Mount Lukens Via Stone Canyon Trail

I love hiking, but this one was pretty rough. Not in the Iron Mountain sense, where all the suffering is replaced by overwhelming joy once you reach the summit. More in the sense that you cannot wait to get the hell out of there and go home to take a shower.
1. The trailhead is very remote and although there is a sizable parking area, I think there was only one other car there at the time.
2. There is very little shade.
3. The trail didn’t appear to be well-​maintained and my exposed legs took a beating.
4. Bugs.
5. The views at the top are good, but not spectacular.
6. On the way back down, the trail was blocked off by a massive swarm of bees. I briefly considered walking up and politely asking them to move aside, but ended up plowing through some heavy brush to cut the switchback.
Was glad I did this hike once, but doubt I will return.

This hike sucked.
Fire ant bites, overgrown brush, un-​maintained bushes, mosquito bites, bees, poodle bush, snakes. A high PITA factor if you’re just looking to get a workout, but nice to know I can rough it in the jungle, if need be.
The trail is narrow and steep. It’s slippery and partially washed out in a few places, so be careful!
No shade either. With the way I sweat, my shirt was totally drenched, and sweat poured down below so it looked like I peed in my pants.
It was windy at Mt Lukens so good idea to bring a windbreaker or rain jacket and maybe a change of shirt so you’re not freezing.
On the way down, I accidentally ran down the trail to Deukmejian Wilderness Park which added another 4.5 miles to the hike. It was a nicer trail so I don’t blame anyone who would be tempted to go down that way. I may try that trail some day. As for Stone Canyon, never!
But I’ve been known to have a short memory.

This is a fairly tough hike of about 7 miles roundtrip. The trail is pretty much uphill all the way, and in parts it is very steep. There are loose rocks under foot and no shade. The trail is single file until almost the top, then it widens.
If it’s a hot and sunny day, definitely go early AM. Today was overcast and a bit rainy, so it was pleasant most of the way up — until almost to the top. Then the winds were whipping and it actually was quite cold for an August morning, given that it was also raining. Be prepared for a lot of wind on any given day. The views are nice — perhaps better on a clear day.
tip — take at least 2 – 3 L of water for hydration. You will need an adventure pass for parking in the lot. Wear long pants, as the brush is high and encroaches on the path.

Hiked this 6÷22÷13. When the other reviewers say «little shade,» what they mean is NONE. So lots of block and/​or longs sleeves are essential. And there are lots of bees near the top. But… if you want a training hike, this is it. The trail is steep the whole way, and in some sections the trail is so thin you have to really pay attention. Be careful at the trailhead; it’s easy to miss where to cross the creek. I missed it and had to back-​track. Not a great way to start out. But once you start climbing, it’s almost impossible to get lost. Worth it to be at highest point in L.A. Poles + tons of water = no problem.

Hiked this today and was terrorized by bees, snakes and poison oak. I hike now and then, but have little wilderness survival skills so walking through huge fields of bees was pretty gnarly. Also, snakes! I was in the middle of the group thankfully so whoever was up front warned me ahead of time. Annnddddd poison oak. I’m now very familiar with what it looks like and I’ll find out in about 12 more hours if I’m one of the lucky majority that reacts to it. It’s everywhere towards the upper half. The brush is overgrown so you’ll be wading through poison oak, yellow flowers with bees and all sorts of fun thorny brush. (enjoy!)
Also, little to no shade — you need to wear a huge hat, long sleeves and pants.
The first half going up is fine. You’re on a narrow dirt path, nature blah blah. Second half, DANGER ZONE (see above). Also the path is sort of precarious in some areas, as in you need to watch your step or fall down the mountain.
Oh and the lower picnic area is just trashed. So. much. litter. when there are three huge dumpsters in the parking lot. Don’t be that person, pack it out.
I’m making this hike sound awful, but it wasn’t that bad. It was scenic and a good workout. Lots of weird flowers and burned trees. I’d do it again… with a bigger hat, bug spray, pants and some sort of weed whacker.

This trail is sort of an «Introduction to a Real Man’s Trail» type of hike. It’s the closest thing you’ll come to bushwhacking without actually needing to. In other words, bring your pants and long-​sleeve shirt, but maybe leave the machete at home. Unless you’re talking about Danny Trejo’s Machete, because that guy is awesome and probably would punch a bee in the dick if needed. More on that in a second…
This hike really separates your OMG-​my-​new-​Lululemon-​pants-​are-​ripped hikers from your hey-​girl-​look-​at-​my-​testicles hikers. It isn’t necessarily due to ridiculous elevation or distance. At around 700 feet per mile, you can’t really call it steep. And around 8 miles round-​trip is fairly standard for an average hiker. What Stone Canyon offers is an increasingly-​shitty combination of conditions that will really test your resolve to keep moving forward. From the moment you begin, you’ll see less than a total of 20 minutes of shade, all of that coming in very early on and only if you start early enough. After the first mile, you also get a lot of loose gravel and rocks — don’t worry though, you’ll likely bruise only your ego if you lose your footing. By mile three, you’re walking through swarms of bees sitting on flowers right on the trail. At some points, the buzzing is so loud that you’ll swear you’re about to round the corner and find a troupe of midgets roaring around on proportionally-​sized tiny motorcycles. Throw in the rattlesnakes (we saw one and heard a couple more in bushes nearby) and tons of overgrown poison ivy, and you’ve got one hellishly-​slow and deliberately-​navigated mile. Keep in mind that this is a single-​track the entire way, so there is literally no way to avoid disturbing a bunch of bees or brushing up against poison ivy. There are many moments where you’re balancing on loose gravel while trying to avoid sudden motions that might piss off the dozen angry bees sitting inches from your face, all while trying to contort your body at a ridiculous angle to wedge between the poison ivy and those annoying thorny bushes — oh, and you probably can’t see your feet so you have no clue if there’s a snake chillin’ out, waiting to be annoyed that you stepped on it. Luckily, the last mile offers some respite, where the trail broadens out a bit, the breeze comes over the hills, and you finally feel like your agonizing walk was somewhat worthwhile.
If you’re the person who likes to hike and take in all the nearby plants and wildlife (i.e., white), it’s not going to happen here. The whole area is still recovering from the Station Fires of a few years back, and it simply isn’t very supportive of much more than bees and snakes. The broad landscape is a bit more decent to look at, though that, as well, is hardly awe-​inspiring.
Maybe after several more years of recovery, this trail will become more well-​traversed and maintained. Until then, there are other ways to get to Mount Lukens. I would choose one of those.

I FINALLY got to go to Mt. Lukens and try it out. When we arrived there was no cell reception and that’s where the trail info was. Uh-​Oh. There was also no people and no signage that helped me out either. We didn’t know which Mountain was which or where to start (By the way, it’s the Big Mountain across the stream). It quickly became a more adventurous hike! We parked at the «lot» off the road and walked down the road to the closed park area. Not many signs and those that were there were very basic rattlesnake and park info. We kept walking and came across a sign «Stone Canyon Trail», but no directional arrows. We continued ahead since I knew this was the name of the trail I was seeking. We asked a couple who was also looking, but had no idea where either so we teamed up, crossed the stream and as the review I read stated «Keep walking upwards and you’ll find the trail eventually». We did and we found it. So, up we went. You literally head toward the «Stone Canyon» that looks like a landslide. The stream has various points of entry where well placed rocks allow crossing fairly easily.
The trail is what I call a «Billy Goat Trail» because it’s maybe 2′ wide and sometimes the trail has slid away. It was a fun, rugged hike all the way up. From the bottom I could see that the top was snow covered and once we got there it wasn’t as cold as expected (until we cooled down). Since we were racing the setting sun we took some quick pics, changed into a dry top, and took off trail running (being wary of the snow covered, icy trails above 1700′) and we literally got back to the truck with the last ray of light.
It was a fun, rugged trail with great views that with the walk from the parking area and traversing around looking for the path came to just under 10 miles and took us approximately 4 hours roundtrip.

Mount Lukens is the largest peak in the city of Los Angeles, so hike it.
Stone Canyon trail is a great workout. You need to get to Big Tujunga Canyon Rd. from Sunland and continue on until you get to the Wildwood Recreation Area (Doske Rd). Drive to the parking lot. Make sure you have an Adventure Pass. You will head southwest across a usually dried up stream over rocks, and head west on the beginning of the trail that is a little rocky.
The rest of the ascent is easy to follow up to Mt Lukens. 8.8 miles roundtrip, 3200 ft elevation gain. A great conditioning hike. You can get some great views of LA if its clear.
Return the way you came.