Though LA is mostly urban sprawl, it is blessed with easily accessible nature and hundreds of great day hikes. The Echo Mountain Hike, in the hills overlooking Altadena, makes for a great day out if you are looking for lots of vertical and amazing city views.
This is a guest post by Kris Rothstein, a day-hiking fanatic who travels the world finding the best hidden hikes around.
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Echo Mountain is my favourite hike in LA and one of my favourite places in the world.
I fell in love with Los Angeles about 10 years ago and when people ask me what I love about the city, I mention the music, the vegan food, and the hikes.
“The hikes?” they ask in confusion.
Few people are aware of outdoor life in LA beyond the beach. Even plenty of people who live there don’t realize that the city offers varied and gratifying hikes in almost every direction. Echo Mountain is in the San Gabriel Mountain range, an easy drive from most parts of town.
Several years ago Jane, Stephen, and I found the site of this hike, but knowing nothing about it, we walked up the wrong trail. We spent the entire time on our rough, steep path admiring from a distance the never-ending wide switchbacks which climbed the adjacent slope.
After a little research I knew I wanted to tackle this hike the right way, so I got up extra early the next morning to climb Echo Mountain before flying home later that day.
My most memorable ascent was on Thanksgiving Day when I saw a group picnicking at the top. They’d carried up their entire huge Thanksgiving meal, including bottles of wine!
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What’s So Great About the Echo Mountain Hike?
Echo Mountain is an ideal medium-length hike. It’s the perfect antidote to the hum of freeways and the non-stop buzz of the city below.
It takes roughly two hours to climb up and down the peak (if you’re fairly fit and used to hiking). It is a popular route with locals, so you won’t be traversing unknown desert landscapes without a soul in sight, yet the trail remains peaceful.
If you want more once you reach the top, there are lots of backcountry trails leading off into the true wilderness of the San Gabriels.
Along the trail, you’ll see lizards, cacti, hummingbirds, and desert shrubs. The sloping trails are often in full sun, so make sure you take plenty of water.
Once you reach the top you’ll have a chance to take a closer look at some of the mechanisms of the mountain railway which, from 1893 to 1938, carried the upper classes to the “White City” resort. You can see the foundations of the hotel, as well as the former site of tennis courts and dancing lawns.
It’s such an evocative spot that it’s easy to imagine the Victorian ladies and gentlemen waltzing amongst the beautiful grove of pine trees in their white summer suits and dresses.
How to Get There
- Drive to the north end of N. Lake Avenue in Altadena. It ends at an intersection with E. Alta Loma.
- Park on the roadside and enter through the metal gates.
- Follows signs to the Sam Merrill Trail straight ahead from where you entered the park.
About the Author
Kris Rothstein is a dedicated day-hiker, tackling trails in the mountains near her hometown of Vancouver multiple times a week. She has also hiked her way through Oregon and California and can also be spotted walking the hills in Wales every few years. Kris and Jane started hiking together on the pub circuit in England, following the trails in the indispensable Time Out Book of Country Walks. ♥