This is more of a road walk than an hike, but it is to the highest point in the Santa Susana Mountains along the north edge of the San Fernando Valley. Due to the wildfires I needed somewhere to go and that seemed like the best option. I just drove up there and, because I'd had Oat Mountain on my list, I looked that up and went to the trailhead.
The AllTrails average was listed as four hours, meaning I'd be back well after dark. So, I was planning on turning around before the peak. The "trail" is all a closed asphalt road through rolling hills. As it turns out, by walking quickly up the road and jogging down it, I got back well before sunset.
In addition to the asphalt, another downside is that the summit area is full of antennae and other structures. There's even an oil derrick not far below the summit.
But, the biggest downside for me is that I had to pay the holes at MRCA $5 to park there. It didn't look like they stop by that much - there's a sign about funding from 2000 with Gray Davis' name on it - but since, if there's one thing the MRCA is good at it's being metermaids, I ponied up at the iron ranger.
On the plus side, the views are good and it was a good workout. And, while I saw plenty of evidence of cows, I didn't see a single other animal, not even a lizard.
However, a word of warning: see the AllTrails reviews and others where they mention kids being chased by bulls, and armed local yahoo landowners trying to warn hikers off. You're basically in rural Alabama in this area so be careful.
