Just because your ego demands you create a National Park doesn't mean you should.
Pinnacles National Park used to be a National Monument and it should have stayed that way. It would also be OK as a state park. However, it's no Yosemite or Glacier. Hot Springs is the only National Park I've been to that's less worthy of the promotion. But, because Obama wanted to create a National Park, here we are.
None dare call it cheating, but I drove part of the way to the highest point in Orange County.
I started out in the small rural town of Silverado (east of Tustin, if that means anything to you) and drove up Maple Springs Road. I could and should have biked it, but I drove it. After the town ends it turns into rough pavement, and then after that it turns into a much rougher dirt road with plenty of big dips and twists. I was in first gear through much of that. It gets better after a while, and then intersects with the Main Divide Road.
In Utah, just over the border from Page, Arizona, lies one of the most coveted hikes around: The Wave. This is not it.
I'd spent the night at the Motel 6 in Page and it was fairly resort-like for that brand. It also wasn't that expensive (IIRC ~ $100). And, Page is a nice, small resort town.
Then, things didn't work out as I would have hoped, but I made a form of electric lemonade...
It was another pleasant Simi Valley Saturday there in steep ridge land...
I did the "Las Llajas Canyon and Ridge Loop" (link) and it was... OK. There were four basic parts to it and the first was the best. That was a couple miles of at times steep sections. Not as steep as the Lawlor firebreak but steep enough to give you a good calf workout. I probably wouldn't want to descend that section if I could avoid it.
What is that, a railway? And, what's with the asterisks?
All will be explained!
After going to Big Dome last week, this time I continued my rambles in the Santa Monica Mountains by taking the "Mishe Mokwa to Tri-Peaks and Sandstone Peak" route (link).
The Mishe Mokwa trail branches off from the trail that goes to Sandstone Peak, and it shortly goes through a canyon with some climbing activity.
I came back for more of the Upper Cabin trail but this time I took a rougher route up. The route I took is here, but I did the loop portion in the reverse order.
Mt. Baldy - highest point in L.A. County at 10,064' - is currently closed due to the Bridge Fire which, as you'll see in a later post, I saw happen from the summit of Baldy.
While waiting for Baldy to reopen, here are pics from the rather steep Register Ridge trail. It gains about 2500' in about 1.2 miles. The trail starts just after the metal register you see on the Ski Hut trail, and then it ends on the Devil's Backbone trail just below Mt Harwood. So, after climbing up the steep part, you still have about 700' of gain to get the Baldy summit.
The Vital Link is a fun, short-but-steep trail in the Verdugo Mountains. It's 3.8 miles & 1700' of gain round trip so it's fairly steep. I've hiked it a few times and I have to believe that I have better photos of it somewhere, but these will have to do for now.
On Feb 1, 2025, parts of the Angeles National Forest reopened after the devastating Eaton Fire. The next day I drove up the Angeles Crest Highway to Red Box and, aside from a faint smell of smoke in the air at Red Box and Mt Wilson Road being closed to vehicles, things were as they were before in that area.
Normally I'm all over things volcanic, but this national monument didn't live up to expectations.
The NPS describes it as a "vast ocean of lava flows" but the parts of it I saw weren't vast. A rangerette wouldn't give me a permit for the lava tubes trail because I couldn't account for the whereabouts of my boots. I might have worn them into another cave in the past and, to avoid White Nose syndrome you aren't supposed to track between caves. At least El Malpais National Monument has hydrogen peroxide that you can soak your boots in, but Craters didn't.