What the hike is
- A loop built from two fire roads that join near the ridgeline, commonly hiked in either direction.
- A long, sustained climb — most trail listings put the full loop in the high single-digit miles with well over a thousand feet of gain.
- Wide graded road most of the way, which makes it popular with trail runners and mountain bikers as well as hikers.
- Panoramic views over Glendale, the basin, and on clear days well beyond.
Practical notes
- The trailhead sits at the top of a residential street; parking is street parking and it is genuinely tight on weekend mornings. Read the signs.
- There is no water on the route and almost no shade. Bring more than you think you need.
- Start early in summer. The exposure is the whole difficulty of this hike.
- Dogs are common on the fire roads; heat on the graded surface is hard on paws by mid-morning.
- Cell coverage is decent near the towers and patchy in the canyons.
Why a bail bonds company writes about a trail
Because we have been a Glendale business since long before most of the trailhead's neighbors were born. Armstrong has served this community since 1926, and our local pages — Glendale bail bonds among them — sit alongside pieces like this one on Brand Park and Deukmejian Wilderness Park. We like the town.