best hikes

Ahoy,

The best hikes are easy and have waterfalls for you to dip your toes. I'm super duper happy E agreed to go on this hike to Switzer Falls with me. It's not too far off from LA, has a nice winding path driving up to it, and has a parking lot. Most of the trek was in the shade and flat, which is always delightful. Walking next to a stream is always delightful, and cooling off in a pool with a waterfall is the most delightful of all.

mucky pool

clean pool

You start off across a footbridge and walk next to a stream for some ~15 minutes. Then you start on a short up climb that is in the sun, this is the kind of path I've encountered on most LA paths - sunny, dusty, going around the side of a mountain, etc. In ~10 minutes you'll reach the peak, at which point you begin to go down the other side. It gets pretty steep near the bottom, so I would exercise caution. About 10 minutes down this side, you'll reach the bottom of a river and you follow this river, crossing it multiple times until you get to a waterfall with a mucky looking pool. Now look up to where that water is falling from. At the source of this waterfall is a cleaner pool, and if you scramble up the side of this lower waterfall, you can cool off in the cleaner pool with another waterfall up here. When I was up there, it was more like a shower head that needed repairing, but we were told it was gushing a lot about 4 weeks ago. Do it. And be careful. It's totally worth it.

We saw a lot of different people in terms of skill level - kids, elderly, serious hikers, everyone. A lot of people were hiking in their swim trunks and bikinis, so don't forget yours. This is a great family hike probably because it is easy and flat and the kids enjoy splashing around. I would love to do this hike again any day. This is not at all like that other disaster of a hike A and I embarked on a couple weeks ago. Also, I had trouble figuring out my water bladder hydration thinger, but luckily E brought tons and tons of water - so she pretty much saved my life. Yay for other people being far more prepared than I will ever be. It's like I never learn.

blisteringly moist,
jt