This blog will detail 1,000 video hikes in Southern California. By Southern California, I am drawing a line from San Luis Obispo to the Nevada Border. Anything south of that line will be declared "Southern California". In a way, it is a personal challenge to do so many hikes. Mainly, however, it is my way of showcasing how many hiking opportunities there really are right in our own geographic back yard. As a blog, it serves as a companion piece to my Youtube channel "Mike On The Trail". It is also a work in progress, as I don't actually have 1,000 edited videos completed. This will take effort for quite some time before it is declared done. Even then, there will still be more out there. Here's to hiking and all the positive effects it has had on my life...and possibly yours!
Trailhead coordinates: 34.24980°N, -118.25331°W, or just enter "Mt.Lukens Trailhead" on Google Maps.
Hiking Map
Hiking Stats:
Summary
Mount Lukens is technically the highest point in the city of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the towers on top serve radio and television stations. There are several different ways to get up and down the mountain. Over the years, I had climbed it 4 different ways. This particular route is also the longest of the four.
On The Redoubt.
From Deukmejian Wilderness Park, I went in a counterclockwise route up the Crescenta View Trail, which went up and over a peak called "The Redoubt" along the way. In about 2.5 miles with a 2,500' gain, the trail connects with Mount Lukens Road (FR 2N76). A left turn here goes toward the towers on the mountain top. Most of the days climbing was already in the bag at this point. The summit is reached in about a mile from the trail junction. Many towers and building sit on top. I walked through the summit area before reaching the highest point featuring a benchmark. Great city views sprawl below to the south.
Gazing across the vast expanse toward Mt Lukens.
From the summit, I continued heading westerly on Rim of the Valley Trail. I was hoping to pick up the Cooks Canyon Trail to form a nice efficient loop back to Deukmejian Wilderness Park, but I missed the turnoff. Instead of searching for it later, I simply continued into Haines Canyon by staying on Rim of the Canyon Trail (Haines Motorway). Although this was a mistake on my part, I saw it as creating a new and unexpected hiking route, so I pressed forward. This created what I call "The Wide Loop" of Mount Lukens. This also bumps up the difficulty rating a half point, suddenly making it a "Strenuous" rating.
Approaching the summit.
Haines Motorway eventually winds into Haines Canyon and arrives at the Haines Canyon Trailhead. From there, it entered the city, where I walked sidewalks back to where I parked (about 1.5 miles of awkward hiking in the city). As a recommendation, taking the Cooks Canyon Trail is the better option, so keep an eye out for it. It is at a sharp bend in the trail marked by a wooden post.
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