Henninger Flats- a local favorite

The grove of trees circled in red is the objective: a cool respite at 2400 feet. Standing in the way is a steep, hot, dusty canyon trail. The starting point is a small turnout about half a mile past the entrance for the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena (map here).

This is a steep hike over a path that is technically closed (you can see many parts are washed away, but happily last weekend's rain storm doesn't seem to have really increased the damage). Estimates vary but it looks to be in the neighborhood of about 4.5 miles and 1500 feet (though I think it might be more like 4, because it is pretty short and very steep).

I can make it in about an hour and a half, but some people move much faster by jogging for parts, a piece of masochism I'd just as soon avoid. Views from the top would be great if there wasn't so much smog.

Some weekend I think I will just keep going up to Mt. Wilson. In the picture below you can see how nice it looks up there, and Mt. Wilson (the one with all the antennas on it) looks deceptively close.