La Cañada Teepee Hike: Slightly Challenging, But a Great Reward

 

High above La Cañada, the 2.7 mile Teepee trail is a moderate hike, but still steep in places. I didn't quite do the homework beforehand, so the kids in particular were not happy with the difficulty level. I powered through and made it to the top, which afforded amazing views, a teepee and a rock garden, but the boys and Maria decided to stay a bit below. The final stage was perhaps the most sweat-inducing, but the reward was cool.

I'd advise hiking boots and a hiking stick as well. I found some makeshift sticks that I could use as a walking stick, but it wasn't ideal. Nonetheless, the views were. I saw a father and his kids bring a picnic up and eat inside the teepee.

Also cool: This rock garden, found at the top, nearby.

Also nearby: Bees!

It was overcast the day we hiked, which allowed for great temperatures — but some limited views.

Not seen here, but midway up the mountain is a spot with picnic tables where you can take a break. To find the trailhead, type 5399-5373 Harter Ln, La Cañada Flintridge, Calif. 91011 into your map app.

Hiking in Altadena: Rubio Canyon, In Search of a Waterfall

Recently we checked out Rubio Canyon in search of a waterfall... and although it was a nice hike, and we found some water, we never did find the waterfall. But we did find nature (and an old, collapsing log cabin!)

 

 

 

More Great Family Hikes: A Visit to Franklin Canyon

Another in our series on great family hikes... if you haven't been to Franklin Canyon Park in a while, it's worth taking the kiddies along for a bit of urban nature. You can almost hear the whistle from the opening credits of "The Andy Griffith Show."



Some details from LAMountains.com:

Franklin Canyon Park rests on 605 acres near the center of Los Angeles between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills. Within the park boundaries are chaparral, grasslands and oak woodlands, a three-acre lake, an ADA-accessible duck pond, expansive picnic grounds, and over five miles of hiking trails. The lake and pond serve as permanent and seasonal home for birds in the Pacific flyway.

The park has a history steeped in the forces that created the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles—oil and water. In 1914, William Mulholland and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) began construction of a reservoir in upper Franklin Canyon to distribute water newly brought from the Owens Valley. The family of oil baron Edward L. Doheny used the canyon as a summer retreat and a place to graze and water their cattle. The Doheny family built the Spanish style home in lower Franklin Canyon in 1935.

The William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom and Sooky Goldman Nature Center offers exhibits and a chance for kids to learn more about the canyon.



Just remember to fully stop at the stop signs there... they do truly enforce it via cameras and video (trust me, I learned the hard way!)



Franklin Canyon Park
2600 Franklin Canyon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Great L.A. Family Hikes: Monrovia Canyon Park Waterfall (One in a series)

We've got another family-friendly waterfall hike for ya, and this one may even be better. Monrovia Canyon Park is a quick, hour and a half hike that covers only about 2.5 miles -- but the reward is a lush, tree-covered hike that is easy for the little ones, with a waterfall at the end. Modern Hiker has more details:

There is plenty of shade on the trail here and for most of the rest of the hike you’ll be in cool, dappled sunlight. Even on a hot summer day, this is a great trail to explore – especially once the trail dips down to the canyon floor itself around the 0.6 mile mark, where you’ll be stepping over babbling brooks and overshadowed by enormous, tangled oaks.

At the 1.3 mile mark, you’ll hop over a few boulders and reach the rocky bottom of Monrovia Canyon Falls. This 30 foot double-cascade is not the tallest nor most impressive waterfall in the San Gabriels, but even with a steady stream of hikers coming and going this is still an absolutely lovely and serene grove that feels a million miles away from city life.

A month ago we wrote about the Eaton Canyon Waterfall, another closeby waterfall in the foothills. Even though we're in a drought, the waterfalls remain and are worth checking out. While Eaton Canyon's falls is more impressive, that hike is jam-packed. We enjoyed the solitude of the Monrovia hike.

Some pics:

Great L.A. Family Hikes: The Eaton Canyon Waterfall (One in a series)

Eaton Canyon is a wildly popular location for a hike, located just north of Pasadena in Altadena. But it's also a big draw because of the year-round waterfall (amazingly, still active even in this drought) and the relative ease for family members of all ages. It's about a 2-hour round trip, but the reward (the 44-foot waterfall and wading pool) is worth it. There's also plenty of parking and a Nature Center at the base. We took the Blogger Kids on a Sunday hike last month, and it was perfect for both the 10- and 5-year-old. Some pics:































Eaton Canyon Hike 1750 N Altadena Dr, Altadena, CA 91001