Alder Creek to Barley Flats

[Mike P]

Anyone know of the trail conditions to Barley Flats? Do I need to take loppers?

[HikeUp]

My TR from end of February. I didn't "need" my loppers but they came in handy. I cleared the biggest offenders, but this springs new growth may have reclaimed some of what I cleared. Hope this helps and have fun (it'll be hot!).

[Mike P]

Thanks HikeUp!!
Barley Flats, although not hugely remarkable in and of itself, is a place I haven't been to yet. Will go up this Saturday...

[mattmaxon]

Oh man
Bring your asbestos pack!

And plenty of water...


http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... it=0&lg=en

[Mike P]

Yes, the NWS predicts temps in the 80's for Saturday. We're starting early, though. My backup plan is Vincent Gap to Prairie Fork.

[Sean]

Well, I'm happy to report that, thanks to the Tujunga crew, you can actually walk this trail again. The restoration is not complete however. The lower half of the trail is mostly finished, but the upper half is still rough. Watch for tripping hazards, as many stumps have not been removed yet, and much uneven tread has not been worked or fixed. The line is open and flagged, with very minor bushwhacking and a few trees down. I joined a bunch of trail workers today and hiked the whole length from top to bottom. Despite a few close calls, I never once fell. We honored Matt Maxon by taking his GPS device on this trip. Barley Flat is the last trail he worked before he died, and he wanted to be the first to walk it again after the Station Fire.

[HikeUp]

I joined a bunch of trail workers today and hiked the whole length from top to bottom. ... We honored Matt Maxon by taking his GPS device on this trip. Barley Flat is the last trail he worked before he died, and he wanted to be the first to walk it again after the Station Fire.

Thanks for the trail update. That's a fitting tribute to Matt.

Was the road from ACH up to the Flats open or did you have a key?

Here's a pic from Feb. 2009 (less than a year before the Station Fire) from roughly the same point on the trail. I unfortunately clipped a view of the actual trail tread, but I'll post it anyway.

[Sean]

Was the road from ACH up to the Flats open or did you have a key?

We had a key. The road's in good shape, paved, but I don't think they open the gate to the public.

[K_Sabo]

Yeah, the gate for the paved road to Barley Flat will never be public access as long as there is an active LA Co helipad and related buildings at the top. Our USFS trail crew (Tujunga Trails Posse) has access since we are in the middle of repairing Barley Flat Trail end-to-end.

[HikeUp]

Oddly enough, the road up to the Flats was open in December of 2009, the day they opened up ACH to the public. We drove from La Canada to Waterman (where it was snowing pretty decently). On the way back I noticed the gate was open to Barley Flats, so of course I drove up it. The terrain was burnt to a crisp...