DEUKMEJIAN WILDERNESS PARK - Hiking One Of The Most Remote Areas In Glendale

This video is a guided tour of the Deukmejian Wilderness Park showing a bunch of the trails and beautiful views from the top of the hike.
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Deukmejian Wilderness Park:
The Deukmejian Wilderness Park is located in the heart of the suburbs of Glendale, which is a city in the San Fernando Valley and the Verdugo mountains region of the Los Angeles County. Being in a suburban area, the streets adjacent to the park are very quiet and the houses are exactly what you would expect from a quiet and clean American suburban area. The entrance to the park is on top of a driving path with Park elevations ranging from about 2159 at the park entry to 4775 in the northeast corner of the site. This park is a designated wilderness area which has for mission to preserve undeveloped federal land areas in their natural condition, and as such these types of places are defined as "an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain" and "an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions.
Stone Barn Nature Center:
The Stone Barn adjacent to the Deukmejian Wilderness Park parking lot is considered the entryway to the many hiking trails offered at this location. Originally constructed by Louis Le Mesnager in 1898, it was built of stones from the property, each of which was hand placed. It was used for winemaking until 1920, when Prohibition forced the Le Mesnagers into the water industry. This barn really is beautiful with its stone exteriors, and makes this location feel like someplace in the middle of the European countryside. Next to the barn there’s an amphitheater decorated by a beautiful mural that shows off the green nature of the park as well as the many wild animals that live in this region. Looking at the horizon there’s many beautiful mountains, as well as views of the suburbs adjacent to the park which features a flat area and some pretty interesting rock formations, as well as a bird’s eye view of the freeway which is always packed with cars.
Different Hiking Trails:
This park offers three main trails but the later ones being 5 and 10 miles long I opted to take the much simpler 3 mile trail which is called the Dunsmore Canyon and Le Mesnager Loop trail. This one is a loop and takes hikers through the park and ends back at the parking lot. The other two trails are also steeper and didn’t seem as fun on a hot day. One pleasant thing that I did notice at this park is that it is a dog friendly park and therefore dogs are welcome as long as they are held on a leash. Being a very green park filled with many different types of plants, with some of them being poisonous, paying attention and reading the various signs can really help hikers and city boys like me identify these plants.
Water in park & Droughts in CA:
The historical and ongoing droughts in California result from various complex meteorological phenomena, some of which are not fully understood by scientists. And because of Southern California’s lack of rainfall, higher than average temperatures and dry air masses these areas are often prone to fires. Further complicated by increases in populations and water demands, California is not only the most populous state and largest agricultural producer in the United States, it is also the most biodiverse; as such, a drought in California can have a far reaching economic and environmental impact. Seeing so much water going from the top of the mountain and rustling down the small streams was truly a joy to see, and shows how good rain was to this area. Not only is there water all around but all the plants and trees looked so lush and healthy.
Views from the top of the mountain:
The park is bordered on the north, west, and east sides by the Angeles National Forest which covers around 1200acres and is home to a rich biodiversity, as well as various nationally designated wilderness areas. The San Gabriel Mountains are also very prevalent in this area and can truly be admired for all to see. Even though they aren’t the tallest mountains seeing all the nature on each and every one of them is breathtaking. During some parts of the year, some of the mountains even have snow that eventually melts, combined with rain which creates some of the water streams that can be found further down the hike. Also, from here you can see clear views of the south edge of the park which is primarily a County debris basin and spreading ground. One thing to take particular note of from this viewing point is how undisturbed this land is in this area compared to the city landscape just outside the park.
#deukmejianwildernesspark #hikinglife

[@marcusmajartshow]

Well... it's time to be back on your channel for another wonderful marathon lol! And with my angina, locked in my house, I have to say that once again your video was a nice breath of fresh air for me ❤ It always reminds me that I'm in love with your so good channel buddy 😊

[@TheDavidNeytsShow]

Thank you! This is one of many trails in LA. There are so many trails in these hills that if one wanted they could probably do a new trail a day and still not be done after 365 days, lol.

[@myownprivateglasgow280]

Good stuff David... what a wonderful place! Reminds me of the peripheral hills around my own native Glasgow minus the heat. In UK we have OS maps which are great for not getting too lost. Is there an equivalent in America?

[@TheDavidNeytsShow]

Hi, thank you. Yes, the hills do indeed look like the ones in Glasgow but this is actually a very rare view because we've had an abnormal amount of rain this year so everything is lush and green. Usually these mountains look more more bare and have a more desert like feel to them. We even had a bunch of snow covered mountain tops at some point. I wish I had captured that. As for OS maps, yes we have them in the USA too. You can use them on a lot of trails via the App.