4 min
Overview
An out-and-back trail with two canyon routes and the option to continue on to Mission Peak. Rice Canyon trail follows a creek and ends with a vista of the canyon while East Canyon trail continues on to Mission Point which has views of the San Fernando Valley and connects with O’Melveny Park trails. You can choose to do both canyons or just one; this hike is a choose your own adventure kind of hike. Parking lot and fee area Beginning of the trail The trail starts on a dirt road and travels away from the freeway for about 0.3-0.4 miles. At this point, you reach a fork in the road. You can choose here to go to Rice Canyon, which is about 1 mile in length, or choose to go to East Canyon, which will take you to Mission Point. We chose to do Rice Canyon first and then trek on to East Canyon. Trail division between East Canyon and Rice Canyon Trails Rice Canyon trail travels along a creek bed that – after a good rainy season – will be flowing nicely. During the summer months, this creek bed is quite dry and the trail can get very hot as there is not much shade. The spring is the best time to enjoy the creek, see the green grassy hills and even enjoy the occasional sighting of our state flower the California poppy. As you trek along this route, you may also start to notice the sounds of a nearby shooting range. The sounds become less apparent as you travel further into the canyon, so don’t worry if you’re not a huge fan of hiking in the sound-shadow of gunfire. Rice Canyon After meandering by the creek for about a mile, the trail veers right and gradually climbs the side of a hill. You will slowly gain some elevation and reach a grassy hillside at about 1.2 miles. The trail will travel up the hill a little ways and will offer some nice views of the canyon; however, it essentially dead-ends here. After you have enjoyed the green hills and canyon, travel back the way you came to the fork in the road to head towards East Canyon. End of Rice Canyon Trail East Canyon trail definitely shows the signs of the recent rains that
Trail Stats
18.1 km
619 m
840 m
440 m
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