Travel & Experiences

This Sierra Madre trail conjures the ‘great hiking era’ of the Old West

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Start this walk from the front of Lizzie’s Trail Inn at 167 E. Mira Monte Ave. Locals gather outside the museum in Sierra Madre, which was the gateway to the San Gabriel wilderness during the “great hiking era” of the early 1900s.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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A view of the living room inside of the museum Lizzie’s Trail Inn in Sierra Madre.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Antique shoes on display at Lizzie’s Trail Inn in Sierra Madre.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Local residents play pinball at Lizzie’s Trail Inn.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Walking along a trail through the Sierra Madre neighborhood.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

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Just past the house at 668 Canyon Crest, turn right down this steep alley during a walk in Sierra Madre.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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As the alley flattens out and bends left, look for a stone staircase.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Then catch another flight of stone stairs down to flat Brookside Lane.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Walk left, uphill on Brookside Lane, until pavement ends and becomes a wide dirt path.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Follow this trail alongside a creek.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Follow trail to steps and cross over the creek on a pedestrian walkway.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Cross over the creek on the pedestrian walkway.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Continue uphill toward a lovely covered bridge.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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After the turn for Sunnyside Lane cross the creek again, to the left on a narrow steel walkway, and keep walking uphill.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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A miniature library is an attraction along the way.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Plenty of sights to see on Woodland Drive.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Old stone homes can be seen along Woodland Drive.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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Arrive at Mary’s Market, a charming country store that serves breakfast and lunch (7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays, cash only) and sells knickknacks and local art.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

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The interior of Mary’s Market.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

By Charles Fleming

Oct. 24, 2015 7 AM PT

Sierra Madre was the starting point for many expeditions into the San Gabriel Mountains during the “great hiking era,” which began in the 1880s and continued until the Great Depression. From a former pack station that also functioned as a speak-easy and gambling house, this charming mountain community is still a great place to walk.

A view of the living room inside of the museum Lizzie's Trail Inn in Sierra Madre.

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Dec. 8, 3:57 p.m.: After this L.A. Walks article was published two homeowners in this Sierra Madre neighborhood emailed The Times to say that an alley mentioned as Step 3 of the walk is a private driveway and cannot be accessed by the public. Officials in the city of Sierra Madre have said they are investigating the issue. Until it is resolved, we recommend the following:

Instead of continuing up Churchill Road to Canyon Crest Drive, turn right onto Old Ranch Road, then right again onto Forest Lane. Turn left onto Sturtevant Drive and left again onto Woodland Drive. Bear left onto Brookside Lane. Pick up at Step 5 and complete the walk as originally written.

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1. Start this walk from the front of Lizzie’s Trail Inn, at 167 E. Mira Monte Ave. The former pack station is now a museum, filled with beautifully preserved memorabilia, open 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays only. Walk downhill from Lizzie’s, past Mt. Wilson Trail Park, and turn left on Churchill Road.

MAP: Find the perfect L.A. Walk near you

2. Follow Churchill as it winds under oak and sycamore shade past Old Ranch Road, and bear right past Fern Glen, as Churchill turns into Canyon Crest Drive.

Just past the house at 668 Canyon Crest, turn right down this steep alley during a walk in Sierra Madre.

3. Just past the house at 668 Canyon Crest, turn right down a steep alley. Follow this down as it bends left. Look for a stone staircase between two houses, under a big oak.

4. Drop down the staircase, jog left slightly, then catch another flight of stone stairs down to flat Brookside Lane, and turn left.

Then catch another flight of stone stairs down to flat Brookside Lane.

5. Walk uphill on Brookside, until the pavement ends and becomes a wide dirt pathway alongside a creek. Follow this trail as it climbs some steps and crosses the creek on a pedestrian walkway.

6. Continue uphill, along the creek, toward a lovely covered bridge. Just past this, and after the turning for Sunnyside Lane, cross the creek again, to the left, on a narrow steel walkway, and keep walking uphill.

Continue uphill toward a lovely covered bridge.

7. At the intersection where Brookside meets Woodland Drive, make a hard right turn and begin walking downhill on Woodland, past old stone houses, under deep shade. Continue until you arrive at Mary’s Market, a charming country store that serves breakfast and lunch (7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays to Sundays, cash only) and sells knickknacks and local art.

8. Continue down Woodland. Turn right on Sturtevant Drive, and follow this all the way to North Mountain Trail. Turn right and walk a block to meet East Mira Monte Avenue, and find your starting point.

Fleming is the author of “Secret Stairs: A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” and “Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles.”

charles.fleming@latimes.com

Sierra Madre walk info

The stats

Distance: 2.1 miles

Difficulty: 2, on a scale of 1 to 5

Duration: 1 to 11/2 hours

Details: Ample street parking. Dogs on a leash are OK. Metro bus 487 stops nearby.

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Charles Fleming

Charles Fleming writes about automobiles and motorcycles for the Los Angeles Times’ Business section. He also writes the urban hiking column LA Walks. A former staff writer for Newsweek, Variety and the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, he is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller “High Concept: Don Simpson and the Hollywood Culture of Excess,” the New York Times bestseller “My Lobotomy,” and “Secret Stairs, A Walking Guide to the Historic Staircases of Los Angeles” and its sequel, “Secret Walks: A Walking Guide to the Hidden Trails of Los Angeles.”

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