The Joy of Hiking L.A. County

When the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area was created in 1978, it was done so with the same traditional purposes as other national parks, such as conserving natural and cultural resources.

To these noble purposes, Congress had one more in mind for these magnificent mountains, unique among all other parklands: the mountains that extend across Los Angeles are to serve as an “airshed,” that is to say as lungs for Los Angeles, as a kind of oxygen therapy for the citizenry.

Breathing space. That’s exactly what the Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains and Verdugo Mountains offer, as do the 75 miles of coastline and a hundred parks and preserves that comprise wild L.A.

Breathing space. Helping you find some breathing space, helping you find a tranquil place in Los Angeles County, that’s The Trailmaster’s goal.

Fore more than twenty year’s I’ve been delighted by the opportunity to share my favorite places, trails and experiences with you, in print and online.

It’s quite satisfying to hear from readers who have hiked to a fabulous vista, conquered a high peak, sighted a rare bird, admired waterfalls and wildflowers.

Even more rewarding, though is listening to hikers rhapsodize about their experience in L.A.’s big wild—the solitude or camaraderie, the connections among family members and friends that have been strengthened on the trail.

It’s personally very satisfying to write about the natural world and point hikers in the right directions. Wild L.A. is wonderfully diverse and I never get tired of hiking about it, or writing about it. And I know L.A. hikers, whose ranks grow with each passing weekend, appreciate the unique landscape at their feet.

Increasingly, though, I have come to value the time-off every bit as much as the terrain. And judging by all the feedback I get from hikers, you feel the same way.

Parents rejoice in the “quality time” spent with their children in nature. Couples find—or rekindle—romance on the trail. Just about everybody who hikes anywhere comes back a little more refreshed and often greatly rejuvenated.

Optimistic nature-lover that I am, I believe the only reason it might seem that nobody walks in L.A. is that everybody hikes. Every singles ad seems to mention that the searcher for love loves to hike. Movie stars, talk show hosts, SoCal opinion leaders of all kinds, everybody likes to hike.

OK, maybe not everybody. But a lot of people, enough to spawn The Great Hiking Era II. Yes, together we’re going to…Well, maybe I better contain my enthusiasm for a moment and tell you about the first Great Hiking Era.

At the dawn of the 20th century, when the automobile was still regarded as a noisy novelty, Los Angeles has a great vogue for hiking. Hordes of hob-nailed boots headed for the San Gabriel Mountains, the Santa Monica Mountains, the Hollywood Hills.

Thousands of hikers rode the city’s Red Cars to Sierra Madre, then disembarked and walked up Mt. Wilson Trail to the popular rustic resort at Orchard Camp. Forty thousand people passed over the trail in the peak year of 1911. (Don’t worry, solitude-seekers, it’s nowhere near as popular today!)

Now, a century later, the Great Hiking Era II has begun. Hiking is the most popular form of outdoor recreation in America, and some 30 million Americans describe themselves as “frequent hikers”.

L.A. hikers are not just following a trend; they’re leading the way. The Sierra Club’s Angeles Chapter has the largest membership nationwide, with the most extensive schedule of organized hikes. Angelenos on the hoof have made the Angeles National Forest the most hiked of any of America’s national forests.

The benefits of all this hiking are immeasurable and it in with our Southern California lifestyle—physical fitness, improved health, stress relief, a natural experience that can’t be beat.

That golden glow and sense of well-being from time on the trail—even if it’s only once a month—has a kind of tonic effect that sustains the hiker between hikes.

See you on the trail.

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