| Statistics: |
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| Difficulty: 2.5
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Route Finding: 1.5
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| Distance One Way
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0.73
miles |
| Trailhead Elev
1415 feet |
Elev Gain 122 feet |
| Avg Time One Way
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20 minutes |
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| Waypoints: |
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| Trailhead |
N 34° 09.614 W 118° 51.366
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Los Robles Trail South
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N 34° 09.614 W 118° 51.366
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Brookview Trail
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N 34° 09.614 W 118° 51.366
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White Horse to Los Robles South Cut
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N 34° 09.478 W 118° 51.817
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White Horse Trail
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N 34° 09.325 W 118° 51.765
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Trailhead/End of trail
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N 34° 09.325 W 118° 51.765
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Topographic Route Map |
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Elevation Profile |
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By Scott Legal
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On the COSCA trail map this trail is unnamed. I took the liberty of naming it for this website, choosing the name based on the facts that the trail is roughly parallel to the Los Robles Trail and it runs along a ridgeline above the Los Robles Trail.
This is another trail that I have spent the better part of 40 years hiking, running and mountain biking on. The thing I like most about this trail is that it is the highest trail in the eastern network of trails, topping out at an elevation of over 1,440 feet. That means that there are some very nice views from the ridgeline.
The first three-tenths of a mile are pretty much the same as they’ve been for decades, although grass growth is slowly narrowing this old ranch road. After about a third of a mile the trail makes a steep drop. This is a spot where the trail should probably have been routed around the side of the hill rather than straight down its face. The trail is a mess at this point. It’s badly eroded, very steep, rocky and slippery. There is a picture of this section to the right. Believe it or not, as recently as about 15 years ago I have seen park rangers drive down this trail. For obvious reasons, I don’t think they do it anymore.
After reaching the bottom of the nasty downhill you reach an intersection with a shortcut trail that will take you down to the White Horse Trail to the right. Just a few feet further on the left are the remnants of an old fire road that dropped down to the canyon to the east. The trail has slowly been reclaimed by vegetation over the past 30 years. Another 200 yards ahead there is another trail. This trail is fairly new and does not appear on the COSCA trail map. I don’t know who built it or why it was built and have not hiked it. I’m not sure that the trail has an outlet since there is a gated community below.
The trail then heads uphill for a short distance where it drops you off on the White Horse Trail. It is worth noting that the trail is actually more difficult and has a higher elevation gain if you start here and end up at the junction with the Brookview and Los Robles South trails.
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At the northern end of the trail |
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Further along |
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Every time I pass this section it's in worse shape than the last time |
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The end of the trail is just past the top of the hill |
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