Brand Park is situated in the Verdugo Mountains in the foothills of Glendale. For the hike to the top, start at the fire road behind the doctor's house and walk about a mile up past the landfill. Turn left about 50 yards ahead when you get to the large sycamore tree for the steeper trail. The more challenging side has a set of radio towers on top and ends at the top of Tongva Peak. It may help some people to wear cleats to get a better grip, but I have no problems using trail running shoes. This trail has a good elevation gain, but is a relatively short hike. If you run down the fire road to the west of Tongva Peak, your return trip will total 4.1 miles to the parking lot. This approach is steep and challenging. There is another trail that goes to the top east of here. It is significantly easier, but still difficult. It has a nice place to rest at the halfway point. It takes my wife and I 1 hour and 10 minutes to go up and back on the more difficult trail running briskly most of the way.
Things to take into account:
There is no shade
There are little gnats, flies and hornets so use DEET
There is no water
Like any hike, you can slip and fall and crack your head open and perish and the plants and animals don't care so just enjoy yourselves and don't take any unnecessary risks.
Superior views on clear days of the San Gabriel Mountains on one side, and the sprawl on the other
Rabbit, squirrel, coyote, and a bobcat or two.
A couple of nice oaks. Some sycamore and pine.
This park is filled with cool stuff in general. There is a branch of the Glendale public library but you probably knew that. The Brand Park Arts Library is not like your ordinary inner city library branch. It does not get crowded with screaming, hyperactive brats wheedling away on the internet and smearing their filthy germs all over the keyboards. For sure, it is the crown jewel in their system. It sure has a lot of very cool art books and non-book materials. It is almost like a miniature version of the Arts Library at UCLA, but with free parking and a considerably more delightful setting.
The Brand Family graveyard is on the premises as well, and has a very cool pyramid tombstone. There is also a trail with waterfalls that you can access by walking up the asphalt road at the north end of the park, and hanging a left at the drainage ditch at the fork in the road. When you come to a pork in the road, take it.
This is a really good park to eat mushrooms and it is super cool when it rains! During the Summer, it gets as dry as a tinder box. The park closes at 10PM.
Things to take into account:
There is no shade
There are little gnats, flies and hornets so use DEET
There is no water
Like any hike, you can slip and fall and crack your head open and perish and the plants and animals don't care so just enjoy yourselves and don't take any unnecessary risks.
Superior views on clear days of the San Gabriel Mountains on one side, and the sprawl on the other
Rabbit, squirrel, coyote, and a bobcat or two.
A couple of nice oaks. Some sycamore and pine.
This park is filled with cool stuff in general. There is a branch of the Glendale public library but you probably knew that. The Brand Park Arts Library is not like your ordinary inner city library branch. It does not get crowded with screaming, hyperactive brats wheedling away on the internet and smearing their filthy germs all over the keyboards. For sure, it is the crown jewel in their system. It sure has a lot of very cool art books and non-book materials. It is almost like a miniature version of the Arts Library at UCLA, but with free parking and a considerably more delightful setting.
The Brand Family graveyard is on the premises as well, and has a very cool pyramid tombstone. There is also a trail with waterfalls that you can access by walking up the asphalt road at the north end of the park, and hanging a left at the drainage ditch at the fork in the road. When you come to a pork in the road, take it.
This is a really good park to eat mushrooms and it is super cool when it rains! During the Summer, it gets as dry as a tinder box. The park closes at 10PM.
