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Take a New Year’s hike in the Verdugos

The Stough Canyon Nature Center will host its New Year’s Eve party Saturday night, ringing in 2017 with a hike to “the View.”

The Stough Canyon Nature Center will host its New Year’s Eve party Saturday night, ringing in 2017 with a hike to “the View.”

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)
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Many people will ring in the new year indoors with their loved ones huddled around a television to watch the ball drop in Times Square. However, the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department is looking to get residents to take part in a hike and start 2017 up in the Verdugo Mountains.

The Stough Canyon Nature Center will host its annual New Year’s Eve party at its facility at 2300 Walnut Ave. beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and ending at 12:30 a.m.

Park employees will lead guests on a roughly 0.7-mile hike up to a point on the hillside called “the View,” where they will count down to the new year and clink cups of apple cider, said Adrine Ovasapyan, recreation coordinator for the nature center.

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The hike is recommended for people ages 5 years and older and will cost $10 per person. Registration for the event ends on Thursday.

“It’s a pretty nice hike to the viewpoint where you can see all of Burbank and the city lights,” she said. “It’s a chilly night and it’s very awesome. When we’re up there, you can see all the different areas where there’s fireworks.”

The Parks and Recreation Department will offer light snacks and refreshments during the festivities. However, people are encouraged to bring their own dinners if they choose, Ovasapyan said.

There will also be various activities, including bingo and Nintendo Wii games, for people to enjoy to get to know each another better before midnight.

“There’s going to be a different variety of games that we offer so that everyone can enjoy their time together and enjoy the night,” Ovasapyan said.

Though most people ring in the New Year with a beer or cocktail in hand, Ovasapyan said that the Stough Canyon Nature Center does not allow alcoholic drinks at the facility.

Ovasapyan, who has been with the nature center for the past three years, said the trail can be a little difficult because of a few steep features, and the temperatures are forecast to be in the mid-40s with a chance of rain.

However, she added that the hike in the dark is worth it.

“It’s pretty breathtaking and awesome,” she said. “It’s a different way of bringing in the New Year.”

To register for the hike, visit burbankparks.com.

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Anthony Clark Carpio, anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com

Twitter: @acocarpio

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