Turnbull Canyon

I went Sunday around 9 AM. There weren’t too many people. A couple friendly dogs here and there. The hike is about 5 miles altogether. Once my boyfriend came across a snake. Some steep inclines if you want to shortcut. Heading back down seems faster than heading up and is a bit slippery maybe two or three parts. I jog the whole way up and down with my dog. He was very tired but his paw pads were cool. Radio tower makes for cool pictures. Would be a long hike with the kids but possible. Maybe bring a jogging stroller or harness. Mountain biking would seems really cool. And the views are beautiful.

Nice easy trail for hiking with friend and family. But there are too many dogs poop and smell. Should go hike on the nice day.

Its ok trail, good enough to get a workout. Good luck finding parking. Get there early to find parking near the trail. It smells like dead bodies I assume its because of Rose Hills next door and burning oils.
I go here because its close to home.

This place is great to go with your friends. The incline is quite tiring. There are many inclines good luck! 4 miles in all going up and
Down.

Good trail. Not too long but very challenging towards the end. It’s about 3.7 miles total if you only go to the water tower. Towards the top you can go left or right, go right and it will take you to the water tower. It’s ridiculous how steep the last 3 climbs are to get to the water tower.

I recommend this hike! Pretty steep hills towards the top if you wanna go to the water tower but make sure you wear comfortable shoes and ones with a pretty good grip cause you don’t want to struggle or slip down hill

This is a good trail for any beginner that wants to start hiking. If you choose to come here be sure to be here early because parking gets pretty bad. I’ve done this trail at 6am and it was perfect because the weather was fresh, there weren’t many people, found parking right away and best of all I was able to see the sunrise!

Me and my boyfriend we’re so excited to try this trail out! We had a wonderful hike to come back to a smashed left rear car window. I’m not sure what they wanted to steal (probably my umbrella since it was raining??).
Anyways, thanks to the man who scared him off before he can reach in! Also thanks for chasing him down to get the license plate digits. Unfortunately the policeman said because not all of the digits were there, all we could do is file a report of vandalism.
Be careful when parking on Beverly Blvd (or anywhere as a matter of fact)! Thieves will be thieves. That idiot cost me $ 250– hopefully my window motor won’t mess up in the future since it was drizzling and raining.

Turnbull Canyon is one of my favorite hiking spots! And even better, it’s only about 10 minutes from my house. There aren’t too many good hikes in this particular area, so it’s nice to find one that that is large and can provide a decent workout. The hike to the water tower is about 2 miles and there are some pretty steep hills on the way up. After all of that, you have 2 miles back down. But it’s completely worth it, not only because it’s a great booty workout, but it has some awesome views of the city and mountains.
I will say parking is ridiculous. There’s roughly 15 parking spaces on the side of Beverly Hills Blvd, and you can’t park in the neighborhood nearby because a parking permit is required. If you’re planning on catching the sunrise on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday; just don’t!

Unilocal challenge 2016: ⁰³⁷⁄₃₆₅
This isnt a review for hiking but for the road!:D
Everytime i tuned a car, this is where i used to try it. For all bicyle people, sory for scaring the shizzies outta ya and treading a bit too close for your comfort.
On either side theres a decent amount of tight s/​hairpins that can test your skills. And no im not talking bout drifting. Drifting up here will get u killed. No railguards in spots but some with long dirtpatches. Ive hit trees, the rails and almost flew off to the water tower.
Be careful! :D

Unilocal address I used led me the wrong direction — I arrived at a residential area with no hiking trail in sight, so best double check with your friends if its your first time here!
PARKING
Parking is really hard. There is a small lot and people park parallel to the road by the entrance of the trail despite risking a ticket. Residential area nearby have strict permit parking as well, so before you celebrate finding a parking spot, make sure you read the signs!
WHAT TO EXPECT
This is a great trail to walk or run! There is no shade so wear sunscreen on a hot day. Benefits of hiking early is seeing the sunrise, getting decent parking, and the sun won’t be baking down on you!
The start of the trail is flat — really easy to walk or run. You will be surrounded by the mountains as you go through before you hit a broken pavement. There, you keep on going until you hit a fork. You can pretty much see the other trails and gauge where you want to go.
For us, we headed left and away from the water tower to one of the high points for the view. There will be several inclines! It looks steep from afar, but they are totally doable. We got onto Rattlesnake Trail before we looped back around and headed towards the right to the water tower. Big incline to reach the top at the end, but once again, totally doable.
Water tower has recently been painted over and gated, but artists have returned to slowly decorate the tower with their art once again. Entire hike via walking took about three hours and we totaled approximately 7 miles.

Great workout!
Get there early so that it’s not too hot, and expect to spend about 1.5−2 hours round trip. Coming down is a lot easier, but going up really works your legs and butt. It felt so good to stretch my glutes afterward! Wear some shoes you’re not worried about getting dirty, too, because they will get pretty darn dusty. There are a lot of spots where the ground levels out so you get a nice break from the incline. I’m sad they painted over the water tower because that was why I had originally bookmarked this trail! There are still great views though, and a couple trail options to take. We opted for the steepest incline going up, and took a small detour going back but mostly went back the same way we came.
There is a parking lot with about 15 – 20 spaces; we actually got lucky and waited just a couple minutes when we got there before someone came down to their car. My friend said she’s gotten lucky several times, so it doesn’t hurt to try the parking lot and wait a few minutes to see if anyone leaves. Stay towards the beginning of the parking lot so you can get into a spot easier.

I utilize Turnbull Canyon for two things. hiking, and racing. Day and Night. It’s a great place for both, or even if you just wanna cruise the side of the canyon (instead of racing). I’ve been coming here for at least 15 years, and while it’s a shorter hike than others I’ve been on. this one is close and fun for everyone. If you type it into Google beforehand, you’ll encounter tales of hauntings, ghost sightings, satanic ritual grounds, and even a girls body being found here awhile back. the craziest thing I’ve ever encountered was several years back, hiking with a group of friends and this random lady tells us how she has her plot picked out in the cemetary below already because of how expensive they are… (*_​_​*)
Looking for Turnbull? Take the 605 N exit Beverley Blvd and hang a right. At the light go left and Beverly turns into Turnbull Canyon Rd. Just keep going, you’ll run into it I swear. This will take you to the northern entrance for Turnbull (one of two). Once you get to the «parking area», which is an open dirt lot that fills up quickly, especially if you happen to be big on going in the late morning hours (around 7:30 or so, is considered late on the weekends.). You’ll see people waiting to snatch up that open spot real quick. Permit parking is required, so don’t try to be slick and park in the residential areas. There is a map at the entrance to the trailhead, and eventually you will find a split in the trail to visit Hellman Wilderness Park. Come early for parking. It does get BUSY.
There is an incline, and of all the hiking places I’ve been, I would say this is maybe a 3 or 4 in difficulty. The incline is gradual, and the trails are compacted dirt which is great because I don’t worry about the ground beneath me giving way (then again, at a mere 100lbs, I really shouldn’t be worried anyways right?). The compacted dirt makes the trails ideal for biking too, and there are many bikers. In my opinion, if you’re on a bike, you should need be flying down the side of the canyon on a trail that will more than likely be full of people. and dogs. The trails are all different lengths and «difficulties». Not that they’re hard, just long haha. The views offered are unforgettable. Picture perfect scenery when its all green, beautiful year round though. Amazing views of DTLA, some smog cuz California is polluted as all hell, and if you’re morbid. a view of Rose Hills Cemetary. Oh and the building from True Blood too! The graffiti water tower is currently blocked off and has security patrolling. They’ll be building a fence around it soon, as someone apparently seriously/​almost fatally injured themself? Not sure, that’s what another hiker told me. But it is blocked off! You can still selfie it up there, but you might get photobombed by security. Hey, post it on Facebook, and let the world know how boss you are because you completed the hike!
If you’ve never been here before, it’s a great place. If you’re biking, don’t be a jerk and pay attention to the hikers. To the jackass that almost took my pit into his front tire 2 weeks ago– you’re an ass, and I saw you faceplant, that’s what you get. Folks if you bring your pups, watch out for the bikers and be prepared to yank their leash to save their life. My dog weighs about 70 lbs, and I had to pull her leash so hard to get her out of the way. Keeping in mind that she was walking maybe a foot to the left of me. hikers be warned. Also, doggie hikers– if you take your dog 1) take baggies to pick up their poop. We don’t like dodging your landmines! 2) take water for your dog. Chances are if you’re chugging your h2O, your pup DEFINITELY needs some too. Take an extra bottle and a clip on portable doggie water bowl. I’ve seen several big pups fighting to stay in the shade for a break :(don’t mistreat your pups, or I will give them MY bottle of water so they don’t die, even if it’s what I have left. Be responsible pet owners on the trail. Hikers, same thing as the bikers. Share the trail, don’t walk in this huge horizontal line spanning across the entire path. single file like in elementary school. Come and enjoy the views, the trails and nature. If you’re the type of person who can’t be alone with their thoughts and NEED music to keep you going– I highly encourage you to invest in the free headphones that came with your phone or go drop $ 300 on some Beats by Dre. I don’t care, but when your staticky music ruins my hike because it’s blasting out of your phone’s miniscule speaker. you’re scaring away the wildlife too :(
I heart Turnbull for all my hiking and high speed needs. It’s a beautiful place, I love hiking here, my dog loves it here (chihuahua does not… too tiny!). It’s a great places even when dealing with doggie landmines, rude bikers and that occasional random weirdo. It’s one of many, many hiking spots in LA, but it’s one of the closest to me (^_​^) go. You’ll have fun too.

Water tower is blocked guys! You can still see it and take pictures but the tower is blocked with construction tapes and gates. There’s also security patrolling the area. Not sure what happened and why.
Other than that, the hike itself was great. Easy and short. I would probably come earlier/​later next time though– No shades and it was really hot since we went during noon (but then that totally was my own fault lol.) Parking wasn’t too hard either and there were plenty other people hiking at the same time so it’s hard to get lost lol.
Descent local hike. Make sure to use sunblock and bring water! Oh and make sure you have good hiking shoes– although it’s short and easy, some of the parts were very sandy and slippery.
Dog friendly.

Great local hike. I was reading the Unilocal reviews on how tough parking is and was worried because on the drive up there are endless amounts of signs posted everywhere saying permit only parking, but I took a chance and got lucky finding a spot in the small parking lot. I went around 11AM on a Friday (prob not the best time because it was super hot). There were a good amount of people on the hike during the time. The hikes here can vary from long distance to short; it all depends on what trails you decide to go on. My friend and I decided to go on a shorter hike this time, so our round trip milage was only 3.64 miles. There is a helpful map at the bottom of the hike so you can plan out your trip accordingly. There are also signs showing you the start of a new trail along the hike.
From the start, the hike has fairly steep hills with little/​no shade. On the way up, we saw a great view of LA. This day we decided to go up to the graffiti water tower. The inclines you have to climb before reaching the top are pretty intense and on this hot day, they literally were the hardest things. But they are do-​able. Unfortunately, the water tower is taped off with a guard sitting at the top, so you can’t go up close.
Overall, pretty great hike if you live near the area. Bring water, wear sunscreen, and wear a hat. Be prepared to look for parking and no shade with high intensity inclines and you will be all set for this hike!

Really long hiking trails with varying degrees of difficulty.
Do not go in the middle of the day like my dumb ass did! Almost roasted to death.
Take frozen water or Gatorade. It will melt as you go.

If you type Turnbull Canyon into your google maps you’ll be led to the top of the road with limited parking and seemingly nowhere to go. On your way up you’ll pass a shoulder where a dozen or so cars are parked. Somehow, this is where my friend and I managed to find parking spots for both of our cars. The hiking gods were definitely with us that day.
We decided to hike Turnbull on a Sunday afternoon and found that the weather was absolute perfection. The sun was out but wasn’t blazing and there was a light breeze in the air that provided the occasional welcome chill after building up some sweat. The trail starts right near that parking shoulder and there’s a huge map at the entrance to show you where to go. It definitely would have been nice to have a «you are here» sticker posted somewhere on the map but we managed to figure it out eventually. The different trails that are indicated on the map also show how long each trail is which is great when you’re trying to plan out your hike on a time limit like we were. We took Turnbull Canyon to Sumac Trail to Peppergrass Trail. This took us a total of 2 hours round trip while walking at a steady pace and not taking any breaks except to take a nature selfie or two.
While on this trial you’ll see DTLA in the distance, the water tank high up and far away, an Asian-​architecture looking building and a great view of LA. The trail itself wasn’t took difficult. The ground feels paved though it’s not and it’s not very steep. My calves were still sore the next day so I definitely got a bit of a workout.
We didn’t run into many people or dogs* on our hike and the scenery provided a mix of high green grass and sandstone colored dirt (the paved-​looking trail). I’ve definitely been on more picturesque hikes before but I like the location of this one. If you’re from OC like me it’s nice to not have to travel all the way into LA to get to a decent hike. It’s also located right outside downtown Whittier which is awesome because you can get brunch/​lunch at Crepes and Grapes as a reward afterward. I’d do it again.
*If you’re going to bring your pup, please bring doggie bags. I spent a good deal of time and effort avoiding land mines.

I had Turnbull Canyon bookmarked for like a year and a half back when my coworker invited me to go with her. At first I was game then saw how crazy the trail was and said nope! This morning I contemplating backing out again but I ended up going since some of my elementary friends decided to have a mini reunion.
Parking gets really really busy if you go at around 7am as everyone is trying to come here to hike in the early mornings. We hunted a good minute before we found parking. Maybe I should have stayed home, this trail was tough for me considering I hadn’t hiked in about a year. We start off at the canyon trail which is easy enough but then it gets intense. Good thing I came with some experience hikers as my friend Jen was leading the way which meant I kept my attention more towards not slipping and dying lol! Note of advice bring really comfortable hiking shoes. Though it is a very peaceful hike it was extremely intense as the trail breaks off into several pieces. Also it was tough to hike with so many dog feces around.
I realize I really hate inclines, but its so worth it just for the damn picture perfect scenery. We came across a few deep ass hell hills and I was done after a couple. We had a nice view at the top once we reached the peak and was able to see Down Town Los Angeles without any trouble. However, it is hella polluted. «In short, all good things are wild and free” — Henry David Thoreau
PS there are snakes here, didn’t realize it until one of my friends pointed it out to me
PPS I should have brought more water and some damn sunscreen

If you’re coming to this trail on the weekends, know that parking is going to be super crazy — especially if you come in the late morning hours. We arrived around 720am and it was already packed with cars waiting to steal someone’s spot. They used to let you park in the adjacent neighborhoods, but because of the crowds, the city became more strict and enforce permits for parking. I’ve heard people also get tickets if you make your own parallel parking spot, so make sure you’re only using the head in spaces that are marked near the trail entrance.
The trail isn’t super difficult, but there are a few steep hills. From a 1 – 10 level, I’d say that this one is about a 4. The ground is nice and packed so it’s almost like you’re walking on asphalt, which I could imagine is ideal for people on bikes… which there are a lot of. I think it’s cool that everyone convenes here to do their thing, but if you’re on a bike, you should probably be more careful if you’re flying down the trail at high speed. There are some bumps and we witnessed a man faceplanting on his fast decent down the hill. Share the road with others… this goes for pedestrians as well — don’t be jerks and walk in a huge horizontal line so that people can’t pass either. (end rant)
To the pet owners: If you’re going to bring your dogs, make sure you bring water for them. I saw a bunch of big pups panting like crazy and fighting with their owners to stay in the shade because they were exhausted. They tend to overheat pretty fast and if you’re sucking down H2O like crazy, chances are they probably need it just as bad. Also, bring some doggy poop bags. Nobody wants to maneuver around your canine’s shit because you’re a lazy beast. Be responsible! (end rant.)
To the people that like to listen to music: Fantastic. Whatever motivates you to get up that hill is A-​OK in my eyes, but don’t subject others to your static filled music blaring out of your cell phone because you have it up so damn loud. We came to chat with friends or take in the serene sounds of nature. Other people don’t necessarily care that you love (insert contemporary artist here) so much that you feel you need to share your song choices with fellow hikers. This is why headphones were invented. (end rant)
There were really great views of DTLA, Rose Hills and that building they used in True Blood for the Fellowship of the Sun. You don’t need to spend much time at the the end, but it really is awesome to see the city and landscapes that we live around! The water tower that awaits you at the top of the hill is pretty cool. It’s heavily tagged up, but it’s a great place to take a few selfies and take in the scenery.
I’ll be back to take on Hellman, but you wont find me past the month of May as it’s hot and I’ve heard there are rattlesnakes all over the place. Eff that.

A little hard to find but for all my 626/​LA peeps/​El Monte/​everyone who lives westward of Frys Electronics lemme help you get here with this review.
First 60 east. Get your butt on this freeway whether directly or from the 101. Exit 7^th like Google maps tells ya too and do the rest! Once the Las Lomitas turns into Turnbull Canyon Road keep going ALL the way. I mean all the way until you see a bunch of parked cars! The entrance is right there !! Hard to miss but its a tiny little hut that tells you the routes. Dont park anywhere before reading signs or else bc ticket fairy will drop by.
The hike is not shady haah bring a hat like yo momma tell ya! Its moderate incline in the beginning and you are surrounded with nature throughout. Only saw a beetle hehe whew! Lotsa dog poop yep. But upon 2 moderate inclines you get like 3 more bigger incline til you get to the water tower ! Its short but your calves and thighs will be sangin girl!
The water tower has some shade for photo worthy moments and this hike was so nice! You can see all that smog! Mmm smog!
Going down is a bit tricky on those inclines but the rest of the way down is so easy and fun!