Rose Bowl Trail Running Loop

No I’m not talking about the conga line of cyclists and pedestrians around the inner paved circle of the Rose Bowl area. There is a lovely trail that encircles the Rose Bowl and even connects with the Arroyo Seco Trail.

In a Nutshell

• Trail Surface: Mostly soft dirt, with a few stretches of pavement
• Bathrooms/water: South end of the Rose Bowl complex near the soccer fields, you can find a scattering of drinking fountains and a sometimes unlocked public bathroom.
• Dogs: Must be leashed

Routes

The trail along West Drive

Park along the far western side of the Rose Bowl loop, on the dirt near the intersection of West Drive and Seco Street. You can also park in the lot near Brookside Park and head to this trail from there (see maps below). You’ll see the faint dirt trail on the outer edge, paralleling West Drive. Parts of the trail are edged with logs. You can take this trail all the way around the loop (and beyond!). 

Big Loop ~ 4.5 miles

For the Big Loop, when the trail gets to the northern end of the paved loop, continue straight, up a short steep hill and cross Parkview Avenue at the crosswalk. Directly accross the street, you'll see the trail continue along the west side of the golf course. Keep following it north until you pass underneath the I-210 bridge. Just past the bridge, look for the ropes course and cross the Arroyo (best done in dry seasons). After you cross the river, follow the trail to the right (south) and continue back under the 210 bridge and alongside the golf course again. (Note: look for a future post to cover an extension option going north!) Bear left as the trail approaches Rosemont Avenue and you'll go down a steep incline to the street. Cross at the crosswalk and you can pick up the trail above the east side of Rosemont Ave. Follow this nice single track high above the street. It will eventually dump you out at closed paved road. Cross and pick up the trail again that will take you across Washington Blvd and back to the trail alongside Rosemont Ave. Take this all the way to the intersection of Rose Bowl Drive. You can cross to the inner paved loop here as the trail peters out. Follow the loop around the southern end of the Rose Bowl complex and back to your starting point.

Little Loop ~ 3 miles

Trail high above Rosemont Ave.

The Little Loop has a bit more pavement running than the Big Loop but is more than a mile shorter. Instead of continuing onto Parkview Avenue when you get to the top of the paved loop, take a right and follow the paved loop until you get to Rosemont Avenue. Cross Rosemont just after the loop starts turning south again, and you can pick up the trail above the eastern side of the road. From here, it's pretty much the same directions as the Big Loop back to your starting point.




Connector Trail to Lower Arroyo Seco Trail 

Looking to extend your run? You can connect with the Lower Arroyo Seco Trail from the Rose Bowl Loop. From the southern end of the Rose Bowl loop, cross Seco Street at the crosswalk near the river channel. You'll see the dirt trail heading south and paralleling N Arrow Blvd. Follow the dirt trail south. After you pass under the Holly Street bridge you'll see a kiosk with a map marking the trailhead. (Note: this trailhead was the turn around point for the Arroyo Seco trail run I posted on 7/28/13).

If You Go

During football games and other big events, the Rose Bowl area is a zoo and often closed down to through traffic. So best to check the schedule before heading out on a run and avoid football days.

Special Wisconsin Edition - Hixon Forest Park Trail Run

Yikes, it's been a while since I got a trail run posted up here. Travel and work have kept me busy. This past weekend I visited Minnesota and Wisconsin for the wedding of two dear friends. The wedding was in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on the banks of the Mississippi. Being my first time to the area, I scoped out some local trails and squeezed in a 4.5 mile run before the festivities!

 In a Nutshell

• Trail Surface: Soft dirt sections, hard packed sections, and a few rocky stretches
•  Bathrooms/water: Pretty clean porta-potty at the trailhead had TP and hand sanitizer. Bring your own water.
•  Dogs: Must be leashed.
• Difficulty: Moderate

Route

Here's me running along the Hickory Trail.

Starting at the lower parking lot, I ran along the dirt access road to the upper parking lot and then past the golf course. At the first trail junction, I turned left onto the Gully Trail. It was uphill from here, through a dense green forest and along a very narrow singletrack. Shortly, the trail connected to the Hickory Trail and traversed over to the Bicentennial Trail. I continued uphill and the trail opened onto a meadow where the road was visible. The trail traversed again passing a sign with a map. I knew I wanted to get up to the Lookout, so followed the trail downhill and back into the woods. The trail wound its way up again and opened to a viewpoint. In the distance, forested bluffs and the City of La Crosse were visible. After enjoying the view for a few moments, I headed back into the green forest and downhill along the Sumac Trail and then back to the parking area. The forest was very dense and very green. Quite a different trail experience than LA! 

View from Lookout Point

If You Go

Hixon Park has a really nice online map with mileages and difficulty for its interconnecting trails. After taking a look at the trail map, I was a little nervous about remembering which trail turn offs to take. Fortunately, there are trail signs and maps posted along the way.

Arroyo Seco Trail - Linking South Pas to Pasadena and Beyond

This is a great 'go to' run. With so many different variations, coupled with an easy grade and multiple access points, this is the perfect trail for anything from a quick after work run to marathon training.

In a Nutshell

• Trail Surface: Hard packed dirt, some sand & loose rocks
• Difficulty: Easy - mostly flat
• Bathrooms/water: Both can be found at the Casting Pond off Arroyo Drive and Lower Arroyo Park
• Dogs: Must be leashed

Routes

The beauty of this trail is that it links urban communities with open space and provides a really cool running experience. If you want to, you can run from Debs park in South Pasadena to the Angeles National Forest/San Gabriel Mountains by following this trail system.

There are innumerable variations of trail routes within this system. Indeed the Arroyo Seco Trail is much like an arterial, with on ramps and exits. You can join up with the trail in a dozen or more so places throughout South Pasadena, Pasadena, and Altadena.

For this post, I’ve included access points in South Pasadena and Pasadena, with two different route lengths. Look for a future post that focuses on the Rose Bowl and Altadena areas.

4 Mile Route

Colorado Street Bridge from Arroyo Seco Trail

 

Starting and ending at the Casting Pond, this is a nice easy and flat route that goes up one side of the Arroyo Seco channel and back on the other and passes under the famous Colorado Street Bridge as well as the freeway.

6 Mile Route

Arroyo Seco Channel and Adjacent Trail

This route starts in South Pasadena in the parking lot at Marmion Way and Arroyo Verde Street. There’s a small park here and access to the Arroyo Seco Bike Path as well as the trail heading north. From the north side of the parking lot, pass between the horse trailers and chickens and go underneath the Marmion Way Bridge. The trail starts immediate to the right after the bridge. From here, it passes through the South Pasadena Nature Park and then along a trail next to the golf course. It passes underneath Highway 110, and by the Lower Arroyo Park, past the equestrian stables and then up the steep switchbacks to Arroyo Drive. The route then follows the road for a bit of sidewalk running, but after a block or so, the sidewalk turns into a dirt trail that parallels the road. The route continues on along Arroyo Drive to W California Blvd, and then heads down the dirt ramp back into the Arroyo. Continuing on the Arroyo Seco Trail to the Casting Pond area, it then crosses the channel to the west side and heads back south, continuing on the west side of the channel all the way to the San Paqual Street bridge. Here, the route joins the street to go across the bridge rejoins the Arroyo Seco Trail once again on the east side of the channel. From here, it retraces the route back to South Pasadena.

If You Go

It’s worth noting that most of this trail is open to horses. You’ll likely notice the horse dung, but some sections are narrow so keep your eye out and remember to yield.

Debs Park - An Urban Jewel for Trail Runners

This morning I headed over to Ernest E. Debs Regional Park for a 3.5 mile run with the pup. It was already hot at 7am, and I was reminded that this run doesn't offer much in the way of shade. Nonetheless, it's one of my favorite local trail runs.

A hiker along the trail at Debs Park.

In a Nutshell

A great park for trail running with numerous options to do different loops, adding to/shortening your run. Trails are a hilly mix of fire roads and singletrack. Views of the San Gabriel Mountains and Downtown LA.

• Trail surface: packed dirt, tiny bit of pavement along the top ridge
• Bathrooms/water: at the main parking lot off of Monterey Road, the Debs Park Audubon Center (open Tues-Sat 9am to 5pm, fantastic facility & programs), and Hermon Park off Via Marisol.
• Dogs: Must be leashed.

My Route

There are three main entrances to Debs Park, but my favorite is from Hermon Park. From here, you get to do the main uphill part of your run first. I parked at Hermon Park near the tennis courts and crossed Via Marisol right next to the entrance to Hermon Park. Directly across the street from the entrance is a dirt fire road. At first glance, it looks like it’s gated off. But if you look closely, you’ll see a singletrack trail heading off to the left that goes around the gate, dropping you onto the dirt road.

Downtown LA

From here, I headed up the hill and around three bends to a narrower unmarked turn off on the left. After about 50 yards, the trail makes another left turn, narrowing further to singletrack and switchbacking uphill. This part is steep, but levels off as it approaches the top. After a short level section, the trail rejoins the fire road and I turned left, crossing over the paved access road and heading downhill on the dirt road. The fire road rounds another bend, ascending again and I crested the hill with a great view of downtown LA opening up in front of me.

Hidden Lake

At the next intersection, I left the fire road once again and took the VERY STEEP dirt trail off to the left. This part is really more hiking than running. The trail does level out and descends slightly, rejoining the paved access road. I turned right onto the pavement and continued until I reached the hidden lake. This is one of the hidden treasures of Debs Park. I paused here a moment to enjoy the shade and the cooler air before taking the unmarked singletrack trail just to the left of the lake. It’s pretty tricky to spot it, but it’s just beyond the sign saying no swimming or boating in the lake.

Views of San Gabriel Mountains

I blasted down this part of the trail to the park-like area with benches, taking a left toward the stairs and parking lot. I skirted the parking lot on the left, staying under the shade of the pines until I reached the paved access road once again. Turning left, I followed it for a few yards and then turned right onto a side trail. From here, I headed roughly north along the singletrack. This is a beautiful rolling section that eventually meets back up with the access road. Instead of going back the same way I came, I stuck to the fire road and descended back to Via Marisol.

If You Go

Debs Park offers an experience of what the basin looked like before it became the megalopolis it is today. According to the Audubon Center at Debs Park: “More than half of the park is covered in walnut-oak woodland, grassland, and coastal sage scrub, a remnant of the native habitats that once rimmed the Los Angeles Basin.” And nature lovers, keep your eyes peeled for birds. Audubon has recorded over 140 species of birds at the park!