I was getting a little bored with the places I've been hiking so far - many of them are very beautiful, but sooner or later you have to expand your horizons to keep the magic going. Fortunately, a survey of hiking websites for Southern California yielded a choice prospect, and it did not disappoint: Garcia Trail in Azusa, CA - which ascends steeply about 900 feet over the course of a little over a mile, and joins Glendora Ridge Mtwy (a scenic dirt trail that parallels the San Gabriel valley for several miles). It was a great workout, the trail was narrow enough to be scary in a fun way without actually being terrifying, and provided a lot of opportunities for taking great photographs - which I now share with you.
First, let me say that there was some kind of speck on (or, more concerningly, in) the camera lens, and it marred some photos that I personally consider to have otherwise been among the best I've ever taken. Please try to ignore it. First, Garcia Trail: The trail begins next to a firehouse, and climbs relentlessly through quite a few switchbacks, some of which were tricky to navigate even with hiking poles as some were rutted right at the turn. Moving past people going the other way or letting faster hikers pass who are going your way can be slightly difficult in narrower parts, but nothing too troublesome.
This shot gives the best impression of just how steep Garcia Trail is:
The trail ends at Glendora Ridge Mtwy - a wide, well-maintained dirt road along the top of Glendora Ridge with beautiful views into both the San Gabriel valley to the South and a canyon to the West and North. The path goes quite a lot farther than I did on this trip, in both directions, but I did follow it to the top of two peaks, which I believe are called Azusa Peak and an unnamed peak that is a few hundred feet taller, respectively - although I could be wrong. Their elevations are near the minimum limit to be defined as mountains, in the 2k range, but the views are spectacular and the climb rewarding. Since the subjects of photos repeat from various perspectives, I'll divide these photos into subject matter. Views of greater L.A. from Glendora Ridge Mtwy:
The canyon and high mountains to the West and North:
Trails leading West that I didn't take very far - perhaps next time:
Right when you first emerge on to Glendora Ridge Mtwy, the right path diverges into two forks: One is a leisurely, relatively flat path on the North side of Azusa peak that takes you directly to the next saddle. It's sun-dappled and pleasant, but there's not much to see in any direction - the view into the canyon is blocked by trees, and the other side is rock and chaparral on the side of the peak. The other fork takes you directly to the peak. The way up Azusa peak, and the peak itself:
The other side of Azusa peak has a much easier path down into the next saddle, from where you can see the path winding up the next peak:
The approach to the second peak loops around to the other side of the peak, and you have to cut off the main trail into a narrow path over loose red clay with waving grass to either side:
The second peak itself is nothing special - a flat, grassy area with trees blocking much of the view - which I suppose could be why it has no official name:
The red clay path continues back down to the other side of the second peak, but I was running low on water and didn't want to risk having to double-back if it failed to passably connect back to the main trail:
The trail continues to the East of the second peak, but as I was tired, running low on water, and hadn't thought to bring food, I turned back rather than continue:
Views of Azusa peak as seen from the trail up the second peak:
On the drive home, the mountains were so amazing I waited until a long red light and snapped a couple of photos:
