Saturday I was up early as usual so instead of the regular Wilderness Park walk I drove out to La Tuna Canyon Road. I've seen people walking this place for about 40 years, this is the first time I've stopped to check it out, arriving at 7am. After a bit of road walking I went up and down the obvious ridge route, which crosses the road a few times as it goes straight toward the peak. This way is very steep at times and the recent rains left the track a bit wet in places so a bit of care was required to not slip downhill. After plenty of sweat and despair facing yet another up-and-down section I reached the lofty Verdugo Peak summit, graced by a bench and American flag. I wasn't sure that was the place until I brushed the dirt off of the benchmark, which immediately filled me with a sense of pride. I relaxed on the bench for a few minutes, looked at the views of downtown LA - which seemed to exhibit a burning building - and then trooped over to the next hill which is guarded by a fence and some threatening signs. I walked back down the road, although it seemed to take forever it's just a few miles. The creek sounded tantalizingly close although all the man-made drainages are well away from the road and I seldom saw any of the water. Somewhere near the bottom it's close enough to venture a bit off trail to visit, evidenced by plenty of use trails straight down the hillside. This is definitely the time to visit, pretty soon it will be much too hot for the ascent although a morning walk would be nicely shaded on the lower half of the road.
First part of the ridge route
Road crossing ahead, I took the very wide alternate path
Nearly at the summit looking back, yes it's steep
Benchmark
Rest stop
Downtown LA in the distance and the mighty LA River flowing
Close to the creek, this is a little zoom lens shot
It was jarring to pop over the last ridge and hear the freeway noise
I did that very hike Christmas Eve of 2018 when I got stuck at home all by my lonesome self for Christmas, and then came down it on a different hike November of 2022. A good little workout! Not really sure why that trailhead is so popular, but the whims of the public can be hard to explain....
Re: Verdugo Peak
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2024 3:58 am
by Matthew
This is a peak
Re: Verdugo Peak
Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:53 am
by Sean
Sounds like you hit the bumps NW of Verdugo Peak. Did you see a slightly higher mountain with a large fence and towers? That's Verdugo Peak.
Re: Verdugo Peak
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:37 am
by JeffH
Nate U wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 7:31 pm
I did that very hike Christmas Eve of 2018 when I got stuck at home all by my lonesome self for Christmas, and then came down it on a different hike November of 2022. A good little workout! Not really sure why that trailhead is so popular, but the whims of the public can be hard to explain....
Whims are frequently driven by convenience and this is easy to find. Like me, drivers on 210 see crowds all the time.
Sean wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:53 am
Sounds like you hit the bumps NW of Verdugo Peak. Did you see a slightly higher mountain with a large fence and towers? That's Verdugo Peak.
Do you mean this one? I walked up this path to the fence and then back down the road.
I immediately thought of this scene from History Of The World, Part 1.
Re: Verdugo Peak
Posted: Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:08 pm
by carl swindle
Thanks for sharing. I love the Verdugos. To me, they sort of feel like the Santa Monicas but a little closer to where I live. There's actually a surprising amount to explore there, and quite a few neat trails. I haven't been in a little while, but I used to frequent them a bunch a few years ago. I would mostly frequent the trails that start form the north including Hostetter, Whiting Woods, Beaudry, and Leviathan's Teeth, but mostly La Tuna Canyon Trail starting here (34.23312554471342, -118.31137137993923). There are quite a few hidden trails as well that lead up to the fire road on the ridge. It's nice to see you found some water there. I remember it being very dry, but frequented the area in drought years. Here are a few photos I dug up on my laptop from a few different trails from ~2-4 years ago I think.
JeffH wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 7:24 am
Saturday I was up early as usual so instead of the regular Wilderness Park walk I drove out to La Tuna Canyon Road. I've seen people walking this place for about 40 years, this is the first time I've stopped to check it out, arriving at 7am. After a bit of road walking I went up and down the obvious ridge route, which crosses the road a few times as it goes straight toward the peak. This way is very steep at times and the recent rains left the track a bit wet in places so a bit of care was required to not slip downhill. After plenty of sweat and despair facing yet another up-and-down section I reached the lofty Verdugo Peak summit, graced by a bench and American flag. I wasn't sure that was the place until I brushed the dirt off of the benchmark, which immediately filled me with a sense of pride. I relaxed on the bench for a few minutes, looked at the views of downtown LA - which seemed to exhibit a burning building - and then trooped over to the next hill which is guarded by a fence and some threatening signs. I walked back down the road, although it seemed to take forever it's just a few miles. The creek sounded tantalizingly close although all the man-made drainages are well away from the road and I seldom saw any of the water. Somewhere near the bottom it's close enough to venture a bit off trail to visit, evidenced by plenty of use trails straight down the hillside. This is definitely the time to visit, pretty soon it will be much too hot for the ascent although a morning walk would be nicely shaded on the lower half of the road.
First part of the ridge route
DSC00028.JPG
Road crossing ahead, I took the very wide alternate path
DSC00030.JPG
Nearly at the summit looking back, yes it's steep
DSC00033.JPG
Benchmark
DSC00046.JPG
Rest stop
DSC00047.JPG
Downtown LA in the distance and the mighty LA River flowing
DSC00051.JPG
Close to the creek, this is a little zoom lens shot
DSC00062.JPG
It was jarring to pop over the last ridge and hear the freeway noise
DSC00064.JPG