Millard Canyon Guided HIking Tours Offered on Saturday

The Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy will offer docent-led hiking tours on Saturday of the 13 acres that group is raising funds to purchase.

The hike will take approximately an hour-and-a-half to two hours and will cover about 1.5 miles, according to the conservancy.  Tours will be offered at 9 a.m, 10:30 a.m, noon and 1:30 p.m.

As reported on the site in February, the conservancy  but , either via contributions or grants. (Full disclosure: I volunteer with the group as a docent).

The canyon streambed could serve as a wildlife corridor between existing open space area, according to a biologist who surveyed the area.  The area does not have an official trail that is open to the public, so the tours will go through an area many local hikers may not have visited. A map showing the area can be viewed to the right of this article.

The full event details are below:

Ten years ago the Arroyos & Foothills (AFC) made a run at saving 13 acres in beautiful lower Millard Canyon.  They teamed up with the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and bid $50,000 more than its appraised value to try to buy it at auction. It was heartbreaking to lose to someone who wanted to build homes in the canyon.

Never again! Ten years later and we have another chance. The owner has offered AFC the property on favorable terms. Let's not let this land get away!

Come see this seldom-hiked canyon on Saturday, May 19. Choose from four hikes: 9:00, 10:30, 12:00 or 1:30.

 The habitat is top notch; the stream runs year-round; trees cover the whole route.

Docents expert in biology, geology, history or hydrology will guide us. Learn how the Altadena Crest Trail will be extended through the ‘La Vina gap’.

How Do I Get There?

Meet at the Altadena Community Garden. Take the 210 north to the Lincoln Avenue turnoff and go north to the corner of Lincoln and Palm (3330 N. Lincoln Ave. Altadena). We’ll be shuttled to the Millard campground parking lot and then we’ll hike down the canyon to Canyon Crest Road. The route is less than a mile and a half long, but somewhat rugged. The hike itself will take 1-1/2 to 2 hours. We’ll be shuttled back to the Community Garden for refreshments and to learn about this opportunity to save this remarkable place.

Suggestions: 

Wear a long sleeve shirt and pants because there’s poison oak along parts of the route.

Wear sturdy hiking shoes because much of the route is with faint or no trail and there’s boulder hopping at several stream crossings.

Consider hiking poles for those crossings.

Rattlesnakes are beginning to come out – be alert.

This is not a hike for dogs.

Bring garden gloves if you’d like to remove a few invasive plants along the way.

For more info, go to http://www.arroyosfoothills.org/millard/