Category Archives: trails

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

Bulldog Loop or Saddle Peak Out & Back?

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Which to do? Both courses start at the intersection of Malibu Canyon Rd. and Piuma Rd., are 13-14 miles in length, and have about 2600-2700′ of elevation gain/loss — but they are very different trail runs.



Much of the Bulldog Loop is on fire roads, while the Saddle Peak Out & Back is 99.9% single track — much of it rough and technical. A comparison of the elevation profiles shows that the main climb on the Saddle Peak run is steeper than the Bulldog climb, and gains an additional 300 ft. in elevation. The Bulldog Loop has longer stretches of more or less level running.

Either course is a good choice for a strenuous run with great views and scenery. On a long run day, the runs can also be combined to create a difficult 27.5 mile course with your car as the main aid station. The Bulldog 50K used to follow much of this combined course, as well as loop through upper Solstice Canyon on the Backbone Trail. Problems with a property owner on Castro Peak necessitated a change to the current 50K course.

Today I opted for the Saddle Peak Out & Back run. The title photograph is Saddle Peak from the Backbone Trail. The trail switchbacks up the steep sunlit face on the center-left of the photo.

Here are interactive Cesium browser Views of the Saddle Peak Out & Back, and the Bulldog Loop.

nature, photography, photography|landscape, running, trails, trails|smmc open space, weather, weather|southern california

Chumash Trail Green

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Chumash Trail in Simi Valley

It’s now been 17 days since there’s been measurable rain at Downtown Los Angeles (USC). A trace of rain was recorded on a couple of days, but for the time being a big blocking ridge has shut the door on Pacific precipitation.

So far this January, only 0.58 of rain has been recorded, which is a little less than one-third of normal for the month. However, because of our frequent December storms the water year total at Los Angeles is currently about double the normal amount — and why open space areas of Southern California have turned so lush and green.

nature, nature|weather, photography, photography|trail running, running, running|adventures, trails, trails|smmc open space, weather, weather|southern california

Bandit Training

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Top of the Wildlife Corridor Trail

What a difference 5 days makes! In the cold morning shadows before the start of the Boney Mountain race last Sunday, the dew on the fences was frozen and frost was everywhere. This morning in Corriganville Park the temperature was a balmy 65 or so, and the high was expected to be around eighty.

Today I was running the Bandit 30K course as part of a training run organized by Bandit 15K/30K/50K R.D. Randy Shoemaker. Good thing too. Even though these are my backyard trails, it reminded me just how tough these courses are. The numbers — about 3300 ft. of gain/loss over 19.5 miles for the 30K — don’t tell the whole story.



The title photograph is of runners at the top of the Wildlife Corridor Trail. This gnarly trail links Corriganville Park to Rocky Peak Road, and it is just one of the special treats you’ll encounter on the 15K, 30K and 50K courses. I don’t know if it tougher going up, when your legs are fresh; or going down, when your legs are worked. From personal experience I know it is really easy to push too hard on this climb, and mutter to yourself, “Why did I do that?” for the remainder of the race.

Today, the conditions could not have been better. Well, if we’re going to nitpick, maybe a little less wind. But who can complain on a January day when skies are blue, the hills are green, and the temperature is in the seventies?

nature, nature|weather, photography, photography|landscape, running, trails, trails|smmc open space, weather, weather|southern california

Las Virgenes Creek Near the Sheep Corral Trail

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Upper Las Virgenes Creek

At the start of my run East Las Virgenes Canyon was deep in shadow, and it was cold, cold, cold. At least by Southern California standards. But it would be warm enough, soon enough, and being a little chilly now would make the sun feel even better when I escaped from the canyon. The good news was the temperature was near freezing, and the muddy sections of dirt road in the canyon were mostly frozen.

I was doing a run I often do before a race, or when I want to back off the distance and elevation gain a bit — a 13 mile route from the Victory trailhead at Ahmanson Ranch, through Cheeseboro Canyon. The route starts the same as the run to Simi Peak, but when you get to Shepherds Flat, you turn left (south) down Cheeseboro Canyon.



Picking up the pace to try and generate some warmth, it took about 30 minutes to get to Las Virgenes Canyon. In another 15 minutes or so, I had forked left off the dirt road onto the Sheep Corral Trail. This singletrack trail meanders through live oaks along upper Las Virgenes Creek before working up and over to Shepherds Flat.

For the first time in several years, this part of Las Virgenes Creek was flowing. The last time it had more than puddles of water was during the record setting El Nino rain season of 2004-2005. That year Downtown Los Angeles recorded more than twice it’s normal amount of rainfall.

At the six mile point I reached the junction at Shepherds Flat and turned onto the Sulfur Springs Trail. With the exception of one very wet section, Cheeseboro Canyon was mostly in good shape. There was still some ice on the mud puddles in the lower part of the canyon.

Keeping my shoes mostly dry and mud free had become kind of a game, but a game I was destined to lose. When mud thaws it becomes incredibly sticky, and that happened on the connector that links Cheeseboro Canyon to Las Virgenes Canyon. It was like running in 5 lb. Hokas.

The worst of the unavoidable mud ended at Las Virgenes Canyon, and after another 30 minutes or so of dodging mud puddles, I was back at the Victory trailhead. It was a fun run and a great way to start the New Year.

nature, nature|clouds, nature|weather, photography, photography|landscape, running, trails, trails|smmc open space, weather, weather|southern california

New Year’s Eve Harbinger of Rain

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Foretelling the approach of a system forecast to bring wet weather to some areas north of Pt. Conception New Year’s Day, and Los Angeles Sunday, this thick cirrus cloud shield is associated with the circulation around a low a few hundred miles off the Pacific Northwest coast.

Wednesday’s cold front, the latest in a series of surprisingly frequent December weather systems, increased the water year rainfall total at Downtown Los Angeles (USC) to 11.70 inches. As of today, L.A.’s rainfall total is about 8 inches above normal, and more than three times the normal amount of rainfall for the water year to date. For the first six months of the 2010-11 water year, the rainfall total for Downtown Los Angeles is the fourth wettest in the 133 years that records have been kept. The water year starts on July 1 and ends June 30.

The photograph is from today’s run on the Chumash Trail and Rocky Peak Road, northwest of Los Angeles. It was cold on the north facing sections of trail that don’t see the sun this time of year. Inch long needle ice crystals had formed along the margins of the trail in several places.

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

Century Lake, Dam and Gorge on Malibu Creek

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Century Lake, Dam and Gorge on Malibu Creek



According to the Malibu Creek Docents, Century Dam was built more than a century ago (~1903) to create a lake that could be used for trout fishing and duck hunting by the members of the exclusive Crags Country Club.

This late afternoon photograph of Century Lake, Dam and Gorge is from today’s run on the Cistern, Lookout and Crags Road trails to the M*A*S*H. site, and start of the Bulldog climb.

Some related posts: Century Lake Morning; Backbone, Bulldog & Beyond