A California black walnut lends a little Fall color to the chaparral on the Phantom Trail in Malibu Creek State Park.
From a run of the Phantom Loop, starting at the Cistern Trailhead on Mulholland Highway. Here’s an interactive 3D-terrain view of the 7-mile route.
Some related posts:
– Spring Fever Running the Phantom Loop in Malibu Creek State Park
– Ladyface Via the Phantom Trail and Heartbreak Ridge
– Bulldog Loop Plus the Phantom Loop
The Angeles National Forest Trail Race starts and ends on top of Mt. Wilson. This was the view south over Pasadena and the Los Angeles Basin from the mountain-top parking lot, about an hour and a half before sunrise and the start of the race.
Related post: The Angeles National Forest (Mt. Disappointment) Trail Race Returns
Even in Southern California the weather can be a little fickle. Just two weeks ago, heat had been one of my concerns for the No Name 50K. During that race the temperature reached into the mid-80s. Heat definitely wasn’t an issue for this morning’s race on Mt. Wilson. Several days out one computer model had forecast sleet and a temperature of 32°F! Instead, at the start of the race runners were treated to a spectacular sunrise and a temperature of around 40°F.
After a five year hiatus, the Angeles National Forest (Mt. Disappointment) Trail Race is back. Started in 2005 by R.D. Gary Hilliard, this was the 15th running of the highly regarded event. Today we ran the 25K course, but generally a 25K, 50K, and 60K is offered. Rumor has it there may be a longer distance added next year.
Whatever the distance, a hallmark of any ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment courses is that it starts and ends on top of Mt. Wilson (5739′). While not particularly high, the altitude is just high enough to take the edge off a runner’s performance. Many a runner has underestimated the difficulty of the final five-mile climb from West Fork to the top of Mt. Wilson — especially on a hot day in July or August.
Thank you Gary and Pam for your dedication, passion, and the hours and hours of work required to put on a quality event! And thanks also to all the volunteers, runners, and others that support the race.
Here’s a high-resolution, interactive, 3D-terrain view of the ANFTR/Mt. Disappointment 25K course.
All the results from 2005 to 2024 are available on UltraSignup.
Some related posts:
– A Morning Thunderstorm, Debris-Covered Trail, Fast-Paced Fire Road, and Tough Climb on the ANFTR 25K Course!
– Another Scorching Angeles National Forest/Mt. Disappointment Trail Race
It’s always a treat to see a tarantula ambling along a road or trail.
In Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (Ahmanson Ranch) the most likely time to see a tarantula is in September or October.
They are generally not aggressive, but can move very quickly if needed.
Some related posts:
– September & October are Tarantula Months!
– Tarantula Time
Here are a few images from a meandering run in Malibu Creek State Park on the Cistern, Lookout, Crags Road, Forest, and Chaparral Trails.
Some related posts:
– Spring Fever Running the Phantom Loop in Malibu Creek State Park
– Malibu Creek State Park: Lake Vista Ridge, the Forest Trail, and September Wildflowers
– Afternoon Run on the Forest and Lost Cabin Trails in Malibu Creek State Park
October 18, 2024. Updated approximate Bridge Fire Closure boundary for Forest Order 05-01-24-11.
October 13, 2024. Updated Bridge Fire perimeter. Added the Vista Fire perimeter. Added trails from the National Forest System Trails Feature Layer. Added a “guesstimate” of the Bridge Fire Closure boundary. See below for an explanation.
The information in this post may be incorrect or out of date. For official information see the Bridge Fire incident page on Inciweb, the Angeles National Forest updates on Facebook, and the Angeles National Forest website. The perimeters are from the Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Services (WFIGS) Group and National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) website.
Following are several 3D terrain views of the Bridge Fire perimeter from various perspectives:
– Overview of the Bridge Fire perimeter
– View of the Bridge Fire perimeter zoomed in on the Wrightwood area.
– View of the Bridge Fire perimeter zoomed in on the Mt. Baldy area.
– View of the Bridge Fire perimeter zoomed in on the Mt. Baden-Powell area.
The initial view can be changed using the control on the upper right side of the screen, the CTRL key and your mouse, or touch gestures.
As mentioned above, a guesstimate of the Bridge Fire Closure boundary (magenta) for Forest Order 05-01-24-11 (Oct 17, 2024) is now included in the views. The boundary corresponds closely with the PDF map(s) of the closure published on the Angeles National Forest website. There seems to be at least one discrepancy between the Forest Service maps and order description. In the area of East Fork Road, the order description appears to place the closure boundary one section to the west (dashed line). I contacted the Forest Service for clarification, but have received no reply.
Multi-year fire closures have become common on the Angeles. Generally, trails and the land affected by trail are is a minuscule percentage of the area burned. Some jurisdictions reopen parklands and open space areas weeks after a fire with no apparent negative impact on the area’s recovery. Is there science to support multi-year closures of trails in fire areas?
In some cases, closures include trails that are outside of the fire’s perimeter and didn’t burn. These closures may make sense in the short term — when there is a plausible threat from the fire, such as the recent flare-up east of South Mt. Hawkins. But many times, these unburned trails remain part of a long term, multi-year closure. Sometimes it seems the trail just happens to be on the wrong side of a section line, road, or other feature that is convenient to use as a closure border.
Trails that were closed in Forest Order 05-01-24-10, but now appear to be open according to Forest Order 05-01-24-11:
Dawson Saddle Trail
PCT east of Windy Gap to Vincent Gap
Trails outside of the Bridge Fire and Vista Fire perimeters that remain closed according to Forest Order 05-01-24-11:
Devil’s Backbone Trail
Hawkins Ridge Trail
South Hawkins Trail
The following summits are within the updated closure area, but did not burn and are accessible via unburned trails. Peaks marked with ** are just inside of the closure boundary:
Mt. Baldy
Mt. Baden-Powell**
Mt. Burnham**
Mt. Hawkins**
Throop Peak
Sadie Hawkins
South Mt. Hawkins
For those of us passionate about the outdoors, the closure of any trail or peak is a loss. But the long term closure of the most popular trails and peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains without justification would be indefensible. Hopefully, the closure order will be modified when the Forest Service determines the threat from the Bridge Fire is past.