Beirut, Lebanon – Anger in Lebanon is growing after the government of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam announced increases in petrol taxes and value-added taxes (VATs) last week.
The rises in what economists and analysts have called “regressive” taxes led to two protests on February 17 and an array of criticism against the government, including from media and voices that had previously been friendly to Salam’s reformist administration.
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“The government lost its mind,” Megaphone News, an independent, progressive news outlet published on a social media account in response to Salam’s government announcing a 300,000 Lebanese pound ($3.35) price increase on 20 litres (about 5.3 gallons) of petrol or gasoline and a one percent increase from 11 to 12 percent on VAT – a consumption tax charged on goods and services at each stage of production.
A taxi driver lies on the ground in front of a truck as taxi drivers block a main road with their vehicles during a protest in Beirut, Lebanon, on February 17, 2026 [File: Wael Hamzeh/EPA]
On the morning of February 17, a handful of taxi drivers blocked the Ring Bridge in downtown Beirut to protest the rise in taxes. Later that evening, in Riad al-Solh Square, around 50 or so protesters gathered to express their discontent with the government’s decision.
“You have no housing, you have no loans, you have no safety, I mean, you live here in a prison, brother,” one angry protester told Lebanese television station Al Jadeed from the Ring Bridge protest.
The last time a tax spike sent Lebanese people to the streets was in 2019. Anger in Lebanon had boiled after decades of economic and political mismanagement by the government. Then, as the country’s economy started collapsing, the government tried to implement a series of taxes, including on WhatsApp calls.
The response was widespread protests that collapsed the government, led at the time by then-Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri. But they failed to dislodge the wider sectarian system that many activists and experts say plagues Lebanon and prevents reform.
Last week’s protests were on a far smaller scale than 2019, however.
Then, protesters forced the government to walk back the taxes. But Salam, the prime minister, defended the tax hike on Friday. The government’s argument is that the taxes are necessary to pay salaries and pensions for state employees and retirees.
“We had to find a quick source to fund the raises,” he said. “These are exceptional measures… but the government wants to reform the tax system, not just impose new taxes.”
Salam also said that his government inherited a “very difficult” financial situation and promised that he would rebuild trust between the state and the people by working to establish a fair tax system.
Lebanon’s Finance Minister Yassine Jaber said the fuel price increase would take effect immediately, but that VAT increases would need parliament’s approval.
“More than 50 per cent of the budget today is allocated to salaries, and it was necessary to take steps to secure the funds,” he said.
VAT is a regressive tax
But not everyone agreed with the decision, including some ministers themselves. The right-wing Lebanese Forces bloc – which is part of the government coalition – voiced objection to the tax increase, calling for a study of the impacts.
Analysts, meanwhile, were heavily critical of the tax increase. They said that the rise of petrol prices and VAT would punish the country’s most vulnerable and would further widen the gap between rich and poor in Lebanon.
“The people who are most affected by value-added taxes are usually the poorest of the poor and the most vulnerable, given the type of their consumption, which is mostly filled of the goods and the services that are affected by taxation, and whereby the proportion of the taxation is significant,” Farah al-Shami, senior fellow and programme director for Social Protection at the Arab Reform Initiative, told Al Jazeera. “VAT is by nature the most regressive type of taxation. Studies have shown that it affects the full supply chain, meaning everything that goes into the production, for example, of a certain good is affected.”
A price increase at every step of the supply chain means that prices compound to end up being more expensive for consumers.
In 2019, decades of government mismanagement of the economy ended in the collapse of the banking sector and the depreciation of the Lebanese pound by over 90 percent. Before 2019, $1 was equivalent to 1,500 Lebanese pounds, whereas now $1 is valued at nearly 89,500 Lebanese pounds.
Many lost their life savings with the currency freefall. Banks quickly shut their doors and limited withdrawals. More than six years later, many Lebanese have not recovered, nor has the economy.
Scandalous undertaxing
The high cost of living is a regular talking point among Lebanese, particularly in the capital, Beirut. Many are struggling to make ends meet and rely on the $5.8bn in remittances from family or contacts abroad (these are 2024 figures).
With so many struggling, a tax increase that impacts the entire population is a recipe for anger. And analysts said that if the government is in need of tax revenue, there are plenty of undertaxed sources to draw from.
“Property in Lebanon remains scandalously undertaxed,” Dania Arayssi, a senior analyst at New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy Luxury, told Al Jazeera. “Real estate in Beirut — some of the most expensive per square metre in the region — generates a fraction of the public revenue it could and should. Capital gains on property are minimal. Wealth held in land and assets is effectively sheltered. Similarly, luxury goods face no meaningful additional burden.”
Fouad Debs, a lawyer and member of the Depositors Union, a group founded after the 2019 banking crisis to protect the rights of depositors, said the decision went against the government’s stated goals of reform.
“All of this is to keep the [current] system intact and save the banks, instead of having them also pay the taxes that they should pay,” Debs said.
My friend Andrea and I had hiked about 3½ miles before we perched ourselves atop boulders near the Brown Mountain Dam waterfall. We eagerly pulled out our sandwiches, jalapeño pimento cheese, and chips and queso we’d carried in our backpacks.
Nearby, a small group of hikers glowered at us, eating jerky and protein bars, commenting on the resplendent meal before us (which we’d purchased from local deli Maciel’s). It seemed they were rethinking their food choices. 💅
I love spending time in nature, regardless of whether I’m lounging on a blanket with a friend at a park or hauling my body up a steep fire road to summit a local peak. But the uniting factor of many of the best experiences I’ve had outdoors is great food.
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Below you’ll find three hikes that will lead you to great picnic spots around L.A. You’ll see that I’m defining “picnic spots” as a place that offers enough open space to take a seat, including on park benches, picnic tables and flat ground.
Before we dive in, I’d like to remind you of something I frequently scream on trails: Orange peels are trash! Please don’t leave any food out in nature that you bring with you.
“There is a common misconception that ‘natural trash’ such as orange peels, banana peels, apple cores, and shells from nuts and seeds are OK to leave behind on the trail, in campgrounds, or in other outdoor spaces,” Leave No Trace’s Erin Collier and Brice Esplin wrote in this article. “While these things are natural, they are not natural to the places they are being left. These types of trash attract wildlife to areas with human activity, affecting their health and habits.”
Now that you’ve vowed to pack out what you pack in, let’s dive into this week’s hikes.
Oak woodlands and riparian habitats are among several plant communities in the mountains around L.A., including along the Gabrielino Trail near Pasadena.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
1. Gabrielino Trail to Gould Mesa campground
Distance: 3.6 miles out and back Elevation gained: About 300 feet Difficulty: Moderate Dogs allowed? Yes Accessible alternative: The first mile of this trail is paved!
The Gabrielino National Recreation Trail is a 28.8-mile long journey from Chantry Flat Recreation Area north of Sierra Madre all the way to Ventura Street & Windsor Avenue trailhead near the Hahamongna Watershed Park in La Cañada Flintridge. It is a multi-use trail for hikers, mountain bikers and horse riders.
The trail has several beautiful sections, including from its western entrance in Hahamongna to the Gould Mesa Trail Camp.
To begin your hike, you’ll park at a large free dirt lot near the backside of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. If hiking in a wheelchair or seeking a paved path, I recommend parking at this smaller paved lot.
You can either take the paved trail or an unofficial dirt trail that follows the Arroyo Seco before leading you to the official trail. Either way, it’s a fairly easy stroll along the Arroyo Seco, shaded by coast live oaks, bay laurels and sycamore trees. After hiking about two miles, you’ll reach the Gould Mesa Trail Camp, where you can set up your picnic at one of the campground’s tables, or nearby along the creek.
And if you’d like to go a bit farther, you can continue onward to the Paul Little Picnic Site or the Brown Mountain Dam waterfall that I mentioned above. Regardless of where you stop, I promise you’ll be treated to a stunning landscape and likely hear the chirp and squawk of scrub jays, California quail and more.
Hikers make their way up a trail to the Griffith Observatory.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
2. Griffith Observatory via Fern Dell/Four Loops (Griffith Park Explorer Segment 6)
How often do you act like a tourist in your own city? Well, now’s the time!
The Fern Dell/Four Loops trail is a 4.1-mile figure-eight-shaped looping path through Griffith Park’s southern end. Although it doesn’t officially include a stop at the Griffith Observatory, that’s what I’d recommend, as it is such a serene place to share a meal with family and friends.
To begin, you’ll park in an O-shaped lot north of the Trails Cafe, where you could grab a meal to-go before heading out. You’ll head north from the lot, following the West Trail in a loop back south to the aptly named Loop Trail. After completing the Loop Trail’s loop, you’ll head south before taking the Observatory Trail on your next loop. If following the Griffith Park Explorer map, you’ll want to take note of when to turn to head to the Griffith Observatory.
If the Observatory area is busy, consider going just a little farther north to the Berlin Forest to have your picnic. Just make sure to link back up with the Fern Dell/Four Loops trail so you can not only enjoy the lush greenery in the Fern Dell area, but also make it back to where you parked.
One of many benches on the way to Mt. Thom and Tongva Peak in Verdugo Mountains.
If you’ve ever looked out your plane’s window as you flew out of Hollywood Burbank Airport, and thought, “My, that trail looks hard,” you would have been correct.
The trail from Brand Park in Glendale to Mt. Thom is a grueling dirt trail, but its payoff includes stunning views of the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys and San Gabriel Mountains. And along the way, you’ll find benches and other lookout spots that would make for epic picnic spots. (Plus, if you do it, you could brag from your plane window, “I hiked up there and had these great tacos from that very peak!”)
To begin your hike, you’ll park near the Miss American Green Cross statue before heading northeast up the trail. Please note that there isn’t any water access on the trail, and it has limited shade outside of its lookout points with benches, which you’ll reach just under a mile in.
You’ll reach Mt. Thom about half a mile farther, but it will be a steep half mile. Keep going for about three-quarters of a mile, and you will find a quick offshoot that’ll take you to Tongva Peak. This is a fabulous place to relax, take in the views and, most importantly, eat.
If you’d like to skip the steep section, I’d recommend parking near the Sunshine Preserve, a critical wildlife passageway managed by the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy. From here, you’ll take Sunshine Drive up to Las Flores Motorway, which offers an easier incline to reach Mt. Thom and Tongva Peak.
Either way, you should spot some benches and flat areas to take a seat or lay out a blanket and enjoy the expansive views of Glendale, Burbank and the cities beyond there. I promise: Your meal will taste even better after the climb to Mt. Thom — especially since it won’t be just jerky or a protein bar!
3 things to do
Runners participate in a previous 4 Mile Hill Challenge run.
(Aztlan Athletics LLC)
1. Frolic for feathered friends in L.A. Athletes from beginner to elite have until Friday to sign up for Saturday’s 4 Mile Hill Challenge, a trail run and walk in Ernest E. Debs Regional Park. Proceeds from the race benefit the Audubon Center at Debs Park. Race onlookers can partake in bird-themed activities as they cheer on their athletes. Register at 4milehillchallenge.com.
2. Get moving in Montebello Montebello Outdoor Adventures will host a hiking trip from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Puente Hills Preserve. Guests will meet at the Cathy Hensel Youth Center (236 S. Taylor Ave. in Montebello) before being taken by free transportation on the day trip. Registration is required. Register at montebellorecreation.com via the Trips and Tours page.
3. Foster the forest in Sunland-Tujunga The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter will host a volunteer workday from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday in Sunland-Tujunga. Volunteers will water and mulch four or more trees, helping them stave off disease or death, especially in hotter months. Participants should bring gloves and sun protection. Tools provided. Location released upon registration. Register at act.sierraclub.org.
The must-read
A motion-sensor camera captures an adult female mountain lion in the Verdugo Mountains in 2016.
(U.S. National Park Service via Associated Press)
I continue to be amazed by the ongoing legacy of P-22, L.A.’s dearly departed lion king. On Thursday, the California Fish and Game Commission unanimously voted to list six specific mountain lion populations — more than 1,400 pumas — in Southern California and the Central Coast as threatened under state law. “Hemmed in by freeways and housing, cougar clans in the Santa Monica and Santa Ana mountains — both included in the listing — have a 16% to 28% chance of extinction in 50 years if they aren’t able to reach lions to mate with in other areas, providing genetic diversity,” wrote Times staff writer Lila Seidman. It’s hard to imagine this happening without the advocacy for mountain lions stimulated by P-22, whose memorial in 2023 lasted more than three hours and drew thousands of guests.
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
Do you have a story of love on the hiking trail? Did someone break up with you atop a mountain? Or perhaps it was a marriage proposal on a peak! On April 3, The Times will host L.A. Affairs Live, a competition show featuring real dating stories from people living in the Greater Los Angeles area. The event is a spin-off of our popular dating and romance column of the same name. Seven to 10 storytellers will be selected to perform 5- to 7-minute relationship stories related to the theme of “Starting Fresh.” A live audience will choose the winner. The winner will get a written version of their story published as an L.A. Affairs column and receive a $400 payment. So, do any of our Wild readers have a lowercase-wild story to tell? Learn more about how to audition here. The deadline to submit is midnight Sunday!
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
After losing count of just how many bush poppy shrubs were blooming around me, I snapped a few photos of the delicate yellow flowers and texted them to my friend and colleague, Jeanette Marantos.
I didn’t expect to find so many blooming plants along the Mormon Rocks Interpretive Trail in San Bernardino National Forest. Jeanette, The Times’ plants writer, was often tasked each spring with answering whether Southern California would see a superbloom, and I had planned to tease her about whether this counted. I didn’t realize our short text exchange would be the last time we’d speak.
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Jeanette, a beloved mother, grandmother, plant queen and journalist, died Saturday from a sudden heart emergency. We, the entire Times Features team, are devastated, along with the rest of our colleagues who knew her.
“She was the most loving person I ever met, probably to a fault in some cases. If she knew you and you were a part of her life, she was fiercely loyal always,” said her son, Sascha Smith.
Jeanette started writing for the Los Angeles Times in 1999, doing Money Makeovers until 2002. She returned to write for The Times’ Homicide Report in 2015 and she started writing gardening coverage in the Saturday section in 2016 before moving to the Features team in 2020 to cover all things flora full time.
Jeanette was maternal to me (and many others on our team). She often messaged me to see if I’d returned from a hike I’d taken for The Wild. Whenever I went skydiving (for work!), she wanted updates about when I’d landed. After I sent her the video, she wrote to me, “You are so much braver than I! I kept watching and thinking ‘when is he gonna pull that chute?! WHEN IS HE GOING TO PULL THAT CHUTE?!!!’” (I don’t think that I am braver than Jeanette was.)
Jeanette Marantos at the L.A. Times Plants booth at the Festival of Books on April 21, 2024.
(Maryanne Pittman)
Jeanette was also a strong LGBTQ+ ally. I am one of the few transgender people at The Times, and I knew Jeanette always had my back when work-related issues arose. I wrote about being trans and nonbinary for “Our Queerest Century,” The Times’ queer history project that published in 2024.
“I have been thinking about what to say after reading your beautiful piece about growing up queer in Oklahoma,” she wrote to me. “My first reaction was I wanted to hug you and tell you how sorry I was for the mean, ugly, stupid things you were told. And my second reaction was simply awe, that you worked through all of that and embraced yourself nonetheless, and found a way to forgive.”
I hope you enjoy the three trails below. I had one of the best days Friday that I’ve ever had hiking in Southern California. I was just so overwhelmed by the endless possibilities of discovery and adventure the desert provides. I was grateful for that joyful reserve when my heart broke open the following day over the news about Jeanette.
I hope your trip to the desert provides joy, healing or anything else your soul needs to bring home.
A view of the massive Mormon Rocks formation in San Bernardino National Forest.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
1. Mormon Rocks Interpretive Trail
Distance: 1 mile Elevation gained: About 200 feet Difficulty: Easy Dogs allowed? Yes Accessible alternative:Mormon Rocks Viewpoint Area (see note below)
The Mormon Rocks Interpretive Trail is a one-mile loop east of Wrightwood in the San Bernardino National Forest that will take you through beautiful desert and past land and boulders with thousands of years of history to share.
If you’ve ever been driving on the 15 Freeway south of Barstow and wondered, “What are those massive rocks,” they were likely Mormon Rocks. I’ve passed the site several times on my way to Wrightwood to hike in the San Gabriel Mountains and always wondered about the name. “This area is called ‘Mormon Rocks,’ but perhaps a more fitting title would be ‘Serrano Rocks.’ The name refers to the jutting sandstone formations that provided brief shelter for Mormon colonists who crossed this area in 1851 and founded the city of San Bernardino,” according to a U.S. Forest Service brochure.
The brochure suggests “Serrano Rocks” because the area was home to the Serrano people, who lived in the area from about A.D. 1200 to the mid-1800s. “Before the Serrano, archaic hunters and gatherers lived in the area for thousands of years,” according to the forest service.
Massive rock formations in the Mormon Rocks area of San Bernardino National Forest.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
To begin your hike, you will park near the Mormon Rocks fire station. You’ll need to arrive early in the day, as the gate to the trail closes at 4 p.m. Additionally, there are no public restrooms.
The trail will take you on an easy loop where you’ll gain enough elevation to get striking views of the massive white, pink and brown sandstone formations across State Highway 138. The trail would be fun for children 7 and older, as long as you’ve educated them on how to react if they see a rattlesnake. (Stay tuned — even an outdoors reporter must be reminded every now and then how to react!)
I usually use the citizen science app iNaturalist to identify plant and animal life on trails. The app uses your phone’s camera and artificial intelligence to identify in real time what’s before you. I had several years shaved off my life when I pointed my phone’s camera at a blooming narrowleaf goldenbush only to have iNaturalist suggest I was pointing at a “western rattlesnake.”
I leaped away, cursing loudly, but no one rattled their tail at me or made a sound. Was it an AI mistake or was I simply lucky enough to have encountered the most docile rattler in the Mojave Desert? Either way, I skedaddled on down the trail!
Bush poppies bloom along the Mormon Rocks Interpretive Trail in San Bernardino National Forest.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
For those seeking an accessible alternative, the area around the massive boulders across the street from the Interpretive Trail might be an option. There are several unofficial dirt paths that are fairly flat, although they might be washed out in places. There is a gentle path, though, that will take you next to the ancient mountainous boulders.
For those who hike the Interpretive Trail, I’d recommend visiting the boulders across the way afterward too. There are several unofficial paths, so take good care in choosing the best route. Whenever I’m boulder hopping, I like to remind myself when considering my route: What goes up must come down, including you!
Also, there is unfortunately a lot of illegal dumping that takes place at Mormon Rocks. If you’d like to help organize a cleanup effort, please contact me. I’d love to help return this area to the pristine environment it deserves!
A faint rainbow forms over the Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area near Pearblossom.
The 1.1-mile Loop Trail at Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area takes visitors past massive sandstone formations from millions of years ago before they were warped and forced upward by tectonic pressure from multiple fault lines, including the Punchbowl and San Andreas faults.
You’ll begin your hike near the Devil’s Punchbowl Nature Center, which I’d recommend visiting if open. Poe and Blair, two female ravens who serve as animal ambassadors, live in an enclosure outside the center. They’re bonded to each other, sometimes holding each other’s beaks. (Yes, it is as precious as it sounds.)
The Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area sits near the San Gabriel Mountains.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
As you hike down, you can observe 300-foot sandstone walls, shaped over millions of years by water, weather and other natural factors. The path dips down to Punchbowl Creek, which was flowing as of early February, and features several small water cascades. I enjoyed rock hopping along the creek, exploring more of the canyon.
Punchbowl Creek flows through the park, continuing to shape the sandstone rocks formed over millions of years.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Keep a keen eye out near the creek, as bighorn sheep are sometimes in the area.
I would usually direct Wild readers to also check out the Devil’s Chair hike, a 7.4-mile out-and-back hike in Devil’s Punchbowl that leads to one of the most majestic overlooks in L.A. County. However, it’s closed right now. County workers told me it should reopen in a few weeks after they’re finished repairing it from damage caused by recent storms.
Instead, I’d recommend exploring the various boulder fields (with safety in mind!), a sort of choose-your-own adventure through the desert. Just make sure to respect any signage regarding private property or signs asking you to keep out of an area to protect sensitive habitat.
The Saddleback Butte Peak Trail leads hikers through the Western Mojave Desert to its Saddleback Butte, a 3,651-foot solitary mountain dating to the Cretaceous geologic period, roughly 70 million years ago.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
3. Saddleback Butte Peak Trail
Distance: 3.8 miles out-and-back (see notes for loop option) Elevation gained: 1,030 feet Difficulty: Moderate Dogs allowed? No Accessible alternative:Prime Desert Woodland Preserve in Lancaster
The Saddleback Butte Peak Trail is a 3.8-mile out-and-back trail near Lancaster that will take you past Joshua trees of every shape and size, fragrant creosote bushes and, if lucky, fields of blooming wildflowers. The trail ends at Saddleback Butte, “a 3,651-foot solitary mountain dating to the Cretaceous geologic period, roughly 70 million years ago,” according to a California State Parks brochure.
To begin your hike, you will park at the day-use spot in the campground area. You will first need to pay the day-use fee ($6 per vehicle, $5 for seniors, $3 for disabled guests) for Saddleback Butte State Park.
From the trailhead, you will hike about 1.3 miles east until the trail jags southeast and then north, a V-shaped path that will lead you to the top of Saddleback Butte. You will have impressive views atop this ancient peak of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Antelope Valley and miles more of the Mojave Desert.
Joshua trees dot the landscape at Saddleback Butte State Park near Lancaster.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
If you’d like, you can turn this into a loop trail by hiking 1.5 miles back along the Little Butte Trail before turning southward onto the unpaved park road, which is just under a mile and will lead you back to the campground. This lollipop-loop style route would be just over four miles through this 2,955-acre park.
I hope you’re luckier than I was, and you spot desert tortoise, yucca moths and any other animals that will send delight into your soul.
(Altrendo / Getty Images)
3 things to do
1. Put the ‘fun’ in fungi in Arcadia The Los Angeles Mycological Society will host its 42nd Annual Wild Mushroom Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday at the L.A. County Arboretum. The fair will feature a mushroom walk, cooking demonstrations and more. The event is included with paid admission and free for Arboretum members. Learn more at lamushrooms.org.
2. Love the land back in L.A. Coyotl + Macehualli needs volunteers from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday to weed around budding wildflowers and emerging saplings. Participants are encouraged to bring offerings, like a song, tobacco or prayer, along with tools to help manage the land. Learn more at the group’s Instagram page.
3. Slam out the stumps in Chino Hills Volunteers are needed Sunday at Chino Hills State Park Discover Center for Stump Fest 2, a community workday at the park. Volunteers will remove stumps that are taking water from the native tree habitat. Tools and leadership provided. Call to RSVP. Learn more at the park’s Instagram page.
The must-read
Video still of a wolf entering L.A. County.
(California Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, we have the makings of a howling good love story. On Saturday, a wolf entered Los Angeles County, marking the first time in at least 100 years that the elusive canines were documented in the area. Times staff writer Lila Seidman reported that the 3-year-old female wolf, BEY03F, is wearing a GPS collar she was outfitted with last May. BEY03F is seeking a partner “and the fact that she is still on the move is an indication that she has not found a mate and suitable habitat,” Axel Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, said. BEY03F was born in 2023 and has traveled more than 370 miles looking for a strapping lupine lover. Could this be the start of a local wolf pack? As of Tuesday, BEY03F was in southern Kern County.
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
Angeles National Forest announced this week that multiple trails in the Mt. Baldy area will be closed through Feb. 23 because of upcoming winter storms. Three hikers have died this winter while trying to traverse the Devil’s Backbone trail, a narrow trail that becomes perilous to cross once covered in ice and snow. The closed trails are: Mt. Baldy Trail; Mt. Baldy Bowl Trail; Devils Backbone Trail; Three T’s Trail (Timber Mountain, Telegraph Peak and Thunder Mountain); Icehouse Canyon Trail; Chapman Trail; and Ontario Peak Trail. The closure order comes with the potential of a hefty fine should hikers be caught violating the mandate.
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
Whenever I want to escape the city, I have a tendency to go deep into the backcountry of Angeles National Forest.
But I don’t always have time for an all-day adventure. Luckily, Los Angeles has several local parks that make it easy to disappear into an old woodland or thicket of pine trees to briefly forget you’re one of 10 million people living in the county.
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The three hikes below are either in L.A. or close by and require only a short drive for many Angelenos. (And for my readers in the South Bay, I promise I will hike down your way soon.)
Regardless of whether you want to take an afternoon off to explore one of these hikes or try one after a weekend brunch, I hope you find a gentle peacefulness that restores you back to feeling more like yourself. Time in nature can do that and more.
A large oak tree provides shade over a trail in Franklin Canyon Park.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
1. Loop trail around Franklin Canyon Park
Distance: 1.2-mile loop with options to extend (see map) Elevation gained: About 200 feet Difficulty: Moderate Dogs allowed? Yes Accessible alternative: Franklin Canyon Drive loop
Franklin Canyon Park is 605 acres of public land north of Beverly Hills that features chaparral and oak woodlands. The park has three bodies of water: the three-acre Franklin Canyon Lake, Heavenly Pond and Wild Pond.
To reach the park, you’ll take the southern entrance, as the northern entrance is closed while the L.A. Department of Water and Power repairs the roadway. Take good care as you drive into the park, as there are a few tight corners with low visibility.
Upon arrival, I’d recommend taking a 1.2-mile loop, which I’ve mapped out here, that will take you past the lake and ponds and up into the park’s hillsides. I went on a recent afternoon when it was in the mid-80s in L.A. and found the park to be cooler thanks to the abundant shade provided by oaks, sumac and other trees.
A turtle rests on a hunk of wood in the Heavenly Pond in Franklin Canyon Park.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
To begin your hike, you’ll park in the large dirt main parking lot. Signs around the lot warn visitors of frequent break-ins, so either leave your treasure at home or hike in your pearls.
From the parking lot, head south on Franklin Canyon Drive, where you’ll quickly find a trail entrance with wooden steps that lead down near Franklin Canyon Lake. I hope you’re greeted by the sound of quacking waterfowl like I was! (And I bet if you go in the morning or evening, you’ll hear bullfrogs.)
Continue in the southerly direction, appreciating the gnarled coast live oaks and sound of shy red-eared sliders plopping off their logs into the water. This short trail will lead you back up to the road where you’ll walk south for just a bit before turning onto the gentle path that loops around Heavenly Pond. This is an especially good spot to find turtles, ducks and at least one orange-and-white koi.
From Heavenly Pond, continue south on the paved road, following it past the private residence to the wooden steps at the reservoir’s southern end. Take these stairs down onto Chernoff Trail. You’ll quickly spot toyon and pine trees, among other natural delights. Soon, you’ll bear right (or northeast) to take stairs onto the road. Cross the road and continue northeast onto the trail. Take the next set of steps up past thick bunches of black sage and chaparral nightshade.
Plants with flowers blooming in Franklin Canyon include ceanothus, California brittlebush and wishbone bush.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Continue north on Blinderman Trail, following it as it bears east before it loops back around west. Along the way, you’ll pass well-maintained benches and bridges. Between the rustic bridges and frequent tree canopy, this trail made me feel, at times, like I was entering a fairy tale. I spotted lots of blooming California brittlebush and desert wishbone bushes along Blinderman Trail as well as some deer tracks near a forested area where the trail ends near the parking lot.
A portion of Blinderman Trail is a bit washed out, so I’d recommend carrying hiking poles, especially for the trip down. If you need to refill your water bottle, there are water fountains near the Eugene and Michael Rosenfeld Auditorium, which is just southeast of the main lot.
I left Franklin Canyon Park grateful for my short jaunt in nature, amazed by yet another well-maintained public park in the heart of L.A.
This 1.3-mile loop trail follows El Escorpión Trail in the 61-acre El Escorpión Park to the Cave of Munits, a chimney cave named after a sorcerer in a local Indigenous legend.
To begin, you’ll park on the street near the trailhead. To reach the cave, you can either take El Escorpión Trail, a wide exposed dirt path that starts at El Escorpión Park gate, or the path along the riverbed, which provides more shade but is more narrow. Both are visible on maps on outdoors navigation apps. When I hiked to the Cave of Munits, I took El Escorpión Trail to the cave and the shadier trail along the creek on the way back.
The cave isn’t immediately visible when you start. Once you see a large rocky gash in the mountain, you know you’re getting close. Once inside the cave, be mindful not to cause any damage and be careful when climbing.
The steepest part of this hike is as you approach the largest cave. Grippy shoes are a must, and trekking poles could be helpful.
The Cave of Munits is an easy place to reconnect with your childlike wonder, but please explore with respect and reverence for the place. The cave’s name relates to a Fernandeño and Western Tongva story of tragic misunderstanding, which you can read here.
Dunsmore Canyon in Glendale.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
3. Dunsmore Canyon & Le Mesnager Loop Trail
Distance: 2.6 miles Elevation gained: About 800 feet Difficulty: Moderate Dogs allowed? Yes Accessible alternative: Brand Park history walk
This hike through the 709-acre Deukmejian Wilderness Park in Glendale will offer you not only great views of the surrounding cities but also an opportunity to spend time among blooming trees and native plants, including California peonies and California brittlebush.
You’ll park in a lot near the Stone Barn Nature Center. Several signs warn that the park closes one hour after sunset and to leave before you get locked in. I think they’re serious, so take note.
You’ll start your hike on Dunsmore Canyon Trail, headed northeast up a straight gravel path covered on both sides with several native plants including ceanothus (both white and purple blooms), yerba santa and sagebrush.
Just .2 miles in, there’s a massive old coast live oak where kids could easily create an imaginary forest kingdom under its large branches.
As you continue to climb, you might hear Dunsmore Creek, which runs parallel to the trail. Remember to turn around as you gain elevation, as this trail rewards you with substantial views of Glendale and the Crescenta Valley soon after you start. All the while, you have the San Gabriel Mountains right in front of you, including Mt. Lukens, which you can hike to from the same park.
Half a mile in, you have the option to continue on the Dunsmore Canyon Trail or Le Mesnager Trail to make a shorter loop. Le Mesnager Trail includes a lookout point at about 2,750 feet, a great spot for a sunset as long as you don’t get locked in! As you meander down the trail, you’ll find a nice shady canopy and continued views of the city below.
3 things to do
Volunteers work at the Debs Park Test Plot.
(Test Plot)
1. Protect native habitat in L.A. The Audubon Center at Debs Park needs volunteers from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Friday for its monthly maintenance on the test plot. Volunteers will meet in the center’s courtyard before heading out. Participants should wear closed-toed shoes and clothing they don’t mind getting dirty. They should also bring a reusable water bottle and gardening gloves. Register at act.audubon.org.
2. Nurture nature in Glendale The Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy needs volunteers from 9 to 11 a.m. Sunday for a restoration workday in the Sycamore Canyon Preserve. Volunteers will help improve the health of plant life in the preserve to better ensure it is inviting and healthy for wildlife, which use it as a corridor to travel through the area. Participants should bring water, sunscreen and work gloves. Pants, long sleeves and sturdy shoes are recommended. If able, volunteers are encouraged to bring shovels, loppers or trowels. Other tools and equipment will be available. Learn more at arroyosfoothills.org.
3. Wander the wetlands in Huntington Beach Amigos de Bolsa Chica will host a free tour from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday through the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach. Visitors should meet their guides in the south parking lot off Pacific Coast Highway, halfway between Warner Avenue and Seapoint Street. Volunteer naturalists will present information on the preserve’s history, bird life and more. Register at amigosdebolsachica.charityproud.org.
The must-read
Skiers navigate their way down Lincoln Mountain at Mammoth Mountain ski area, located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
(Christian Pondella / For The Times)
Two ski patrollers at Mammoth Mountain have died in separate avalanches over the past year. These workers are responsible for clearing popular ski routes by using handheld explosives to prevent avalanches from harming guests. “Were the resort’s managers pushing too hard to open the mountain after major storms? Had training standards slipped, pushing relatively inexperienced ski patrollers into dangerous situations? Are young ski patrollers afraid to speak up, even when they think they’ve been asked to take unreasonable risks?” wrote Times staff writer Jack Dolan. Read Dolan’s story to find the answer to those questions and more.
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
Let’s end with good news! A volunteer was monitoring Eastern Pacific green sea turtles that live near the mouth of the San Gabriel River when they spotted a shelled reptile in trouble. The turtle had fishing line wound around her right flipper and into her mouth. “She was also attached to a medley of debris — clothes, algae, plastic,” wrote Times staff writer Lila Seidman. “When she came up for air, aquarium staffer Aaron Hovis jumped in and grabbed her. Once freed from the garbage, she was loaded onto a stretcher and brought to the aquarium.” The turtle, now named Porkchop for her voracious appetite, is now happily recovering at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. Although the aquarium has been helping injured sea turtles for more than 25 years, the public can now see the little cuties on display in a new exhibit about the turtles. You can visit Porkchop until she’s returned to the wild, where veterinary staff are confident she’ll keep thriving — and eating!
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
