Flint Canyon Trail

When you’re as psychotic as me and am willing to push a 50 lb stroller with a 30+ lb baby in tow, you want trail that can handle it, this trail does it! More than enough space that I can tell even people with their horses use this trail, so it can handle a baby jogger!
I love that most of the trail is shaded by the trees. There aren’t much of that situation here in LA trails. You will be wandering through the neighborhood with absolutely gorgeous houses. While you’re breaking a sweat, you can dream of having one of those beloved houses.
Not a strenuous trail at all, so if you’re beginning outdoor trail hiking or exercises, this is a good starting point.

This is a pretty good hike if you’re a beginner, or just getting back into hiking after a ridiculously long period of being a couch potato (as was the case with me).
I did Liz’s Loop which is just over a mile long, and took me about 25 minutes going at a leisurely pace. It’s fairly easy with only a few inclines, and is decently wide in most areas.
Parking in the area is pretty easy since it’s a residential area, but I’d imagine the spots closest to the trailhead on Hampstead Road would be taken up pretty quickly on the weekend (but if you’re going for a hike, a bit of a walk shouldn’t pose a problem). I came here on a Tuesday morning, and only two other cars were present, and I ran into a whopping three people, and a dog during my little trek.

This trail runs along Flint Wash and passes right by my house leading to Hahamongna Watershed Park. Living in a town with these kinds of paths always made me feel like we had the best of the country right here in the city. I’ve been running on the path more recently and really enjoying how its been maintained. Do watch out for horse manure.

i have been taking the dog for little walks in Hahamongna Watershed Park for a while, and we also hike Cherry Canyon fairly often. I was pretty excited to try this trail when it reopened and link the two.
Flint Canyon Trail definitely has some good points. The restoration has made the trail safe and easy, and it’s a good length — from where we parked in the frisbee golf parking lot at Hahamongna, it’s a little over 5 miles if you do the full round trip (the actual Flint Canyon Trail portion is shorter). The signage is excellent. As the other review noted, it’s shady for much of the length and the Flint Canyon stream bottom is beautiful. There’s a little stepping-​stone crossing that is charming and gives your pooch if you bring him a chance to do a little wading. We saw lizards, birds, butterflies, and one coyote going about his business. We also met a friendly, curious horse in a paddock alongside the trail.
Unfortunately, almost the entire trail is blighted by chainlink fencing, deafening freeway noise, or urban development. I don’t hike to look at suburban backyards, walk on residential streets, or explore the undersides of freeways. It is SCARY under the 210, there’s a long dark stretch with enclosed concrete bays, so you can’t see whether anyone’s inside until you are right next to them. The other reviewer wasn’t kidding!
Basically, the trail restoration was lovingly done (although the budget clearly didn’t stretch to wood fencing instead of very ugly caged-​in chain link) and the trail is useful for equestrians trying to get from the staging area at Hahamongna to the trails at Cherry Canyon. It’s probably also great for trail runners because the terrain is well-​maintained and it’s not crowded AT ALL (I only enountered one other hiker on a sunny Sunday afternoon). But the potential for hikers is largely ruined by San Gabriel Valley suburban sprawl and car culture. I can’t give it less than 3 stars because the trail volunteers have really given it some loving attention — but I can’t give it more than 3 because factors beyond their control make this a disappointing hike.

The Flint Canyon Trail runs from Cherry Canyon on the west side of La Canada-​Flintridge to Hahamongna Watershed Park on the east side of town.
The Flint Canyon Trail is primarily a multi use trail for walkers, hikers, runners, bikers and horseback riders. It is a total of 2.03 miles from one end to the other. There are so many opportunities for extending the length of your hike on either end by hiking around Hahamongna Watershed Park and on to the Gabrielino Trail which heads north in the Arroyo Seco. If you end up on Hamstead Rd. you can cross the street and access the multitudes of trails at Cherry Canyon Park.
I’ve lived in La Canada-​Flintridge for 13 years and today is the first time I stepped foot on the Flint Canyon Trail. I hesitated to hike on it in the past because I thought I might get a little depressed every time I’d see a horse. I had horses growing up and really miss them, but they are really expensive and time consuming to actually own. I’d have to say I am really happy I finally went hiking on this trail for a few reasons.
The first one being that my son helped his Troop 507 work on a couple Boy Scout Eagle projects on this trail and I just had to see it for myself. It wasn’t my son’s project, but all the scouts in the troop always help when projects come up. This is a subject of controversy in the local paper right now because of the plaques that were placed on the ground with the names of the two Eagle Scouts in Troop 507. The La Canada Trails Council (see website link) who is in charge of maintaining the trails don’t want plaques all over the trails. The parents of these two Eagle Scouts, a few other parents (not including myself) and scoutmasters don’t really agree with that because it was a pretty labor intensive project to build log fences on the east and west entrances of the trail from Commonwealth Avenue. I posted a couple photos of the log fence that was installed. Personally, I don’t think the scouts need this type of recognition in the form of a fancy plaque and I think that goes against what scouting is all about. I’m just the mom of a scout so that’s just my opinion. My husband spoke to a county worker today because our troop is in the process of building another fence by a trail in Altadena and he thought a small plaque placed on the actual fence would be good. I think I like that idea the most so far.
No it isn’t named after Larry Flint if that’s what you are thinking, but I still need to do a little research on it. Summer is here and if you want to get out and hike without dying of heat stroke in the blazing hot sun this is a nice little trail.
Pros:
* This is a really easy hike and you can wear your comfy tennis shoes if you want.
* One great thing about this trail is that it is mostly shaded by mature oaks, sycamores, and other trees. Watch out for the poison oak.
* Not difficult although a little hill climb on the west end by Hampstead Road and another one at the opposite end by Berkshire just past Dover Rd.
* The Hampstead Road entrance to the trail is right across the street from the main entrance to Cherry Canyon.
Cons:
* No restrooms until you make it to Hahamongna Watershed Park. They are near the road approximately across the street from La Canada High School’s pool as a landmark.
* Parking can be limited at the Hampstead Rd. entrance so you might want to start at Hahamongna Park close to the intersection of Oak Grove and Berkshire.
* The short section of the trail that goes under the 210 freeway is a little scary. Either brush up on your karate skills, carry a pocket knife or hike with a friend.
* The eastern section of the trail is very close to the 210 which I wrote about above therefore the sound of the traffic is really annoying. I’m not going to sugar coat it. That’s one reason I hate living close to the 210 and I am praying the 710 extension doesn’t go through. All I need is 50 million more 18 wheelers cruising through town honking their horns at midnight.
Tips:
* Bring your water. That is a no brainer.
* Possibly pack a lunch. There are lots of places to have a little picnic at Hahamongna or Cherry Canyon.
* Wear your sunscreen. The Flint Canyon Trail is mostly shaded by mature trees, but Hahamongna and Cherry Canyon are pretty exposed.
* Bring a pocket knife if you are planning on going under the 210 freeway.
* Watch out for snakes and poison oak.