Trail Review: Earl Canyon Mountainway
Parking: Free street parking on Solliden Lane
Distance: 7.2 miles out & back
Starting in a little, unassuming neighborhood, this trail ends with a 360° view that is quite spectacular. Parking near the trailhead was a little difficult because the road the trail starts on is narrow and only allows parking on the north side. It's not that long of a road either so all of the available parking spots were taken. We ended up parking on Solliden Lane, just slightly south, which had plenty of parking available. The road to the trailhead isn't marked with any street sign, except for a "No Outlet" sign, but it is the first righthand turn after you cross over a short bridge. After a short walk past some houses, you'll see the paved road end and a metal gate marking the start of the trail:
Toward the beginning of the trail, there are two possible turn offs (which don't really lead anywhere). Both of these are on the right side so just make sure you stick to the lefthand trail at the start. You'll be on a nice, wide fire road for the first half of the trail and the main attraction of this part is the view of Downtown L.A.:
About half way up, you'll hit the end of the fire road and the start of a more narrow trail. (By this point you've crossed into the Angeles National Forest!) At this junction, it does look like the fire road continues on to the left but it only winds around the corner before ending so just head on up the narrow trail to continue on. Be on alert for bikes particularly in this section as it will be harder to get out of their way. Some parts are extremely narrow. We didn't see any bikes on our hike that far up but there were definitely bike tracks in the dirt so they do come through there.
With the narrow trail also comes views of the north west as well as the south. It's a nice change up from the typical L.A. views:
On this part of the path, you'll also find a spot that looks like a little place for a stone age meeting. It seems like a good spot to take a break if needed.
Eventually, the trail will come to an end at the Mount Luken Truck Trail, another wide fire road. At the crossroads, there is a small path that leads up to a round cement structure titled "EW 20". This is were you want to go for the 360° view. From up on that overlook, you'll not only be able to see much of the city of Los Angeles to the south but also many of the nearby peaks in the Angeles National Forest, including Josephine Peak, Strawberry Peak, and Mount Lawlor.
Enjoy that view before heading back down the way you came! On the way down, we discovered that we could see the La Cañada Teepee that we had visited before on another trail (Check out that review HERE.). The Mount Lukens Truck Trail even connects to the Crosstown Trail where the Teepee resides so, if you wanted to add on approximately 2.6 more miles, you could go visit the Teepee before heading back down Earl Canyon Mountainway. Options!
Bottom Line: A great trail with wonderful views throughout, ending with a spectacular 360° view of Los Angeles and the Angeles National Forest.
Comments