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 Reporter |
Summary: This hike is a bit challenging, but rewards the hiker with some great scenery. The hike starts out following the Inspiration Point loop trail up a ridge line with great views of the ocean and city below. Just past the spur that leads up to inspiration point (at 1 miles), you will turn onto the Backbone trail. A quarter mike or so after you cross a bridge spanning a saddle, you will come to an unmarked trail on the right that drops steeply into Rustic Canyon. Once you're on the canyon floor, head left towards the Camp Josepho scout camp. This section of the trail is my favorite, with lovely meadow like areas shaded by giant sycamores. When you reach the scout camp, turn around and back head down Rustic Canyon. As the canyon narrows, the woods get quite dense and at times the trail disappears, forcing you to walk in the streambed. Watch for an obvious trail to the right once the canyon flattens out again, leading back to Will Rogers Park. I found a topo map and GPS helpful. Trailhead: From the San Fernando Valley, take the 405 south to Sunset, turn right (toward the beach), and in 7 miles turn right into Will Rogers State Park. Drive to the end of the almost 1 mile long entrance road. The trail head is behind the visitors center. (Lat:34.0545 Lon:-118.51181) Trail Guides for Rustic Canyon - Camp Josepho: Day Hikes Around Los Angeles by Robert Stone (Day Hike Books, Inc.) Afoot & Afield In Los Angeles by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers Ranger Contact: Will Rogers State Park (310) 454-8212 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 2 of 11 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Greg on 5/3/2009 Went on a cool day with some fog. It was a very clear trail up to the trail that leads the decent into the canyon. We went into the canyon and kept following the trail. The trail disappears and you need to just keep following the stream. It was challenging in some parts as you had to cross the stream, go under overhanging trees, rocks, many obsticles. The trail is nonexistant at this part. Just keep going follwing the stream until you eventually get to the trail that leads back to Will Rogers. I would say without a GPS you can get lost. Bring plenty of water esp. on hot days. I would suggest at least 3 to 4 liters. If you do the whole loop I would plan on it being more like 4 hours. Also, there was a ton of poison oak
Reviewed by MBH on 4/11/2009 I really enjoyed this hike. We started with Rustic Canyon and hiked counter clockwise on the loop. I would recommend the same even though the uphill climb in the middle took a bit of effort. We often felt lost as the trail disappeared into the creek more than expected. The variety on this trail made it standout compared to other local hikes. There was an assortment of wild flowers, old buildings to wander through, and a great view of the city and ocean.
Reviewed by JTS on 3/30/2009 Did this hike yesterday with 2 friends and had a blast. A lot of the steep section down into Rustic Canyon was made quite difficult by the fact that the recent rains have gorged out a deep run-off through the middle of the trail. The meadow at the bottom was beautiful. We began our decent down along the creek and passed a few interesting structures along the way.We came to a rather high waterfall that dropped about 25-30 feet into a clear pool.Suddenly my friend silently pointed right above my head.There sitting about 5 feet above me on a branch was a huge red-tailed hawk. It dove down over the falls with it's wings flexed. Then glided up onto another branch. He stayed with us for about half a mile down the creek. Incredible...
Reviewed by CK1 on 2/17/2009 The ascent up Chicken Ridge along the Backbone Trail was easy and provided great views of the ocean and palisades. The steep trail that descends to the canyon can be easily missed, so keep an eye out for it. The descent down was eroded by the recent rains, so it can get muddy at times. The early part of the canyon was easy going due to the paved trail/road that passes numerous ruins of homes and even a VW wagon! Once the road turns back north, however, look for a semi-obscured trail that is marked with a pile of stones, which is the right path to the "dam" & look for the trail on the right. After the dam, expect to cross over water numerous times & eventually, you will have to tread almost knee-deep to find the trail back to the trailhead. 
Reviewed by Pete B. on 2/2/2009 My wife and I did this hike on 2/2/09, and were pleased by the variety of topography, the challenge of the terrain, and the overall length. After searching for the trailhead for 15 minutes (we didn't find most of the trails were very well marked by the park service), we finally took a stab in the dark and guessed correctly. I topo'ed the entire route, and found that Jim's calculations were spot on. Only thing I might change would be to bring a bell or whistle. We've ventured into the backcountry frequently, and feel that there was a very good chance we were stalked by a big cat. No incidents to report, but a very strong probability. Over all, very pleased with the ocean views, the beautiful terrain, and historically interesting pa
Reviewed by Tim L on 11/1/2008 Did this hike for the first time at night (on Halloween even). Very spooky and somewhat treacherous in regions, so I definitely recommend doing it in the day unless you're an experienced night hiker. Having done both directions, I'd definitely recommend hiking counter-clockwise. Were dozens of spiders, but they were easily avoidable. 
Reviewed by William on 10/31/2008 This was our second time on our hike. It was a beautiful day and very little traffic on the trails. We enjoyed ourselves immensely until we began traveling the creek bed. I walked face first into a spiderweb as thick as thread, when I backed up I recoiled at a large crablike looking spider nestled in the web. As we meandered down the creek our travels were hindered by hundreds of these spiders. Every 5 feet we traveled we were ducking these half-dollar sized beasts. This was not our experience the first time we hiked this trail. Undoubtedly, this was my me and my wife's most frightening Halloween in a long time. The spiders most resemble the Tree Spider Araneas Gemma, but there are still some differences.
Reviewed by JH on 10/7/2008 I did this hike Sunday. The comments here were all very helpful. Especially the tips about the trail at the bottom right of the dam. However, I had a lot of trouble getting around the dam. We ended up going down the left side. Sliding down the hill and then jumping the last 6 feet or so. Not sure if this was the correct way to get down, but we couldn't find any other way. Anyone know if this was the only way down? Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||