Fryman Canyon/ Franklin Canyon Crazy 8

The Blazers alight in the City of Angels to visit two popular LA parks! Fire road, single track, & streets loop through and connect Fryman Canyon and Franklin Canyon- both gorgeous swaths of urban wilderness that are extremely popular with Angelenos, as well as location shoots for TV and movies.

http://photos3.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/7/c/5/7/event_36271831.jpeg

Distance: Approx. 9 Miles
Elevation Gain: Approx. 500 Ft. (multiple times)

Located in the eastern Santa Monica Mountains on the north side of Mulholland Drive, 122-acre Fryman Canyon Park offers spectacular views and access to the Betty B. Dearing Cross Mountain Trail. The park is abundant with native chaparral, year-round springs, and deeply-wooded canyons. Franklin Canyon Park rests on 605 acres near the center of Los Angeles between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills. Within the park boundaries are chaparral, grasslands and oak woodlands, a three-acre lake, a duck pond, expansive picnic grounds, and over five miles of hiking trails. The lake and pond serve as permanent and seasonal home for birds in the Pacific flyway.

The park has a history steeped in the forces that created the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles—oil and water. In 1914, William Mulholland and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) began construction of a reservoir in upper Franklin Canyon to distribute water newly brought from the Owens Valley. The family of oil baron Edward L. Doheny used the canyon as a summer retreat and a place to graze and water their cattle. The Doheny family built the Spanish style home in lower Franklin Canyon in 1935.

During the 1970's the canyon was set for development when conservationist Sooky Goldman and Congressman Howard Berman encouraged the Department of Water and Power and the National Park Service to make Franklin Canyon a park. The National Park Service purchased the Franklin Canyon Ranch in 1981 as part of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. Additionally the park has been used as a location for scenes from Platoon, Road House, JAG, NCIS, Doogie Houser, MD, The Blob, Silence of the Lambs, Combat and many more shows and movies (about 25 each year). Franklin Canyon is the scene for the opening of The Andy Griffith Show, with little Ronnie Howard and his TV dad heading to the fishing hole.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BmurO7ZW_Q

The park also served as album covers for Simon and Garfunkle and the Rolling Stones.

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We'll be meeting on nearby side streets thus avoiding the usual parking fees at Willacre Park and utilizing a different trail than usual. STOP at the stop signs- cameras have been installed that will immortalize transgressors and send them a hefty fine.

Directions:

From the 101 Freeway, exit Laurel Canyon Boulevard. Travel south almost one mile and turn right at the light onto Laurel Terrace Dr. Drive westbound to Viewcrest Rd., the third street on the left. There should be ample side street parking in the area and we'll meet at Laurel Terrace Dr and the beginning of Viewcrest Rd.

DISCLAIMER / RELEASE OF LIABILITY

IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ BELOW IN ITS ENTIRETY:

The hike host is a volunteer and not responsible for the group. Safety should be a priority for everyone in the group. Please treat this meet-up as hiking with a group of friends. If you become fatigued and unable to continue the hike, it is expected you will advise the hike host of this and return to our starting point on your own. If you are able to proceed, it is expected that you will maintain line of sight with other members of the group at all times and help to promote the group’s safety and fitness goals.

Outdoor sports and other events we plan can be inherently dangerous and accidents may happen. By participating in any posted event, you are taking responsibility for your own safety and well-being. The Weekday Trailblazers Meetup Group and its organizers are not trained leaders and we do not confirm the qualifications of any of its members to lead or participate in trips. All participants take full responsibility for their own actions.

If you choose to sign up for this or any Weekday Trailblazers Meetup event, you are releasing the Weekday Trailblazers Meetup Group and its organizers from all liability in case of possible injuries. Your personal safety depends on your own judgment and experience.

All participants must be 18 or older, or accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.