This is the third installment of my report on park explorations in LA and Orange Counties during and after(?) the Covid pandemic.
I’ve found that I rather like finding parks, nature centers, wilderness areas that are new to me so I plan on keeping it up.
There may be some repeats from the past reports which means that I revisited them or just plain forgot. My main resources for discovering venues have been Google Maps and more recently Alltrails. To get decent use out of Alltrails, you have to pay money, but it has helped me find some trails that I never would have imagined were there.
Some of my discoveries are simple walks around city parks, but others are in wilderness areas that require decent shoes/boots, water, sun protection, etc. Do your homework before you go. If it’s a place you can find on Google, I don’t include directions since you should be able to Google it yourself. Be careful where you park. I typically only do hikes of 4 miles or less due to some medical issues. If you are interested in serious hikes look elsewhere.
Working backwards in order of discovery, I just went up a trail to Santa Susanna Pass from the east side. You can also drive up from the west side. This is better as an Alltrails hike, but you can probably figure out something from Google. Parts of the trail, the Devil’s Slide, require good boots and if you do this in the summer you’ll need water and good sun protection. Parts of the trail are pretty rough. I did it in the winter so heat wasn’t a problem. Over 700’ of altitude gain, but you can get some good views.
Santa Susana Pass State Historical Park, Stagecoach Trail (ikemi.info)
I returned to upper Newport Bay and the Nature Center is now open. It’s a big one and I found it interesting. Photos at
Upper Newport Bay and Big Canyon (ikemi.info)
Using Google I did find a short little hike. Took me a while to find the trail head.
I discovered the San Dimas Nature Center which was kind of hidden in a park. There was no one around when I visited it but I thought it was interesting, then again I think all nature centers are interesting since they say something about the community. From there you can walk to the trail head of the Sycamore Canyon Trail (how many Sycamore Canyon Trails are there in the area-I’ve encountered three so far). Don’t try going through the equestrian center. It is possible to go around it. The trail is a straight up slog to the top, but the trail is good. There are apparently alternate trails, but I don’t know where they go.
San Dimas Nature Center and hike (ikemi.info)
I didn’t know there was a waterfall in Pasadena, but you can hike to one from the Eaton Canyon Nature Center. It’s about a 4 mile round trip (in spite of what is posted) and the trail gets rough near the end.
Out in Claremont you can pay for admission to the California Botanical Gardens.
California Botanical Garden (ikemi.info)
No problem walking around here on good walkways and trails.
I was surprised that the City of Fullerton is full of trails. These are easy walking and there are more than I explored. You can Google them.
Part of the Fullerton Loop Trails (ikemi.info)
This is a little farther afield, but Placerita Canyon in Santa Clarita has a very nice nature center and numerous trails. Should be prepared for real hikes.
In Monterey Park (the city) is Edison Trails Park
Edison Trails Park (ikemi.info)
This is a powerline trail but it has some altitude variations and is kind of interesting.
More straightforward and flat is the powerline park in El Segundo
El Segundo Powerline Parks (ikemi.info)
Rio de Los Angeles Park in LA has a flat walking path with some interesting features
Rio de Los Angeles State Park (ikemi.info)
Lincoln Park in LA has an interesting walking path with a number of artistic installations.
I revisited Ascot Park in LA and finally decided to go north to the other entrance which takes you to a hillside neighborhood. You can walk on surface streets back to the parking lot to make a full loop.
Rose Hills Park (not the cemetery) has its own trails that connect with Debs Park near the Pasadena Freeway. Google should show you the connection. The western trail has some elevation gain.
Rose Hill Park and vicinity (ikemi.info)
In Rowland Heights you can do the Powder Canyon Trail which has some good climbs
Powder Canyon Trail (ikemi.info)
This is a flat linear walk, but from one side of the storm channel you can see the Great Wall of LA in Tujunga mural.
Great Wall of LA in Tujunga Wash (ikemi.info)
A nice island of green in LA is Augustus Hawkins Nature Park
Augustus Hawkins and other parks (ikemi.info)
Nearby, especially if you have a bicycle, are South Los Angeles Wetlands Park and South Park to the north.
Bixby Marsh is a small preserve run by the LA Sanitation Dept. It only opens once a month:
https://www.lacsd.org/community-outreach/tours-speaker-s-bureau/bixby-marshland
Popular with birders from what I understand.
Gardena Willows Wetlands Preserve is open to the public again. Only open a few times a month and may require online reservations. Check at
A loop trail goes mostly around the perimeter. Unfortunately, last time I went, there are no longer guided tours.
Echo Park in LA has a paved walkway around the large pond. Try to catch the Lotus Festival
You can walk through Alondra Park
Darby Park in Inglewood has a short paved walking trail. You can get a good view of Sofi Stadium from there.
Thomas S. Burton Park in Hacienda Heights has a short walking loop around the park. I went there when I discovered that my desired trailhead was inaccessible.
Columbia Park in Torrance has a walking path of about a mile. Also the venue for the local Cherry Blossom festival.
Cherry Blossom Festival (ikemi.info)
In Brand Park in Glendale there are trails behind Brand Library. You can make a loop or go up all the way to the top. Although not long, one of the trails can be a gutbuster and becomes a scramble in some places. The one to the west? You could also just walk around Brand Park.
To the NW is Stough Nature Center, which is quite modern and has nice displays. There are trails that set off from it. I only ventured a short way up one of them since I had already explored Wildwood Canyon Park on the other side of the golf course. There is a trail that climbs up from there and connects to a paved road so you can make a loop of it.
Wildwood Canyon Park and Stough Nature Center (ikemi.info)
Back down south again in Brea is Carbon Canyon Regional Park. You can hike to the southern side of the park where you can see a genuine redwood grove, planted from seedlings leftover from a bank promotion. They might not be too happy but they are surviving.
Carbon Canyon Regional Park Redwoods (ikemi.info)
In the Whittier Hills a complement to the Arroyo Pescadero loop is the in and out Arroyo San Miguel Trail. At Arroyo Pescadero when you go up the entry trail, skip the turn off to the loop and keep going on the broken pavement. This should take you to a tunnel that goes safely under the street.
Arroyo San Miguel Trail (ikemi.info)
Peck Road Water Conservation Park has some nice views and plenty of birds There is a colony of homeless people living there.
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