On my “best hikes near the San Fernando Valley” list are trails, not necessarily all starting in the Valley, but which are credibly accessible to its residents. These are my favorite hikes, and I’ll let you know why as we go down the list.
Topanga State Park trails, Topanga
20828 Entrada Rd, Topanga, CA 90290
Topanga State Park offers a wide variety of trails for every hiker, on 11,525 acres of wilderness. This expansive area of land makes you feel as though you’re fully immersed in nature, so you not only get the physical health benefits from hiking there, but also the mental health benefits.
Topanga offers ocean views, forest views built from coastal live oak trees, large wild grass field views, dense chaparral views, and some seasonal, running creek bed views. In the colder, rainier season, there are a multitude of wildflowers to check out, from the rare tobacco bush, to the more common bush sunflower.
There are trails for cardio based climbing, like those going from Trippet Ranch to Eagle Rock. There are shaded trails that stay a little cooler in the summer. And there are shorter, flatter trails for leisurely, no-exertion walking.
Though you can access Topanga State Park inside the Valley, via the southernmost tip of Reseda Blvd., it’s worth spending the additional travel time to Trippet Ranch parking lot. There you’ll have access to a lot more trail options.
MRCA stop sign at Reseda entrance
Plus, at the top of Reseda Blvd., where you need to park, there is a laser-triggered stop sign camera, randomly placed on just a straight road, that’s not even an intersection. If you don’t stop fully at the stop sign, or precisely stop exactly at the stop corresponding line on the ground, you’ll get an exorbitantly priced ticket in the mail.
Check it out! There is a reason this one was listed first on my list of best hikes near the San Fernando Valley.
Aliso Canyon Park trail, Porter Ranch
18041 Rinaldi St, Granada Hills, CA 91344
This trail starts at a generously sized parking lot, at Aliso Canyon Park, right off Rinaldi St. in the northern part of the Valley.
You’ll walk through some wooded areas as you travel northbound for about 1.7 miles, at an elevation gain of around 370 feet. Those wooded areas often do have some creek beds with running water, but you won’t have any water crossings to worry about.
However, at the topmost area of the trail, this is where your walk gets interesting. Instead of performing an out-and-back hike, jump onto the small, private, paved road that connects to Sesnon Blvd. at the right of the trail. It will have a swinging roadblock gate at the end of it, before it meets Sesnon. Travel easterly a few feet beyond this gate and then walk southward down Longacre Ave. Longacre Ave. will then meet Zelzah Ave. Continue down that road, until you once again meet Rinaldi St., and can walk westerly back to the park’s parking lot.
The interesting part is as you’re walking through this residential area, you’ll see horse ranches and horses. Further, at some point on the right, one house keeps an extensive chicken coup that is something of an oddity. Finally, you’ll come across Zelzah Park on your left which is a nice little area to sit and relax, and watch some local dogs play, often off leash.
This trail is dog friendly, and your dog will also enjoy the Zelzah Park, near the end of this looped walk. Just be careful of the cars in this residential area. Residents are frequently driving aggressively, and don’t expect hikers on foot in the road.
O’Melveny Park trail to Mission Point
17300 Sesnon Blvd, Granada Hills, CA 91344
Best cardio trail in the Valley
This one is one of the best trails in San Fernando Valley when it comes to low impact cardio and lower body resistance exercise. The reason you get a great workout here is that the trail has 4 or 5 sections in the first mile or so that are very steep. Steep like you don’t want to lean backwards at all when going up them for fear of falling backwards and sliding several yards. Steep like I’ve resorted to using trekking poles to help pull me up those sections, even with just 5 or 10 pounds of stuff in my day pack. And same story on the way back down. The poles helped me get back down them without slipping and sliding in those areas.
Come prepared for the hike
You really need to pre-hydrate and bring a carbohydrate/electrolyte sports drink, aka Gatorade, to keep your glycogen stores intact has you tackle this trail. Last time I was there, I implemented the International Society of Sports Nutrition’s guidelines on carbohydrate dosing during high intensity exercise. This took the edge off feeling wiped out the next day.
But besides the exercise component to this trail, the views are quite striking as you’re going up around 1,500 feet over 1.6 miles, and you’re able to see the Valley below, and even downtown Los Angeles over the next set of mountains in the distance. At the top you’re almost 2,800 feet above sea level. Check out my full review of the O’Melveny trail, where you can find video of the scenes along the trail. In the colder seasons, there’s almost a mini Garden of Eden, with unique wildflowers and bushes, near the top of the trial.
This is another dog friendly trail, by the way.
Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir, Los Angeles
2600 Franklin Canyon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210
Upper Franklin Canyon Reservoir is quite the opposite of O’Melveny’s steep trail. The trail around the reservoir doesn’t have much in the way of an elevation challenge. It’s more of a leisurely walk than a hike. And it’s yet another one where your leashed dog is welcome.
Blinderman trail
But you can throw in a small, challenging walk up an adjacent hill, via a trail that starts a little bit east of the visitor center, if you wish. I think that one may be called Blinderman trail. It has a quick, but steep ascent, up to an area where you can view the large pond in the distance below. It also has a steep descent on its loop back towards the top of the reservoir so be careful, especially if you bring a big, athletic dog on a leash. They will pull you down for sure!
Walking around the reservoir
Generally I try to stay leftward of the reservoir when I walk around it. It goes through some nice wooded areas, and you might see some ducks here and there. Bring shoes you don’t mind getting muddy.
Walking around the bottom edge of the pond, which is a large dam area, you’ll start to come up the opposite side from where you were, and off to the left is another, smaller pond to walk around. This one has turtles and koi fish, and you’ll likely see people feeding these, or taking pictures as you make your way around it. There’s also usually lots of dog walkers around here, so keep that in mind if your dog is a bit unruly towards other dogs.
MRCA Stop Sign
The parking area for Franklin Reservoir is guarded by another one of those MRCA, laser triggered stop signs that gives you a ticket in the mail, if you don’t come to a complete stop, right at the line. So be on the lookout when coming and going.
Switzer Falls Hike, from Switzer Picnic Area, Altadena
Switzer Truck Trail, Altadena, CA 91001
The Switzer Falls hike, from the picnic area, is in the Angeles National Forest. Yes, it’s outside of the Valley, but still worth the travel, especially if you live in its northeastern section.
You’re at some altitude here, so keep in mind it will be cold up there during the colder seasons, and dress appropriately. My favorite thing to do when it’s cold is bring a backpacking food bag, and a backpacking stove, park in the lower lot, and set up shop on one of the picnic tables there. That hot food tastes good on a cold day before the hike. Half way through the hike there are some old wood burning stoves that still work, from when there was a motel/trail camp along the path. These might also work as a cook station for your Jetboil.
Stream crossings
You do have to deal with some stream crossings, so if it’s hot bring some trail runners that can dry out fast if they get wet. If it’s cold, you may do well with waterproof hiking shoes as long as you mind where you step near the stream areas. I’ve used my Salomon X Ultra GTX hiking shoes there before and have kept dry. However in the winter, I try to avoid times when it has recently rained, which causes the creek to come up.
You’ll have to descend around 500 feet over 1 and 3/4ths mile to get to the lower falls, which I think is the easier trail to deal with. Near the end of the trail you’ll be doing some stream crosses, but eventually you’ll see the waterfall and a pool below it. Pretty cool.
Further Reading
Thanks for reading my best hikes near San Fernando Valley. Check out my other Los Angeles related hiking topics if you’re in the area! Alright, see ya out there!