As someone who spends entirely too much time reading trail reviews posted on outdoors apps, I often wonder what everyone would agree is a five-star hike.
Because sometimes folks puzzle me when they recount their experiences in the L.A. wild.
An AllTrails user categorized Josephine Peak, one of my favorite hikes, as "by far the worst highly rated trail" they'd experienced, as it was essentially just a "gradually inclining fire access road." No mention of the stunning views, the beautiful plant life or the short drive to the trailhead that leaves you feeling grateful for how close we all live to this magnificence.
I've seen people give a trail a one-star review because of something that happened during their hike, like they got stung by a bee or tripped over a rock. I've noticed other folks who angrily write how horrendously maintained a trail is, but I know from hiking it that those users didn't actually take the correct path.
Once, I saw someone post a Craigslist-style missed connection as a review. (I can't remember how many stars they gave the trail.)
I find the concept of rating trails a bit bizarre, especially when we zoom out and consider our luck. We live in Southern California, where we can hike every day of the year, often for free. In the winter, you can find snow within a short drive of L.A.
In the summer, you can escape the heat by traveling high into Angeles National Forest where the mountain air is cooler. Or by lounging in a cool river under the shade of native sycamores and oaks in the San Gabriel or Santa Monica Mountains. And of course, there's Griffith Park, with more than 4,210 acres smack-dab in the middle of L.A. where you can hike at all hours of the day for free.
Here's what I would like to propose: Outside of serious hazards or maintenance issues, the best trail is the one you're on. That's the spirit that went into my adventures for this week's Wild. I wanted to highlight less popular jaunts through our public lands.
Distance: About 4.6 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 1,450 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Mount Wilson Observatory paved route
Hoyt Mountain is a 4,415(ish)-foot peak in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains in Angeles National Forest. There are multiple routes to reach it. I chose to start at the Grizzly Flat Trailhead because it is an easier and shorter path to Hoyt Mountain than other options, like starting near the Clear Creek fire station.
You'll start this trail via Hoyt Mountain Road, a wide dirt fire road. As you climb, notice the increasingly beautiful views. You'll pass loads of buckwheat and other flowering plants, including California fuchsia, and chaparral yucca bursting out of the mountainside.
About two-thirds of a mile in, you'll come to a split in the trail. Continue north on Hoyt Mountain Road. You'll observe the trail's foliage grow thicker about a third of a mile farther in. Take a moment to smell the spicy California bay laurel leaves (my favorite aroma of our local landscape). You'll also likely see big berry manzanita, thick-leaved yerba santa and sugar bush.
I did notice a lot of animal scat -- including bear -- on this trail, so keep your eyes peeled for our mammalian neighbors. You will also notice that you can still hear the traffic from Angeles Crest Highway from the trail, but I think the striking panoramic views make up for it.
About 1.8 miles in, you'll come to a wide, flat area where you might, if more observant than this outdoors journalist, notice three paths. There's one that leads to a transmission tower, which this reporter may have taken before realizing it was the wrong way. There's also a wider path, Telephone Trail. If you're planning to hike to Hoyt Mountain, you'll want to take the goat trail in between these routes.
This narrow, steep path is a fire break and is not an "official" trail. Its steepness reminded me of the scramble from Brand Park up to Mt. Thom. You will need hiking poles and footwear with good traction to help you find purchase on the steep hillside.
There are multiple false summits before reaching Hoyt Mountain. You do have the option -- as controversial as it might be to suggest -- to just vibe out on one of them. Go all the way to Hoyt Mountain if the spirit (and your legs) moves you.
Distance: 1.3 miles out and back
Elevation gained: About 200 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: San Francisquito Creek Trail
The Castaic Rock Trail is a 1.3-mile out-and-back hike near Castaic Lake. It leads to a massive boulder -- by some measurements, over 200 feet tall -- that is known by many names, including Castaic Rock, Raven's Roost and Rabbit Rock.
You'll park on the shoulder of Lake Hughes Road and ascend a short, steep dirt path that quickly flattens out to become a pleasant jaunt through California buckwheat, sagebrush and other native plants. Look around, and you'll notice panoramic views of Magic Mountain in the southeast and Cobblestone Mountain and Whitaker Peak in the northwest.
The trail meanders to the east side of the rock, where there's historically been a bench located under the shade of hollyleaf cherry trees. Keep your eyes peeled for snakes and coyotes, as they're common sights in the area.
Distance: About a mile out and back
Elevation gained: About 250 feet
Difficulty: On the easier end of moderate
Dogs allowed? Yes
Accessible alternative: Lake Hollywood Trail
The Briar Summit Open Space Preserve is a 52-acre park north of Laurel Canyon that's full of native plants, including laurel sumac. The preserve offers striking panoramic views of L.A. County that you'll likely have to yourself (especially if you go on a weekday).
The hike is simple. You will park in the neighborhood near the entrance, taking care to read signage and be respectful of residents. Past the gate, you'll take a short, steep paved path up until you reach a locked gate. You will quickly be rewarded with views of downtown L.A. to the southeast, the Griffith Park Observatory to the east and multiple mountain ranges in essentially every direction.
Briar Summit was saved from development just over 20 years ago thanks to private donations and public money. "Development of even a few of the property's five legal lots could have spelled the end [for] all medium- and big-sized mammal species in the range between the Cahuenga Pass and Laurel Canyon," according to a 2004 news release.
There is a spectacular lookout point just a third of a mile in where you can sit on a boulder and observe the city around you. From here, you'll notice a dirt path leading south. You can take it for a short distance, but it will quickly lead you down a dusty, unstable hill. I wouldn't recommend taking it downhill unless you're ready for an intense off-trail workout. There are several unofficial "goat trails" or spurs leading in various directions throughout the preserve. You should follow these with caution, as they're not regularly maintained.
Regardless of where you go, I hope you have a five-star time out there -- whatever that means to you!
1. Celebrate Indigenous People's Day around L.A.
Several Indigenous People's Day celebrations are scheduled throughout mid-October in L.A. County. The 5th Tuxuunga Indigenous Peoples Day is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at 12400 Big Tujunga Canyon Road in Tujunga. The event will include live music, dancing, storytelling and hands-on workshops. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area, the ancestral village of Mapipinga, will host a fireside gathering and celebration from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday. Visitors can listen to live music and storytelling around the campfire. The San Dimas Canyon Nature Center will co-host two events with the San Gabriel Band of Mission Indians Gabrieleno/Tongva: a tribal history and native seed planting event from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday and a tribal history and necklace-making workshop from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 17. The Stoneview Nature Center will co-host its celebration with the Gabrieleño Band of Mission Indians -- Kizh Nation from noon to 3 p.m. Oct. 18, an event that will include a nature walk and drum circle. Learn more at the Instagram pages linked above.
2. Sow seeds in Ascot Hills in L.A.
The Ascot Hills Park Green Team will host its monthly restoration event from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday. Volunteers should meet at the park's nursery on the west end of the gravel parking area. The work will include collecting and sowing California buckwheat and other native plant seeds. Learn more at the group's Instagram page.
3. Nurture oak trees in Topanga
The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains needs volunteers from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday to help restore native oak woodlands at Trippet Ranch. Volunteers will water trees, yank weeds and apply mulch as well as potentially plant new acorns as needed. Learn more and register at eventbrite.com.
Wild horses grazing in the Mono Lake area are the source of a heated debate among environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and animal rights activists, and the government over how to best manage the herds so they don't decimate the land. "This year, the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management approved a plan to round up and remove hundreds of wild horses roaming beyond the roughly 200,000 acres designated for them along the California and Nevada border," Times staff writer Lila Seidman wrote. "No date has been set, but it could be as soon as this fall." Environmentalists argue the move is necessary to save the otherworldly landscape at Mono Lake, but local tribes and nonprofits point out the government's method of rounding up horses -- hiring contractors with helicopters to drive them into stables -- is dangerous, and even deadly, to the horses. "They're going to run them down with helicopters and genocide them, just like they ran down us," Rana Saulque, vice chairwoman for the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute tribe, said through tears.
This is yet another debate occurring around California about the best use and management plan of our public lands.
Happy adventuring,
Want to help scientists understand our local wildlife? You can do just that by participating in the L.A. Nature Quest, which runs through the month of October. First, download iNaturalist, a citizen scientist app, on your smartphone. Next, simply go outside and start observing what plants and animals are in your neighborhood. Take good care to notice indicator and invasive species. After you're finished snapping photos, upload your finds to the L.A. Nature Quest 2025 project on iNaturalist. Thanks for doing your part to protect our native species.