Intrepid locals take on 12-mile loop in La Cañada’s annual Trail Day Hike
About a dozen eager hikers began the 12-mile City Loop Trail early on Saturday morning. Despite their enthusiasm, only five completed the annual hike hosted by the La Cañada Flintridge Trails Council as it turned out to be uncomfortably hot, with the daytime high reaching 89 degrees.
To mark the 25th annual Trails Day, which also celebrated Earth Day, hikers met at the Descanso Trail and Cherry Canyon trail sign at the Winery Trail Head near the Armstrong Nursery parking lot on Foothill Boulevard. From there, they moved north, where the trail enters an area of open space that runs along utility power lines, crossing Olive Lane and El Vago Street. It then becomes more elevated on the edge of the Angeles National Forest, providing clear vantage points looking south toward Glendale and downtown Los Angeles.
La Cañada resident Don Razzano said he’s a longtime user of the local trail system.
“I grew up here and I’ve been hiking these trails for over 60 years, before the trails were designated,” Razzano said. “The City Loop Trail is great for my dog.”
The hike was led by Trails Council member Tom Reynolds, who provided a demonstration of the new GPS mapping software application recently installed on the council’s website. With the use of a smartphone, the software will place a pin on the location of the user’s smartphone by accessing its GPS and display hiking progress using Google Maps.
“We made all the trails designated so you know what trail you’re on,” Reynolds said. “It should make it more valuable to people.” He noted the council continues to have paper maps for sale at Flintridge Bookstore.
Reynolds added that the council recently installed dog waste stations along the trails, and they are working with the county on installing different signage. He also highlighted a recent Cub Scout community service project completed in Cherry Canyon in coordination with the city and Trails Council.
“We are fighting for the protection of the trails,” he added. “We’re being an advocate for not letting what we have become developed.”
Emily Zeug, who also turned out for Saturday’s hike, said that although she’s hiked in other areas of Los Angeles, she particularly likes La Cañada’s trail system.
“I loved moving up here after Los Feliz,” she said.
Reynolds reminds hikers if they are hiking and posting on social media to use the hashtag #LCFTrails. For more information, visit lcftrails.org.
Matt Sanderson is a contributing writer to Times Community News.