we had originally intended to take to Inspiration Point, and also the “high road” trail along the north side of the creek we had originally intended to follow up to the falls.  But after observing the landscape on the way in, and talking to some other hikers returning from those paths, we decided both those alternatives were too exposed for our comfort, and that we’d be better off just following the creek bed up towards the other falls and pools.

Heading upstream from the crossing.

We knew that meant some bouldering and scrambling, but we actually enjoy that, and figured we would at least follow the stream as far as we could before we turned around.  It really was a beautiful stretch of creek, with a series of rapids, falls, and pools, some higher and deeper than others.  We encountered quite a few people along the way–this was definitely not a good hike for enjoying the peace and quiet of God’s green Earth.

Most of the trail was either bouldering or scrambling up smooth granite rock faces.

Sometimes it was easier just to walk through the water, rather than trying to stay dry (we wore river sandals on this hike).

We really enjoyed the choose-your-own-path aspect of the hike.

There was a family with several kids and a dog playing on this fall and swimming in the pool below.

We saw a couple of families with younger kids at the lower pools, sliding down the mossy waterfalls and playing in the water with their dogs, but the biggest crowd was at/near the end, where the highest falls and deepest pools came together.  This area was a natural playground for the college aged kids, with a dozen or so of them laying around sunning on the rocks, swimming in the water, and jumping off the falls into the deep pools below.

This was the tallest fall, with a big pool below that people jumped into, and a big pool above it that people swam in.

People swimming in the hole above the large falls.

From the top of the biggest fall, I could see a series of other falls and pools further upstream, but it was impossible to access those falls without either scaling the sheer wall on either side of the canyon, climbing up the slippery face of the waterfall, or backtracking a bit and going up the dirt trail up above the canyon to go around the falls.  I did jump into the pool and tried to climb the waterfall, but just couldn’t get a handhold to let me up to the next pool.

Getting up this wall to the next hole was harder than it looks! Note also people at the upper pools, which we couldn't/didn't get to.

We saw several groups of people who had taken the “high road” trail coming down the sets of falls from above, who encountered a similar problem coming down–they’d managed to stay dry thus far on their hike, but now were confronted with either jumping off the top of the fall into the pool, or backtracking up the canyon to the trail to bypass this choke point.  Almost all ended up stripping down and jumping in the end, and in retrospect, if we’d gotten up there earlier in the morning when it was cooler, we probably would have done that.  That would have allowed us to hike up the canyon above the falls and creek while it was still cool, and then come back down along the water when it was warmer.

It was definitely a younger crowd there at the falls, but we enjoyed hanging out a while and even swimming a bit before heading back downstream.  By the time we left, the shadows were getting longer and the heat of the (less) exposed trail wasn’t nearly as bad going downhill back to the car.

A look back up the canyon on the way back home.

Despite our early misgivings, we really enjoyed this trail, and had we left earlier in the day, it would have been a great trail to take the kids on.  Packing a picnic lunch and spending some time playing in the various falls and hopping up rocks would have made for a great family day in the outdoors.  Our dog also would have loved this trail.  Because we were staying in a bed and breakfast, we left her behind, but she would have totally enjoyed it, and we felt guilty every time we encountered another dog playing in the water.

On another note, we were doing this very late in the season, so most of the falls were very mild (and look even milder in these pictures!).  Earlier in the year, especially after a rain, these falls would be much more impressive, and the creek much more difficult to navigate, I’m sure.  It would certainly be impossible to do without getting very wet.  You could tell how high the falls and water level can get during the spring, and we would love to come back and see it this way.  The way we hiked it was only 3.1 miles round trip, but the unimproved trail makes it feel further than it really is.  If you wanted to add more mileage, you could add on the trip to Inspiration Point, or go up the hill to the “high road” to visit the upper falls, but we weren’t interested in either on this particular day.

Elevation profile for the Seven Falls hike. Click through for larger version.

View Seven Falls, Santa Barbara, CA.kml in a larger map

On a recent Fall day, the local tv weather bimbettes had predicted rain all night and the following day, so we really hadn’t planned to get in a hike, even though we were both off work.  But when we woke up at 930am (much later than “serious hikers”, I know, but we are rarely serious), there was still no rain.  We had some coffee, and fired up our computers, and after re-checking the weather, decided that a nice cool, dry day was the perfect opportunity to check out one of our local hikes that we thought was too exposed to hike on a warmer SoCal day.  Our late wake-up, also meant that it had to be relatively short and relatively close, as we had evening plans to deal with as well.

Our answer was to revisit the Whittier/Brea/Puente Hills area right in our back yard.  We had previously hiked a piece of Hellman Wilderness Park on the far western end of the range, and enjoyed it, so we planned to come back and hit several other hikes along that stretch.  On this particular day I had chosen to hike a short loop in Powder Canyon (links to a pay site), immediately east of Schabarum Regional Park, and basically the easternmost park in the hills.  This is a part (as is Hellman Wilderness Park) of the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Preservation Authority, as you can see from this map here.

Parking area along the street on Fullerton Road.

There are trails that will take you from one end of the range to the other, but on this particular day, we were just hitting a short loop of it in Powder Canyon, just off the 57 and the 60, where Harbor Boulevard basically ends.  There are several access points to Powder Canyon on the  north side of Fullerton Road, just west of Harbor Blvd (it is easier if you get on Fullerton Road from the northern junction with Harbor, rather than the southern one).  From that northern junction, we parked on the street at the first trail access sign, though in the future we’d probably park by the stables in the dedicated parking lot, the road to which is the middle access on this road.

Trailhead and kiosk off Fullerton Road.

Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign?

Area map on the kiosk right next to the entrance off the road.

There was a kiosk with a map right here where we parked, but unlike the trailhead by the stables, there weren’t trail maps available to take with you.  The trailhead is nicely shaded, and while it isn’t well-marked, it is basically a fire road, and pretty obvious which way you need to go.  Within a few hundred feet is a road splitting off to the right, but you’ll just want to stay straight.

Split in the road/trail almost immediately past the kiosk. Stay left.

Trail starts in the shade of the oaks before heading uphill into the more exposed sections.

Trail sign letting us know where we were...

At the quarter mile mark, just as the trail starts to seriously climb, you’ll pass a trail junction with a sign indicating that you are on Black Walnut Trail (we actually thought we were on Powder Canyon up until now!), and indicating that you can turn left down a single track trail labeled as Nogales trail (which is actually how we came back to the trail to complete the loop).

Beginning of the exposed part. And the steep part.

A lot of this section has this sort of shrubbery along both sides. Not quite shade, but not quite barren, either.

Heading towards the transmission pole ahead.

At about 2.5 miles and a 400 foot elevation gain, so this is not a hardcore hike by any stretch, but ALL of the climbing is done in the first 3/4 mile (as you can see in the elevation profile below), and most of it is exposed to the sun, so we can’t quite call it easy, either.  On this particular day, the sun surprisingly did break through, and even though it never got hot, it was still quite warm in the direct sun as we made the climb, so be aware of this possibility.

Road splits off to the right a short ways to head up to the tower.

Just shy of the 3/4 mile mark, there is a fork in the trail/road that heads up to the right.  The right fork is not part of the loop, but we highly recommend taking this spur up to a plateau with a big transmission tower on it.  From here, you’ll have the best views you will get on this trail, with unobstructed shots of the San Gabriel Valley and the entire San Gabriel Mountain Range.  This is also the highest point on the hike.

That's the target for the lookout.

Great views of San Gabriel Valley and Mountains from the tower.

Return to the main trail and  turn right, where you will begin to descend, though much more gradually than you climbed.  At the one mile mark (including the side-trip to the tower plateau), you will start to enter a shaded canyon, with very nice trees and vegetation on both sides of the trail.  You’ll make a sort of a hairpin turn in the trail, and from there it is a straight shot southwest towards the junction with Powder Canyon Trail at the 1.5 mile mark.

The trail starts to head downhill after leaving the tower. You can see houses on the hills from most of the first half of the hike along the ridges.

The trail enters a more shaded canyon as it heads downhill.

Nice shrubberies! And trees.

If you turned right, you would hook up with the Skyline Trail that connects the entire trail system all the way to Hellman Wilderness Park, but we turned left to complete the loop.  This is the nicest stretch of the trail, with sections being fully beneath the oak canopy, and almost all  the sights and sounds of civilization suddenly gone.

Approaching the junction with Powder Canyon Trail.

This whole stretch was tree-lined and nicely shaded.

At the 1.7 mile mark, we passed a junction with the Gray Squirrel Trail, which we found out later would lead to the westernmost trailhead/parking area on Fullerton Road for this trail system.

Gray Squirrel Trail junction on the right. Stay straight.

Gray squirrel, watching the trail with its beady little eyes...

More oak canopies along Powder Canyon Trail.

We emerged from the shaded trail part of Powder Canyon right about at the 2 mile mark, and very shortly thereafter came to a horse corral, parking area, and an information kiosk with a map of the area, as well as paper trail maps to take with you (at least on the day we were there).   The parking area is not large, but certainly larger than the street parking area where we stopped, so we would probably choose to park here in the future.

The corral at the other Powder Canyon trailhead.

The road from the corral and parking area back to Fullerton Road.

This is what the entrance to that parking area looks like from Fullerton Road.

Just past the corral and parking area was the southern junction of the Nogales Trail.  Having a decent map now, and remembering having seen it at the beginning of the Black Walnut Trail, we abandoned our original plan of just hiking to the street and finishing the hike along the pavement, and took the Nogales Trail uphill back to the Black Walnut Trail.

Nogales trailhead junction.

Short single track trail back to Black Walnut Trail is scenic, but mostly exposed.

This stretch was exposed to the sun again, but it was only about 500 feet long and maybe 50 feet in elevation we had to climb, so it wasn’t bad at all–certainly better than walking the last stretch along Fullerton Road.  We turned right when we hit the junction with Black Walnut Trail, and within 1,000 feet, we were back at the truck again.

Black Walnut Trail junction.

Almost back to the truck, but Holly is still ready for more.

Overall this was a surprisingly nice hike, considering how little we had planned for it and how close it is to, well, everyone!  Its location not far from the 60 and 57 freeways makes it convenient to Orange, LA, and San Bernardino Counties puts it in the middle of everywhere, but despite that fact, it did feel relatively wildernessy at times.  So if you’re looking to stretch your legs and don’t want to walk around the same paved park path you usually do when you don’t have time for a “real” hike, you might consider heading to Powder Canyon.  We hear it is nice in the Spring when the wildlowers bloom, and we can vouch for how nice it is on a cool Fall or Winter day, but you might want to avoid it when the sun is blazing at full strength…

Powder Canyon elevation profile (click through for bigger version).

View Powder Canyon in a larger map