| Statistics: |
|
| Difficulty: 2.5
|
Route Finding: 1.5
|
| Distance Round Trip
|
5.6
miles |
| Trailhead Elev
675 feet |
Elev Gain 1211 feet |
| Avg Time Round Trip
|
2 hours |
|
| Waypoints: |
|
| Trailhead |
N 34° 12.657 W 118° 53.151
|
|
Wildwood Canyon Trail
|
N 34° 12.803 W 118° 54.483
|
|
Trailhead/End of trail
|
N 34° 12.657 W 118° 53.151
|
|
 |
Topographic Route Map |
 |
Elevation Profile |
|
|
|
By Scott Legal
|
| |
The Lynnmere Trail is the longest trail in the park. Years ago when I first started hiking this trail most of the trail was not within the park boundary, at least as far as the trail map suggested. Today the park boundary includes the entire Lynnmere Trail. The Lynnmere Trail is the southern most trail in Wildwood Park. Most of the trail travels at or near the top of the southern wall of Wildwood Canyon.
The eastern most trailhead is located at Lynn Road, a little bit south of Avenida de las Flores. The trail travels for about one mile over rolling terrain. During the spring months parts of the trail are lined with lots of wild flowers. If the winter is particularly wet the yucca blooms will also be quite plentiful by the month of May.
After a mile on the trail there is a junction with the portion of the Lynnmere Trail that forms a loop. We'll cover that part of the trail later. For now we're going to stay to the right. After the junction the trail travels a little over three quarters of a mile in and out over three draws before reaching yet another junction with a spur trail to the Lynnmere Trail, which is a sharp right hand turn. This spur trail heads down into Wildwood Canyon where you'll make a creek crossing before arriving at the Wildwood Canyon Trail. To continue on with the loop you need to turn left and head up the hill for a few yards.
The trail continues on to the right for a short distance and reaches a railroad tie staircase that travels down and up a steep draw. After about a half mile the Lynnmere Trail passes very near Eagle Point, a tall and steep rock mountain that overlooks the western end of Wildwood Canyon. For about a half of a mile the trail heads southwest and then southeast toward Calle Yucca, the western most street in the Lynn Ranch area.
Just before reaching Calle Yucca there is a trail junction to the right with a trail that drops down into Arroyo Conejo. The trail is unnamed on the Wildwood map, but when I used hike this trail 30 plus years ago we used to call the trail Yucca Hill.
From Calle Yucca the Trail climbs a steep and winding hill for about half a mile. Once you reach the top of the hill you reach the second highest designated trail point in the park at just under 1,000 feet in elevation. At times this spot has had an American flag flying above a large pile of rocks that acted as its flagpole base. Perhaps vandals or maybe weather has causes the flag's disappearance. Whatever the case, it's been several years since I last saw an American Flag fly on this unnamed peak.
After passing the peak the trail descends to a junction with the portion of the Lynnmere Trail that completes the loop mentioned earlier. If you stay to the right the trail heads back uphill toward a water tank. There is a trailhead to the right on Camino Magenta.
Back at the junction, heading left the trail descends to Lynnmere Drive where you will have to cross the street to re-join the trail. After crossing Lynnmere Drive the trail continues on for about four-tenths of a mile with a view of the backyards of the residents of the gated Lynnmere neighborhood. The trail eventually drops below the elevation of the homes and then reaches the section of the trail covered at the beginning of this trail description, one mile from the Lynn Road trailhead.
|
|
 |
Arroyo Conejo from the Lynnmere Trail |
 |
Mount Clef Ridge from the Lynnmere Trail |
|
