Hiking Gabrielino Trail near JPL, Los Angeles

Diggin SoCal Outdoor Adventures, May 15, 2021; Dhr. Seven, Xochitl (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hiking the Gabrielino Trail from JPL to the dam in the riparian environment | drone footage

It's easy, right? - This is so beautiful!

(Diggin SoCal Outdoor Adventures) The hike begins in the JPL parking lot, above the reservoir and dam visible from the 210 Freeway.

Up the Gabrielino Trail, established by the "Gabrielino Indians" (the Indigenous Kizh or Tongva of Los Angeles, once known as Tovaangar), beyond Gould Mesa Trail Camp and Paul Little Picnic Area, ending up at the dam (about 3.5 miles in one direction).

This is beautiful hike is leisurely with easy trails (and dangerous rattlesnakes warming themselves in the dappled light and mulch of fallen leaves).

Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

However, it does involve crisscrossing the water numerous times. A river runs down and sinks beneath JPL to come up again at Devil's Gate Dam. This is usually easy but could pose a problem when it rains and the water level rises and becomes a whitewater chute.

Good hiking shoes and plenty of water are always smart choices, particularly as the weather warms. There is also poison oak (the reddish green leaves with a waxy coating in the brush next to the trail). Along the trail there was one snake no one would want to step on or have a dog bark at. Also, it's beloved by mountain bikers, who race by with hardly a warning. #dronefootage #hiking #hikingadventures