Hiking Franklin Canyon

Franklin Canyon Hiking Trail Video

Franklin Canyon offers some of the most scenic picnicking in the City of LA. There are some decent short trails, a lake, a pond, a reservoir and an orange orchard. If you go during peak hours like on a Sunday afternoon, it can get pretty crowded, as you can hear in the video above. All of the voices were captured as I shot these video clips. The Franklin Canyon trail network offers variety for beginners to intermediate hikers.

5 Franklin Canyon Hiking Trail Fun Facts:

1. Franklin Canyon is purported to be the geographic center of Los Angeles
2. The opening credits of the old Andy Griffith Show were filmed at the Franklin Canyon site
3. Franklin Canyon Ranch comprises 605 acres
4. The Franklin Canyon lake is 3 acres
5. The lake at Franklin Canyon is a popular stop for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway

Franklin Canyon Hiking Trail Network

The Franklin Canyon hiking trail network offers about 5 miles of trail, according to the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority.  There are three main trails:

Discovery Trail: About a third of a mile round loop for beginners near the black walnut woods at the canyon bottom.

Hastain Trail: This trail is just under two and half miles and can get pretty steep and rugged in places. This trail offers some of the best vistas in the park, rising up on a fire road with views of the Franklin Canyon lake and reservoir, and on a clear day you can look over the Los Angeles Basin all the way to the ocean. The trail drops down to a single track trail to the lawn at Franklin Canyon Ranch Area near the old Doheny house.

Berman Trail: This trail takes you a mile back up-mountain to Mulholland Drive where you can cross into Coldwater Canyon Park and Wilacre Park on the Valley side of the hill.

Getting there from Studio City and Sherman Oaks

Odds are you are going to take Coldwater Canyon Avenue to Mulholland Drive at the top of the mountain. You will see the sign for Tree People on your left. Here, you take a slight right onto Franklin Canyon Drive (it looks like a small residential road). Take this all the way down into the park.

There are a lot of bumps and potholes and unevenness on Franklin Canyon Drive, so I wouldn’t recommend taking your 1964 Impala or brand new Corvette on this road, but it’s passable for most cars. Just take it slow. There is plenty of well maintained parking and you can stop right near the picnicking sites.

You may also enjoy this Video: Hiking Fryman Canyon 

Hiking Fryman Canyon Late Afternoon

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