4 min
Overview
A strenuous ascent up the south face of Mount Lukens – the highest point of elevation within Los Angeles City Limits. This particular route travels a secluded and steep, but rarely traveled and slightly overgrown canyon to the summit. A good leg-burner, but the bushwhacking and ticks may not be worth the trouble. There is, however, a shortcut trail that leads to a fire road, which is one of the nicest stretches of single-track trail I’ve seen in the San Gabriels. NOTE: This area was badly burned in the 2009 Station Fire. The trail is open and has had some restorative work done, but your hiking experience may differ from this. Hikers who have attempted the trail since its reopening have reported dense, overgrown shrubs, trails in need of maintenance, and lots and lots of ticks. Consider yourself warned. The trailhead is at the end of the aptly-named Haines Canyon Drive in Tujunga. There is a gate at the end of the road, that will take you next to a debris dam with a very small (and very eroded) dirt lot. If the lot is full or the ground looks too rough for your car, you can park about a quarter-block down on Haines Canyon Ave. Pay attention to signs marking where you can’t park. Head north on the road, past the open gate and another, locked gate to the dirt road version of Haines Canyon Ave. This road curves east around the small lake behind the dam and continues a gradual ascent past several flood control dams. At 1.29 miles, the dirt fire road comes to a T intersection. The road continues south, past a gate, and takes a long and meandering route to the summit of Lukens. The trail to Haines Canyon cuts north, passes a small concrete foundation and water tank, and gradually narrows from a road to a wide path, to a narrow trail. If you’re hiking during the wet season, you may start to hear the distant babbling of a small brook. As you hike, you’ll notice the beige surroundings start to give way to a more lush green as the sound of the water gets louder. The trail hops a sluggish creek, then skirts up the east ban
Trail Stats
13.7 km
897 m
1556 m
644 m
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