Barbara and I waited three weeks for the rain to stop and the mud to dry so we could do this excellent, new-to-us trail encircling the San Rafael Hills above the Glendale Sports Complex—and it was worth the wait. Kudos to the city of Glendale for clearing the mud and rock erosion along the narrow-ish trail. South of Descanso Gardens and NW of the Rose Bowl, although the weather was cloudy, the views were spectacular—from the baseball and soccer fields directly below, the Verdugos and Griffith Park to the west, and DTLA and downtown Glendale to the south. On a clear day? Got to be jaw-dropping. The trail is named for Rancho San Rafael's first lady, Catalina Verdugo (c.1792–1871). She inherited the 1797 Spanish land grant from her father, Spanish Corporal José Maria Verdugo who had served with the 1769 Portola-Serra expedition. The Catalina Verdugo trailhead is located on Fern Lane, just off the parking lot at the NW corner of the Glendale Sports Complex. Glendale does a great job of marking its trails, so the trailhead was easy to find, the trail was easy to follow, and decisions were simple to make. The trail rises 451 ft. but it's an easy climb up, and a series of switchbacks eases the steep route down on the other side. We followed the trail clockwise bordered by boulders, chaparral, and a burst of purple California bluebells and yellow mustard plants, occasionally glancing down at the baseball and soccer players on the fields below. At about 6 o'clock on the map we turned onto the Ridge Motorway for a sidebar up an access road to Camino San Raphael and caught a glimpse of DTLA. Returning to the Catalina Verdugo Trail, we hiked 0.7/mile down a steep slope scissored by switchbacks that made the last leg of the hike even more fun and interesting. At the bottom we found a little park with picnic tables and exercise equipment. A small bridge took us to the parking lot and our walk back to the car. This hike is special for its variety, views, and the chance to extend the hike north along the top of the hill if you have the time and energy. Absolutely fun.