Monthly Archives: May 2023

nature|wildflowers, photography|wildflowers, running|adventures, san gabriel mountains, trails, trails|san gabriels

Red Box – Bear Canyon – Switzer’s Loop – Memorial Day Weekend 2023

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Marine layer pushing into Bear Canyon in the San Gabriel Mountains, near Los Angeles.
Marine layer pushing into Bear Canyon

The Red Box – Bear Canyon – Switzer’s Loop trail run is a favorite I’ve enjoyed doing for many years. Part of its attraction is the isolated, backcountry feel of Bear Canyon, particularly between Tom Sloane Saddle and Bear Canyon Trail Camp. It’s worth spending a few minutes at the old cabin site in the upper canyon to contemplate a lifestyle from an earlier century.

Early morning view from the Bill Reily Trail (aka Mt. Disappointment Trail).
Early morning view from the Bill Riley Trail (aka Mt. Disappointment Trail).

The descent of Bear Canyon is always adventurous in some way. Based on what I’d been seeing on other trails this year, I’d expected upper Bear Canyon to be a mess. I had braced myself for downed trees, washouts, and overgrown, hard-to-follow sections of trail.

But just a few minutes below Tom Sloane Saddle, a tree blocking the trail had been cleared, and the saw cuts were fresh! As I worked down the trail, I was excited to find more trailwork had been done. Branches or trees that had fallen across the trail had been cut. Some overgrown sections of trail had been trimmed. One washed-out section of trail looked like it had just been repaired. Someone had even trimmed a little of the poison oak that is so common along the trail.

Bear Canyon Trail near Arroyo Seco
Bear Canyon Trail near Arroyo Seco

As I discovered when I encountered them lower in the canyon, the Bear Canyon Trail Crew had been hard at work, and they were working in the canyon again today!

The last time I was in Bear Canyon (April 2021), the creek had been nearly dry. This year there was plenty of water and plenty of stream crossings. Unlike several recent runs, I had my poles and was able to keep my shoes and socks mostly dry.

Trailside wildflower garden on the Bear Canyon Trail.
Trailside wildflower garden

I had debated whether to do this loop on Memorial Day Weekend. It passes through Switzer’s Picnic Area, one of the most popular day-use areas in Angeles National Forest. Many visiting Switzer’s do the hike down the Gabrielino Trail to see Switzer Falls, and many of those continue down the Bear Canyon Trail to the area below the falls.

Today, the two-mile stretch from below the falls to Switzer’s was as busy as expected. One issue I hadn’t anticipated was that some stream crossings were backed up like the Hillary Step on Everest. Other than wading, there was usually only one “dry” route across the stream. At one busy crossing, a hiker — clutching a dog under each arm — deftly balanced across a sequence of slippery rocks and branches, keeping his and his charge’s feet dry.

Crimson-spotted rock rose along the Gabrielino Trail between Switzer's and Red Box
Crimson-spotted rock rose along the Gabrielino Trail

Once past Switzer’s, things returned to normal. From Switzer’s, it’s about 4.5 miles up to Red Box, with an elevation gain of about 1350′. I had been on this section of the Gabrielino Trail about a month before and was curious to see if a mass of fallen trees blocking the trail had been removed.

The trees still needed to be cleared — Forest Service rules require a qualified sawyer to do that kind of work — BUT the remaining 2.5 miles of trail to Red Box were being trimmed and cleared by several dozen members of the Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association. I wondered why I wasn’t seeing any mountain bikers on the trail — they were all working on it!

Here’s an interactive, 3D terrain view of the Red Box – Bear Canyon – Switzer’s Loop. The map can be zoomed, tilted, rotated, and panned. To change the view, use the control on the upper right side of the screen. Track and placename locations are approximate and subject to errors.

Some related posts: Bear Canyon Loop – 2021, Red Box – Bear Canyon Loop Plus Brown Mountain, Bear Canyon Loop Plus Strawberry Peak

Canyon liveforever (Dudleya cymosa) in Bear Canyon.
Canyon liveforever.
Paintbrush along the Gabrielino Trail between Switzer's and Red Box.
Paintbrush along the Gabrielino Trail.
nature, nature|wildflowers, photography|wildflowers, rocky peak, trails, wildflowers

Yellow Mariposa Lilies Along the Chumash Trail

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Yellow mariposa lilies along the Chumash Trail in Simi Valley.

The bloom of Yellow Mariposa Lily along the Chumash Trail in Simi Valley has been extraordinary this year. Above, it is pictured with Golden Stars.

Among the multitude of wildflowers blooming along the trail this May were the showy Butterfly Mariposa Lily and intensely blue Parry’s Larkspur.

Relate post: Marr Ranch Wildflowers

ahmanson ranch, running, trails, upper las virgenes canyon open space preserve

Running, Hiking and Riding Just Got a Little Easier in Some Parts of Ahmanson Ranch

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Equipment used to scrape and grade dirt roads in the area of upper Las Virgenes Canyon.
Upper Las Virgenes Canyon

Dirt roads used to service gas pipelines that pass through Ahmanson Ranch have recently been scraped and graded.

Scraped and graded section of East Las Virgenes Canyon Road at Ahmanson Ranch. May 23,2023.
Scraped and graded section of East Las Virgenes Canyon Rd about two miles west of the Victory Trailhead.

The work was sorely needed. In the wake of our very wet rain season, in some areas the mustard was 8 feet tall and roads were rutted and damaged.

All of the scraped roads are in the western part of Ahmanson, primarily in and near upper Las Virgenes Canyon. Some very welcome weed-cutting was previously done along the roads in other parts of the open space area.

(Officially named Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, most users refer to the open space area as Ahmanson Ranch or simply Ahmanson.)

landscape, photography, photography|wildflowers, pt mugu state park, running|adventures, trails, weather, wildflowers

A Really Overgrown Trail, Thirty Creek Crossings, and Thousands of Wildflowers

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Yarrow and paintbrush along the Old Boney Trail in Pt. Mugu State Park.
Old Boney Trail in Pt. Mugu State Park.

Starting at the Wendy Drive Trailhead, I’d crossed Satwiwa, run down Danielson Road, rock-hopped across Upper Sycamore Creek, and picked up the Old Boney Trail. The condition of the Old Boney Trail between Danielson Road and the Fossil Trail junction was better than expected. Maybe the trail was going to be in good shape after all.

A section of the Old Boney Trail overgrown with black sage following the wet rain season of 2022-2023.
A section of the Old Boney Trail overgrown with black sage.

Wrong! Once I passed the turnoff to the Fossil Trail, the vegetation closed in. In places it was so thick I couldn’t see the trail at my feet, much less a few yards ahead. All I could do is smile and work my way through it. Everything was overgrown — bushes, grasses, wildflowers. And everything was wet with dew. A hundred yards past the Fossil Trail, I was soaked from head to toe.

I tried to see the positive. It was an amazing display of the effect of a wet rainy season. Without trail work and use, it wouldn’t take long for the trail to be completely consumed.

The Old Boney Trail continued to be a tangle of chaparral for about two miles — until I reached the Backbone Trail at Blue Canyon. At that point, it becomes part of the Backbone Trail system, and I was relieved to see that some work had recently been done on the trail.

Coast live oak and fog along the Old Boney Trail in Pt. Mugu State Park.
Coast live oak along the Old Boney Trail.

As I worked up the Backbone Trail toward the Chamberlain Trail junction, I recalled other times I’d run to Serrano Valley using Old Boney. What would the condition of the trail be beyond this point? I’d been on that part of the Old Boney Trail following a wet rain season and knew how overgrown it could be. Some refer to that section of trail as “tick alley.”

But when I got to the junction, surprise, surprise, the Old Boney Trail had been trimmed. More than two miles of trail were groomed. It was good all the way to the Serrano Valley Trail and partway into Serrano Valley. The trail in Serrano Valley was a little overgrown, but NOTHING like the Old Boney Trail between the Fossil and Backbone Trails.

Part of the fun of doing this route is all the stream crossings in Serrano Canyon — what is it 13 or 14? Today, most of these could be done without getting your shoes wet — especially if you have poles. I didn’t have poles, and my shoes and socks were already wet, so I didn’t worry about keeping them dry. Some sections of the Serrano Canyon Trail were also overgrown, but not bad. However, there was a lot of poison oak, some of which wasn’t avoidable.

Paintbrush and golden yarrow along Sycamore Canyon Fire Road in Pt. Mugu State Park.
Paintbrush and golden yarrow

After getting a drink of water at the faucet at the junction of the Serrano Canyon Trail and Sycamore Canyon Fire Road, I headed up-canyon. Almost immediately, the fire road crossed Big Sycamore Canyon Creek. I did this first crossing without getting my shoes wet, but nine more crossings followed, and most resulted in soaked shoes. The water crossings and wildflowers helped distract me from the five mile run up Sycamore Canyon to the Upper Sycamore Trail.

Getting off Sycamore Canyon Road and onto the Upper Sycamore Trail was a relief. Whatever run I do from Wendy Drive, I always finish it via this trail. The trail gets enough use that it was in good shape. This time all the creek crossings could easily be rock-hopped.

Even with a few tedious sections, it was an adventurous and mostly enjoyable 20 miles. Here are some photos taken along the way.

Some related posts: Old Boney to Serrano Valley, Plus Fireline and Overlook; Looking for Ogres in Serrano Canyon; Running to Serrano and La Jolla Valleys from Wendy Drive; You Can’t Run Just Part Way Up Serrano Canyon

photography, photography|landscape, running, running|adventures, running|races, san gabriel mountains, trails, trails|san gabriels

The Ups and Downs of the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Run

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Pacific Crest Trail on Mt. Baden-Powell

First published on June 30, 2015. Updated June 8, 2023.

June 15, 2023. According to the AC100 website the 2023 Angeles Crest 100 Mile Run has been cancelled. According to R.D. Ken Hamada, CalTrans engineers do not expect Highway 2 to open until this Winter, at the earliest.  The section from Islip Saddle to Grassy Hollow could be closed even longer.

July 29th will mark the 34th time runners from near and far gather in a small parking lot in Wrightwood, California, to start the Angeles Crest 100 Mile Endurance Run (AC100). Begun in 1986, the AC100 is one of the original five 100-mile U.S. endurance races. It has endured fires, floods, the Covid-19 pandemic, and changing trail restrictions.

There’s a tradition of running grueling endurance races in the San Gabriel Mountains. The Big Pines Trail Marathon was one of the first organized mountain ultramarathons in the U.S. First run in August 1934, its course used some of the same trails that AC100 runners enjoy today.

The AC100 is not like a road marathon. It is an entirely different kind of running event and an entirely different kind of running experience. In 2023 the L.A. Marathon had about 22,000 participants. About 1/100th of that number — around 250 runners — are expected to start the AC100.

Sunrise from Blue Ridge during the 2015 Angeles Crest 100.
Sunrise from Blue Ridge during the 2015 AC100.

For many, one of the primary reasons for running the AC100 is to be fully immersed in the beauty and majesty of the San Gabriel Mountains. Runners start at 5:00 a.m., ascend the Acorn Trail, and as the sun rises, find themselves above 8000′, reveling in the spectacular views from Blue Ridge.

Even at this early stage of the race, the field is already becoming dispersed. By the time runners reach the first checkpoint, nine miles into the run, there is an hour spread between the first and last runners. Unlike a road marathon, much of the time a runner in the AC100 will be alone.

This year’s course returns to a point-to-point format, ending in Altadena. Because of damage to the Chantry Flat area by the Bobcat Fire, runners will bypass Chantry and ascend Mt. Wilson via the Kenyon-Devore Trail, returning to the traditional course at the Mt. Wilson Toll Road above Idlehour.

As a result of this Winter’s frequent storms, many trails have been damaged or blocked by trees and debris. Ultrarunners not only spend many hours enjoying the trails in our local mountains but also do hours of trailwork that helps keep trails open and in usable condition.

Once again this year, some long stretches of the AC100 course will be run on Angeles Crest Highway. As was done for the Western State 100 Mile course, AC100 organizers have been trying to obtain an exception to use trails historically included in the event. You can help get runners off the highway and back on the trail — for more information, see the Save the AC100 page on the AC100 website.

The elevation profile for the 2023 AC100 course (PDF) was created in SportTracks from the GPX file on the AC100 website on 6/8/23. The elevation profile was corrected using 3DEP 1-meter Lidar-based DEMs. A conservative elevation data smoothing setting was used, resulting in an estimated cumulative gain of about 17,890′ and loss of 22,550′. The actual gain and loss are probably a bit more. Placemark locations, mileages, and elevation gains and losses are approximate.

Estimated Angeles Crest 100 Mile Elevation Profile (link)
Click to view/download PDF of the elevation profile.

In addition, here is an interactive, 3D terrain map of the 2023 Angeles Crest 100 Mile Race. It is based on the course GPX file downloaded from the AC100 website. The map is initially zoomed in on the climb up Mt. Baden-Powell. To change the view, use the control on the upper right side of the screen. Track and placename locations are approximate and subject to errors.

Click to view 2023 AC100 course with photographic 3D terrain.
Click to view 2023 AC100 course with photographic 3D terrain.

See the AC100 website for official information and details.

adventures, malibu creek state park, nature, nature|wildflowers, photography, photography|landscape, running, trails

Afternoon Run on the Forest and Lost Cabin Trails in Malibu Creek State Park

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Creek monkeyflower along the Lost Cabin Trail.
Creek monkeyflower along the Lost Cabin Trail.

The seasonal bridge across Malibu Creek is back! No sketchy log to test your balance or thigh-deep water to wade through — just walk across.

This afternoon I’d returned to Malibu Creek State Park to check on the bridge, count the surviving coast redwoods on the Forest Trail, and see what was happening on the Lost Cabin Trail.

When running the Bulldog Loop a couple of weeks ago, I did a quick check of some of the redwoods on the Forest Trail but skipped the back half of the trail. Today, I crawled through the downed trees blocking the trail and checked the rest of the trees.

I counted seven surviving redwoods. Several of these are  multi-tree groups consisting of two or more trees. These family groups  were counted as one tree. One of the trees, and perhaps more, was naturally germinated. Most of the trees looked healthy, but appearances can be deceiving.

Coast redwood on the Crags Road Trail on the way to the M*A*S*H site in Malibu Creek State Park
Coast redwood along the Crags Road Trail

One redwood is just a few feet from the Crags Road Trail. It’s on the right side of the trail, just past the seasonal bridge, when going west on Crags Road toward the M*A*S*H site. The unique conifer is easy to spot among the other trees.

The start of the Lost Cabin Trail is on the left as you enter the M*A*S*H site going west on Crags Road. Like the Forest Trail, it is less used and isolated but has a character all its own. Today, the Lost Cabin Trail was a trove of brightly colored wildflowers.

Here are a few photos taken along the way.

Some relate posts: Wonderful Wildflowers, a Seasonal Bridge, and a Cranky Rattlesnake on the Bulldog Loop; Lost Cabin; More Malibu Creek Flooding