Barbara and I have the oddest luck when we hike at this 401-acre recreational treasure filled with trails, gardens, sports fields, and city views. Baldwin Hills is 500 feet high with a 360 view from the ocean to the mountains and across the basin to DTLA and back to the shore, not to mention the awesome Baldwin Stairs, but we've never been here on a sunny day. Today, on our fourth hike at the park, the overcast sky broke about a mile in during this new-to-us area on the east end along the LaBrea green belt.  With all respect to Norman O. Houston, his park at the bottom of the "string" portion on the map, is there because the parking lot is there, a short walk to the light to cross LaBrea to get to the stairs leading up to the Kenneth Hahn Eastern Gate. We hiked the loop on the map clockwise. The left side of the loop across the top of the hill was a civil, paved and fenced trail with runners, hikers, and happy dogs with dog-walkers. We passed several park fitness stations, a helipad, picnic tables, and an adorable Hummingbird Park, all showcasing the work of trail-builder Ron Webster and the Sierra Club of volunteers who "built the connector trails and linked the dirt roads to create the two-mile loop" after Kenneth Hahn Park was established in 1984. The hummingbirds charmed us. Twenty or so put on a show for us, flying backwards, sideways, and upside down from feeder to feeder in their little park filled with plants attractive to them. From there we passed through the Burke-Roche Picnic Area, crossing the top of the map past a hazy but cool "city view" then curved to part two of the hike: adventures in the wild. And I mean wild. On the map, at about 0.9 mi., the trail turns into all dirt and narrow then becomes a sheer drop of man-made dirt steps going straight down. I confess—I did the entire dirt stairway drop on my butt—on purpose. From there, the last mile covered a series of dirt trails that eased down and up and down and toward street level where we found the staircase to the street. The history of Baldwin Hills began with the Tongvas before the Spanish, Mexican, then US occupation. In 1924 oil was discovered in the fields, then came the reservoir and the infamous 1963 Baldwin Hills Dam collapse disaster. The fields east of LaBrea housed the first ever Olympic Village for the 1932 Summer Olympics, the Tenth Olympiad. Truly new to us, this section of Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area offers so many alternatives that we know we'll be back. Hopefully in the sunshine.

Every now and then, Barbara and I choose an unknown (to us) trail in an unfamiliar (to us) part of LA County, that turns out to be a real gem. We didn't expect a whole lot today except "waterfall!" The hike as listed is only 1.6 miles, but we figured we could stretch it out to 2. Waterfall hikes mean shade, great for these final summer heatwave weekends. So we drove out to Newhall in Santa Clarita up the 405 to the 5 then the 14 and found the entrance to Walker Ranch on Placerita Canyon Road. The Walker Ranch and Placerita State Park surroundings come with rich California history. On March 9, 1842, years before California became a territory and state, Mexican Francisco Lopez took a noon siesta under a nearby old oak tree and dreamed of floating on a sea of gold. When he woke, he dug up some wild onions and, Eureka! found gold clinging to the roots—the first discovery of gold in California, 6 years before James Marshall discovered gold up north at Sutter's Mill in 1848. The "Oak of the Golden Dream" is now a California State Landmark. In the 1930s to 1950s, the heyday of cowboy movies, Walker Ranch became the setting for films by William S. Hart, Tom  Mix, Harry Carey, and young John Wayne, and the Walker Canyon became a familiar, bad guys' "hideout" on screen. Good to know, but not part of why today's hike was such a gem. Barbara and I followed the trail inside the Walker Ranch gate for about 0.2 mi. of gorgeous flatlands—a stunning hike on its own—to reach the Waterfall Trailhead. As we climbed the makeshift wooden steps rising to the mountain trail, the vibe change. Hiking gems like this one feel a little magical. We immediately stepped into an atmosphere of narrow dirt trails, slippery rock hops, and boulder climbs over and along a narrow stream of trickling water. Birdsongs. Aspens and oaks in cool, shaded thicket of trees. Perfect for summer and fall. Not recommended for rainy season because, well, heavy rain would disappear the trail. We hike, hopped, and crawled (yes) up to the massive wall of stone at the end to the trail, took a break, and hiked back done. Utterly gorgeous, risky, fun, adventuresome. Get out the bug spray (nasty little no-see-ums), and learn what poison oak looks like, and go! It's an utterly entertaining hike. 

   

   

   

Barbara and I wanted a good summer hike in the mountains with plenty of shade, not too long, not too steep or deep or dangerous. It was a bit of a drive from the SFV (37 miles east on the 210) but we found what we both agreed was a perfect mountain hike in the foothills of Angeles National Forest in Big Dalton Canyon Wilderness Park. I couldn't find a lot of history on this slice of wilderness—the park area offers hiking, camping, bridges (we like bridges). The trails are clean, wide enough, and well kept. This particular hike parallels a stream that parallels Dalton Canyon Road for a mile up to the entrance to the Big Dalton Dam, a 2.5-ish out-and-back trek. The trail is flat for the most part, with gentle elevation, three bridges to cross, two stream hops, a small waterfall stop, and a mystery at the turnaround at the top—all in the shade of sycamores and wild southern oaks. NOTE: remember this shady hike for one of our summer scorcher weekends. The stream originates from the 1929 Big Dalton Dam, one of the first multiple arch dams, and flows south. Hikers and bicyclists not allowed inside the gates leading up to the dam, and visitors have to check in, so it's a no-go to investigate the spaceship-like structure sitting at the top of the hill above the hike's turnaround point. From what I read it could be part of Rubel Castle or could be part of Big Dalton Dam (opening day photo of the multi-arch dam below) but since we couldn't get there, the mystery remains a mystery for another day. The Big Dalton Wilderness Area, a public park in the foothills, covers 563 acres that include 14 hiking trails. With its amphitheater, rest room on the trail, and campgrounds, this hike felt like a fun centerpiece for a beginners camping weekend in the San Gabriels. At your own risk, of course. We thoroughly enjoyed it!