Welcome to the Caltech Hiking Society's website. Our goal is to get people from the Caltech/JPL community out onto the trails. Below are the most recent posts. Look at the calendar and upcoming hikes to see what has been planned. The mailing list is also used to send out information about hikes. Feel free to look around and contact us with any questions and/or comments.
Chantry Flats
As has been promised, we'll finally do a fairly easy hike from the beautiful Chantry Flats Ranger Station. I personally haven't been there since the fires, but the area is open and hopefully hasn't changed that much. I think the most likely plan is to hike down to Sturtevant Falls by way for First Water. Total mileage will probably be about 4-5 miles, although I'm going to see if I can tack on an extra mile somewhere. I'll update this page with a more detailed plan once I finalize it.
(Continued...)Date/Time (Length): 2009 Nov 21 - 9:00am (5 hrs) |
Leader: David L |
Distance (Elev. Gain/Loss): 6 mi (700'/700') |
Difficulty: Beginner (3/10) |
Angeles National Forest
Submitted by David L on Thu, 09/17/2009 - 18:26
As some of you may know, Angeles National Forest is currently closed due to the Station Fire. When it does open, many of the trails we've all loved will have to be repaired before they can be used again. I am organizing the Caltech community's effort (on behalf of the Caltech Hiking Society, the Caltech Y, and the Caltech Alpine Club) to organize volunteers to help rebuild. My goal is to coordinate our efforts and to organize volunteer trips. I've requested further information from the BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response team) and will pass that onto those who indicate interest.
Sycamore Canyon
Sycamore Canyon is in the low parts of the Santa Monica mountains, and this is a loop that'll bring us through 11 miles of beautiful scenery. While there's not much ascent, this is a long hike, so beginners probably should not try it.
I'll leave the trail description to Modern Hiker (linked below), but from the pictures on his site, it should be an amazing hike.
(Continued...)Date/Time (Length): 2009 Sep 19 - 8:00am (8 hrs) |
Leader: David L |
Distance (Elev. Gain/Loss): 11.4 mi (1600'/1600') |
Difficulty: Intermediate (5/10) |
Sandstone Peak
This Saturday (June 13) we’ll visit Sandstone (a.k.a. Mount Allen). Sandstone Peak is the highest point in the Santa Monica Mountains, and the trail is beautiful!
We will meet at 8:00 a.m. at Wilson and San Pasqual. It will take ~1 hour to reach the hike, depending on traffic. The hike is 6.0 miles with 1300 feet elevation gain. We will probably need 4-5 hours to
finish.
Depending on interest/ energy level, we may also hike the Grotto after Sandstone Peak. The Grotto is a nearby trail which leads to a waterfall through some nice canyons. This trail is much shorter (~3
(Continued...)Date/Time (Length): 2009 Jun 13 - 8:00am (8 hrs) |
Leader: Christine Romano |
Distance (Elev. Gain/Loss): 6 mi (1300'/1300') |
Difficulty: Intermediate (5/10) |
Bailey Canyon
Bailey Canyon is a park in Sierra Madre. We'll be going up to the cabin ruins there that were originally built by Throop Polytechnic (one of the earlier names for Caltech) students in 1910. There's also an option to continue up to Jones Peak afterwards for an additional 2 miles and 800 feet gain.
If you're interested in going, please e-mail Christine by Friday morning and include whether you can drive. We shouldn't need to eat lunch, but small snacks are certainly a good idea.
(Continued...)Date/Time (Length): 2009 Apr 12 - 9:00am (4.5 hrs) |
Leader: Christine Romano |
Distance (Elev. Gain/Loss): 4.5 mi (1510'/1510') |
Difficulty: Beginner (4/10) |