O’er Hill, Dale, a Less Dusty Trail

The dog days of summer can leave those far from the ocean feeling landlocked and parched. Though getting out into nature sounds like the solution, spending an hour in the car does not. Urban hikes, in places like Griffith Park or Runyon Canyon, sometimes yield little more than increased dust-and-sun exposure.

For a shady, moist excursion, take the 210 East to Pasadena, exit Windsor, head north, and park in the lot at Windsor Avenue and Ventura Street. Several hundred yards further on is the Arroyo Seco trailhead. While the first half-mile is pavement (though with a dandy view across Devil’s Gate Reservoir to JPL), the trail soon winds beneath a verdant canopy of live oak, sycamore, Douglas fir and willow trees. The path goes through a botanist’s dream of local flora and fauna, including some truly Space Age-looking cacti. Alongside it all runs the misnamed Arroyo Seco (“dry creek”), which keeps things cool and melodic as it flows over boulders and through shaded grottoes and under scenic bridges.

The first few miles offer plenty of sun-dappled picnic areas (though no drinking water; pack your own) and trail-riding (both horse and bike), serious hikers can carry on to the Gabrielino Trail and Switzer Falls, a 50-foot cascade that goes some way toward dispelling the reality of a low-desert summer.