Verdugo Mountain Traverse

The Verdugo Mountain Range is a small, rugged range spanning across the northeast end of the San Fernando Valley from Sun Valley to Glendale. With close to 50 miles of graded and well-maintained trails, the Verdugos are surprisingly underutilized and make a great place for someone looking to escape the crowds of surrounding Griffith Park and Runyon Canyon. 

Hiking the Verdugo Mountain Traverse is great for training to do bigger hikes like Mt Whitney or backpacking trips such as the Trans Catalina Trail. Best done as a through hike from one side of the range to the other, it connects the series of trails and fire roads that crisscross the mountain. The traverse has two starting points to choose from, Chandler Fire Road in Sun Valley or Las Flores Motorway located in the north part of Glendale. I recommend leaving a car on both ends of the trail regardless of which end you choose to start from. 

Now the majority of the hike will be on 3 of the main fire roads, Verdugo Mtwy, Chandler Fire Road, and Las Flores Mtwy. But you will also get a chance to see pretty much every trail and fire road that exists in the area allowing you to explore other trails that offshoot from the traverse. Some will take you to the tops of peaks or one of the 7 radio towers and give you excellent views to both the north and south.