Inspiration Point up Castle Canyon Trail then Down Middle Sam Merrill Trail

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THIS IS AN INTERMEDIATE LEVEL HIKE. THIS HIKE IS NOT FOR BEGINNERS. THERE WILL BE NO "PLUS ONES" ALLOWED TO ATTEND THIS HIKE. IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT REALLY WANTS TO GO ON THIS HIKE, HAVE THAT PERSON SIGN UP SO HE/SHE CAN READ THE HIKE DESCRIPTION AND THE WAIVER OF LIABILITY.

Please be in outstanding physical hiking condition to sign up for this hike.

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The meeting point is the trail head at the corner of Lake Avenue and East Loma Alta Drive.

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We will take Sam Merrill trail up to Echo Mountain.

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We will take a short break at Echo Mountain to take in the sights and read about the history plus visit the historic ruins of the "White City", where a mountain house hotel, chalet, observatory, dance hall and small zoo were once located.

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There are various plaques at Echo Mountain that tell the story of the White City.

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Then we hike Castle Canyon trail to Inspiration Point.

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This is a single track trail that is fairly level at the start until we reach a small creek.

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After the creek, the trail immediately starts climbing and switchbacks steeply. For much of the trail, you cannot see your destination, then suddenly, near the top, the trail takes a sharp right and we will be greeted with a view of Inspiration Point, just 200 yards up.

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I think this is why some call the top Inspiration Point, because just when you have had enough and are ready to turn around, you are "inspired" to complete the hike because you can finally see the top! :-)

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We will break for lunch at Inspiration Point. The storied Pacific Electric Railway built an open air shelter here around 1924-1925. At the top of Inspiration Point are locating tubes that show the location of points of interest from nearby sites to Catalina Island. The pieces of pipe are oriented so the view through each pipe is centered on the point of interest

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We will take an alternate route back down to Echo Mountain. We will take Muir Peak Road a 1/4 mile to Middle Sam Merrill Trail to Echo Mountain.

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This alternate route will provide great scenic view of Las Angeles for most of the 2 1/2 miles to Echo Mountain.

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About a mile down the Middle Sam Merrill Trail we will take a short break just past Sunset Point to take in an outstanding view of Los Angeles for a terrific photo opportunity.

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Take the short route to the tree just past Sunset Point for a breathtaking view of Los Angeles! Then return to Middle Sam Merrill Trail.

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Once we reach Echo Mountain it’s a hike down Sam Merrill trail from Echo Mountain back down to our cars.

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This Hike is cross posted with the On The Move Group

https://www.meetup.com/On-the-Move-Inland-Empire/events/227439567/

What to bring:

At least 3 liters of water

Sun hat

Sunscreen

Plenty of lunch/energy snacks

Hiking poles are recommended

Good hiking attitude

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Stats:

Distance: 10 1/4 miles Out and Back

Elevation: 4300 feet

Elevation Gain: 2800 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

Hiking time: 6-7 hours at a moderate pace

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DIRECTIONS:

From the east, take the 210 West to Pasadena and exit at Lake Ave. Go north, (right) on Lake to the top where Lake intersects with Loma Alta. Park on Loma Alta or one of the streets off it. Be careful of parking on Lake as there are some areas that are restricted.

From the west, take the 210 East and exit at Lake Ave. Turn left. The directions are now the same as coming from the east. YOU DO NOT NEED AN ADVENTURE PASS TO PARK IN THIS AREA.

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WAIVER OF LIABILITY: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR THIS EVENT. BY PARTICIPATING IN THIS EVENT YOU AGREE TO NOT HOLD THESE ASSISTANT ORGANIZERS OR MEETUP LIABLE FOR ANY HARM TO YOU OR YOUR PROPERTY. THESE ASSISTANT ORGANIZERS ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL HIKERS AND ARE NOT TRAINED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. HIKING IS AN INHERENTLY DANGEROUS ACTIVITY THAT CAN LEAD TO INJURIES INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO FALLS, FRACTURES, RATTLESNAKE BITES, ELEVATION SICKNESS, POISON OAK, HEAT STROKE AND FROSTBITE. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MAKING SURE YOU ARE PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE HIKE BY HAVING THE APPROPRIATE SUPPLIES/EQUIPMENT AND BY KNOWING YOUR OWN ABILITIES. ALWAYS LET THE HIKE ORGANIZERS KNOW IF YOU ARE LEAVING THE GROUP FOR ANY REASON. STAY ON THE TRAIL AND NEVER HIKE ALONE.

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