With the recent cleansing rain and departure of the abnormal heat we’ve had, I was looking forward to a day of hiking the Tri-Peaks in the western Santa Monicas today. Alas, my hiking pal had to work, and I didn’t want to explore the area without her. But the great thing about this area is that there are always plenty of other opportunities. So I used the time as an opportunity to explore nearby Fryman Canyon a little further. After my last hike in Wilacre Park, I subsequently read about a unique Rainforest Trail. So I thought today would be a good day to check it out.
L and I parked at the lot just off Laurel Canyon and hiked up the hill. We had done this before, but this was my first time in the winter. Definitely greener foliage, and the temperature was fantastic. Many hikers were out enjoying the beautiful day with us.
The rainforest trail isn’t very well documented, but fortunately I found a write-up via Google that wound up giving us pretty clear directions – just as the writer described, actually. The unfortunate thing was that once we started up the grade with the railroad ties, we heard an ominous buzzing. I first thought it was cars up on Mulholland Drive, but its persistence and consistency soon convinced me there was a hive of bees nearby. Normally I wouldn’t worry – but I recalled when last in Franklin Canyon whole sections of the trail were closed for weeks because of bee attacks. Not wanting to become the next news story, we opted to turn around.
It really wasn’t so bad, as we continued the hike down Iredell Drive, a beautiful tree-shaded street with lovely homes. After reaching Fryman Canyon at the bottom, we tried to find the other end of the rainforest trail. We never did find it, but as the map below shows, it gave us a chance to explore some of the cul-de-sacs, like Brookdale Ln. It was aptly named, as water running down the street gutters turned out not to be from someone’s broken sprinklers, but coming right out of the forest preserve. I guess this is where the brook flows!
While “rainforest” might be a bit of a stretch, I can see what inspires the name. This part of the hills is a whole different part of Los Angeles, with old oaks and eucalyptus among the many trees that provide a shady canopy just minutes away from the city bustle of Hollywood or the Valley.
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Tags: hike
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