Barbara and I attempted to take this hike several times, but extensive damage from the 2018 Woolsey fire—the biggest in SoCal history—kept Rocky Oaks Park closed until recently. Third time was the charm for us. Tucked at the center of the wine corridor in the inland Santa Monica Mountains at the intersection of Kanan Road and Mulholland Drive, the 200 acre park is a wildlife refuge administered by the National Park Service. We arrived early to beat the heat, and began our clockwise hike above and around the pond at the Rocky Oaks Loop Trailhead on the SW end of the parking lot. Rocky Oaks is great for beginners and kids—there's elevation, but not too steep or tricky, and you can hike the whole park and its four trails in less than 2 miles. The main attraction—a manmade cattle pond created when Rocky Oaks was a ranch—was dry, but when Mother Nature gets it together and serves up rainfall the pond will become a watering hole for the rabbits, coyotes, bobcats, and deer in the area. The first hopeful signs of regeneration were the wildflowers at the start of the trail. Blackened trees sprouted green foliage, and as we began to climb higher, the real promise of what Rocky Oaks will be again someday came into view through lush green vineyards high on the nearby mountains. The dirt trail, lined with sagebrush, has no shade as it circles the pond below, but about a mile in we picked up the Glade Trail and completed the hike through the former picnic area's oaks and sandstone rocks (Rocky Oaks!) Somehow the amphitheater nestled under a cathedral of canyon oaks managed to survive the fire, another promise of what can be when the park fully recovers. Short, sweet, very SoCal winery-ish, with a ton of lizards and bunnies for company. Exactly the dose of nature we needed to beat the heat this morning.

   

   

Casey Schreiner's simple but not easy hike to the Grotto off the Circle X Ranch in the canyons above Malibu and nestled below Boney Mountain, is in the heart of the coastal Mediterranean ecosystem in the Triunfo Pass off Yerba Buena Road. We thought it would be a simple out-and-back hike with a stop at a grotto-like boulder collection near a stream. (Picture me laughing.) First, it's a hour drive from the SF Valley to Westlake Village and up twisty mountain roads to the ranch's remote setting. But the mountain views from the car are dazzling and the ranch on Yerba Buena Road is signed and, pictured above, easy to spot. The Circle X was run as a Boy Scout Camp for decades in the mid-twentieth-century until the Santa Mountain and Conservation Authority purchased it in 1987 and made the area a Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Grotto Trail on the ranch property is well-maintained, clearly marked, and easy to follow, but don't be fooled by the downward leading paths; these are the same trails you have to hike UP on the way back. While a few sections are shaded, some track straight through open scrub and then skirt the edge of the West Fork Arroyo Sequit. Bypassing the Canyon View Trail junction, RR-tie steps lead down to more winding trails, some smooth, some rocky. The Grotto Trail ends at pretty Happy Hollow, 1.3 miles in, and the trek over a steep and often treacherous collection of boulders to the Grotto begins. We climbed, we stream hopped, we slid, we balanced, and we made it to the top of the Grotto. Then stopped. Looking down at the hikers and the water below, we decided not to risk the long drop down—or, more important, the risky climb back up—and settled on a rock for water and protein bars before heading back. This would be a truly superb hike on a cool autumn or winter day, but mid-July heat toppling 90-degrees on our uphill return was no picnic. So, here's the deal: start early, wear solid hiking shoes with good grip, take at least two bottles of water and snacks, pace yourself, be careful, but most of all, enjoy the view! 

 

Upper Las Virgines Canyon Open Space Preserve is 5,600-acres with miles of trails in the Simi Hills at the western edge of the SF Valley. Barbara and I had this hike on our list for months, waiting out fires, rainstorms, and hot weather for a bit of spelunking because...caves are fun! Worth the wait to visit what I'm convinced was a Chumash Indian playground and spiritual center sometime within the 11,000 years the Chumash had SoCal to themselves before the Spanish showed up. Munits, the namesake of our destination cave, was a Chumash shaman—the second most powerful person, and principle religious figure, advisor, and medicine man (or woman) in the tribal hierarchy. Folklore is thin, but it's said that the cathedral-like vertical, chimney cave was Munits' home until he was killed by the talons of an eagle after murdering the son of a politically important chief. The cave is allegedly haunted by Munits' spirit (though we didn't get deep enough inside to find out.) The preserve area is easy to find. Take the Valley Circle Blvd exit off the 101, drive north for 2.1 miles to Victory Blvd. Turn left to the trailhead that begins where Victory Blvd. ends. Park in the lot ($3), and start north up the trail, the first road immediately behind the info kiosk. Easy! A nice wide trail with a bit of an incline then decline for the first mile. No big deal. About a mile in, the cave-dotted mountains come into view, the caves looking like ant holes from a distance. At 1.4 miles, take a left at the Hunter Allen Trail marker. This is where the hike heads up, up, up and gets tricky. Loose gravel and deep ravines surrounded by dry brush had us scrambling for a foothold the quarter mile up to the caves dotting the mountainside. You can't miss Munits' Cave at the top of the gutted trail, and up close—wow! Though we wanted to go inside, the first step was too steep for me to catch a decent foothold so we opted to circle parts of the mountainside trail, explore the smaller caves, and then we hiked to another rock grouping with caves we could get inside. This hike was fun, a bit tricky, yet so interesting to see up close how nature carves herself into the most fascinating shapes. Sturdy shoes and hiking gloves are a must; and we recommend avoiding the area after rains (too steep to navigate muddy trails) or during a heat wave. There is no shade. Nevertheless, a terrific hike for explorers at heart, with tons of alternative trails/caves to investigate.

 

Only in Los Angeles could Barbara and I set out at 8am on a Sunday morning to hike to a remote waterfall in Angeles National Forest...and find a photo shoot in progress at our destination. Didn't matter. Our hike in Monrovia Canyon Park was glorious from start to finish—narrow dirt trails and switchbacks shaded by a canopy of native oaks; babbling brooks to hop over; boulders as a pathway over a stream; and the payoff—the 30-foot, year-round waterfall fed by springs high in the San Gabriel Mountains. Thank the men of the 1932 Civilian Conservation Corps, who, during the Great Depression, lived in a camp at the mouth of Monrovia Canyon and did most of the labor on the steps, trails, fences, and fire roads that made today's hike a pleasure to navigate. In 1964, check dams were added by the LA County Flood Control District. Sure, parts of the trail were narrow (3-feet!) with steep drops on one side and granite walls on the other, and other sections were covered with rocks and boulders—but there was never a dull or boring moment. We started up from the trailhead for the Bill Cull Trail and hiked into the mountain. In the distance, the 1927 Sawpit Canyon Dam, a 147-foot-tall monster discovered to be too weak to hold water. Oops. Engineers in 2000, cut a notch in the dam and created an artificial waterfall. A mile-and-a-half(ish) ahead on the Nature Trail, we arrived at Mother Nature's version of the real thing—the Monrovia Canyon Falls. Lovely and peaceful, (aside from the crowd of photographers, models, and crew) mountain water flowing down through boulders to feed the stream. On the way back, we followed an alternate route to the Nature Center with its dioramas of local wildlife (Monrovia Canyon is a Bear Habitat) and cases of live snakes and tarantulas. Better to meet them in dioramas and glass cases than on the trail. Barbara and I both loved Monrovia Canyon Park, a cool escape from city heat, and the trails a challenging treat. Get there early for parking. This awesome hike is no secret.

The best treats are sometimes right in your backyard. Barbara and I stuck close to home for our 4th hike in 605-acre Franklin Canyon this morning—and got a new perspective on the 3-acre lake, duck pond, and a portion of the 5-miles of trails. Following Paul Haddad's upper Franklin hike (#32), we began at a small, almost hidden, wooden foot-bridge off Lake Drive near the abandoned house. From a rugged flight of steps up then around a hairpin left, we picked up the Ranch Trail heading north. Here's what's glorious about Franklin Canyon: you're in the geographical center of the second largest city in the US, but the only sounds you hear are birds (and later, bullfrogs); the only sights for miles are wildflowers, chaparral, and the dense oak woodland with towering sycamores and redwoods. Ranch Trail led to us to the lower end of the Franklin Canyon Reservoir created in 1914. We hiked the perimeter of the Reservoir counterclockwise, stopping to enjoy the peace and visit with a pair of Mallards and a bale of turtles near the shoreline. The water is so clear that when the little turtle heads pop up, you can see their shells and paddling feet. The turtles were as curious about us (got food?) as we were about them, while a local bullfrog burped in the background. After circling the Reservoir, we crossed to Heavenly Pond—the small duck pond used in ON GOLDEN POND and currently guarded by a big, fat, Muscovey Duck (who posed for a picture.) Franklin Canyon is on the Pacific Flyway, a R&R stop for migrating birds, and the pond hosted yet another colorful breed, a plump of wood ducks. Our last sighting, and my last photo, was of a Western Pond turtle who swam close to the surface for an eerie, full-body photo. This is not just an everyday walk around a lake. Owned by the National Park Service since 1981, Franklin Canyon was once the summer playground for the uber-wealthy Doheny family in the 1930s, and has the credit roll of a Hollywood star, from the hitchhiking scene in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT to GOLDEN POND, to the opening of The Andy Griffith Show. So wet your best Andy and Opie whistle, and explore Franklin!