Unless we have a very specific area in mind, Barbara and I choose our hiking locations by whim. We look for a trail or area we haven't hiked, check the maps, pick one, and go. Every new hike is an adventure but some, like this week's, are pure serendipity. We half-expected an urban hike when we parked in the lot of the Palisades Recreation Center. As we followed the trail bordering the baseball field, we overshot the "secret door" leading to the canyon. Backtracked, found it. Found riparian wonderland. Behind the door, 52 stairs led us down into a beautiful 46-acre passive park with seating areas, trails, information boards, and romping areas for Fido. New and so pretty—fresh tree plantings dot the sides of the canyon. A meadow of native riparian plants stretches down a mile and the Pacific at Will Rogers Beach comes into view.  Someday soon, plans include a beach access trail leading all the way down. The beach at the bottom of the canyon across PCH is the historically significant former site of the "Long Wharf", aka Port Los Angeles, built by Southern Pacific in 1897—the first port of Los Angeles. We walked along the side of the meadow, and then couldn't resist following the trail a bit farther for a glimpse at the ocean and beach below. Surfers, hikers, bikers, and the Will Rogers Lifeguard Station; and the Santa Monica skyline in the distant south. The care and forethought put into the landscaping, planning, native plants, along with the trails and ocean views made this hike and George Wolfberg Park a treasure. Go now for a "I remember when" memory of a park that is sure to become a Palisades favorite. 

   

   

After last week's brutal heat, our weekend hike called for something super easy with guaranteed beauty and calm. Barbara and I headed out to Zuma Beach, one of the largest, healthiest, and most popular beaches in Los Angeles County. Located on PCH northeast of Point Dume, Zuma Beach has tons of paid ($15) parking or, depending on how early you arrived, a decent number of public spaces on PCH. We arrived around 9am and parked at the SE end of the beach near lifeguard station #2.  Our first discovery—Zuma Lagoon. Although Zuma is part of the Point Dume Marine Protected Area, no one talks much about the lagoon. We saw the sign. we saw a trail, so yeah we followed the roped path through a gorgeous sweep of tan and green brackish marsh. Apologies to the fluffle of adolescent bunnies we surprised. At seaside where the lagoon and Pacific meet, we photographed a flock of seagulls then left the lagoon trail for Lifeguard Station #2 to start our walk up the beach. The volleyball nets were up— Zuma Beach is home to the Waves, Pepperdine's national-championship volley ball team—but the beach was just beginning to come to life. A few boards in the ocean but no wave action. Trudging along three miles on sand is like doing three hours of leg work on a StairMaster (no thanks), so we opted to walk the concrete beach path on the way up then take the shoreline route on the way back. The morning vibe was slow and easy. The skyline—gray overcast above the gray ocean and dotted with seagulls—was striking. At the top end of Zuma Beach at Lifeguard Station #15, we caught a glimpse through the mountains at the blue sky in the SFV, before we walked down to the ocean and followed the shoreline for our return. A perfect escape.

   

Barbara's and my fifth different hike along the Rancho Palos Verdes shoreline was short (2m-ish) and straightforward (out, down, back, up) and one gorgeous, rock-scrambling challenge. Part of the 1400-acre Palos Verdes Nature Preserve, a protected home for rare and threatened wildlife, this hike covers a mile of shoreline in the Rancho Palos Verdes Ocean Trails Reserve, preserved land restored with 250,000 local native plants as a habitat for the endangered cactus wren and California gnat catcher. Plants like the sparkly Common Iceplant line the trails on the bluff, the first mile of the hike. Down at shore level there was nothing but rocks and boulders. Fortunately, coastal fog kept the temps cool as we balanced our way up the coast rock by unstable rock. If you like a good balance challenge, you'll love this hike. Just be sure the tide is out because to the left of the shoreline it's all Pacific and tide pools, and to the right of the shoreline it's nothing but a sheer boulder wall, straight up. The hike starts off the public parking lot for the Trump Golf Course—the hike is not on course property, (although you can't miss the 70-ft flagpole towering over the course.) A quick trek through a manicured lawn leads to the Catalina Trail, the first half of the hike. Stunning views to the east and west along the shoreline, despite the coastal fog. From the Catalina Trail we switch-backed down the Dudley Trail to the shore and the balancing act began. The rocks and stones were collectively cool—different layers of colors, different sizes, flat, cut, smooth—so pretty. At one point we walked tight to the boulder wall, close enough to note a layer (like the filling in an Oreo cookie) of crystal strips in the stratification that had to be a billion years old! Curving the shoreline, we reached Rancho Palos Verdes Beach where we connected to Sunset Trail and switch-backed our way back up to the top. Found our way back to the car just as the sun broke through. Stunning hike, but the shoreline is only for the surefooted. 

   

  

   

   

    

   

   

Adventure, curiosity, and some trail lessons filled Barbara's and my first visit to this stunning riparian woodlands in Sunland. In 1978, LA County Parks & Rec acquired the 13 acres that make up the Wildlife Sanctuary in an effort to replace the wildlife habitat displaced when construction on the Foothill Freeway (210) tore through the natural wildlife corridor moving south from the San Gabriels. West of the sanctuary in 1998, the LA Flood Control District acquired another 210 acres as mitigation for the damage and to replace wetlands destroyed by the 210 construction. The result? The most stunning acreage of dense willow and cottonwood riparian woodlands in the county. A short, 2.1 mile hike, we left earlier than usual to dodge the heat. Arrived at the trailhead at 8:20, and all was well until 10 when temps rocketed. The first half of the hike was a challenging mix of dirt trails, mud trails, rock bed trails. While there were very few wildflowers, the woodlands and chaparral stood gorgeous. We hiked under quaking aspens, stood under seeding chaparral yucca, then hit a spot on the trail lush with unfamiliar tall greenery with wiry stems. We usually do a name search but this time we didn't and found out fast when, as we parted stems blocking the trail, the stinging nettles attacked and OUCH. My fingers still sting! About a third of the way in the trail followed a chain fence separating the habitat from the sanctuary. Around a curve the two Tujunga Ponds came into view. Ducks, baby ducks, and a couple of different water birds rested in ponds surrounded by bulrush. We stopped for a quick water and snack break. then moved ahead, finding out that the trail around the second pond was a stream! We edged between the pond and bulrush and the stream in the mud along the bank. Four women on horseback (surprised to see us slogging through the mud LOL) came up the stream, assuring us that the water was, at best, ankle deep. Well yeah we kept going! We passed the ponds and turned south for the return trail at around 10, and the heat hit hard. Part of our return trail was another stream, but deeper, and the plants lining the bank that we needed for support were....nettles! Had to backtrack, adding another .4 miles to the hike. Found an off-route trail with a makeshift bridge over the stream that reconnected us to our route and the trailhead. The hike is gorgeous, unusual, and adventurous. Not recommended after a rain, and you definitely need a reliable trail tracker like AllTrails to follow. The trails are not marked and a few of the spots weren't trails at all.  A horse would work! Memorable hike.