Henninger Flats

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Map

Trail Description
DISTANCE 6.5 miles
ELEVATION GAIN 1500 feet, 1/4 mile, 1/2 kilometer, 1000 cubits. (all measurements rounded to nearest thing)
PARKING Plenty at Eaton Canyon Park, or... a dirty rock pile off of Altadena.
SPF 33 1/3.
CHANCE OF INJURY 5% chance of being mauled by deer.
WEIRD SMELLS Docents.
TIME2-4 hours, or 2 days if you bring a tent.
FEATURES Campgrounds, mini fire tower, boy scout projects, pit toilets, occasionally open ranger station.
ANIMALS Bear in dear costumes.
CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS Young, fat, Al Roker. (just the way we liked him)
DOG SHIT None, (or cleverly disguised).
ANYTHING ELSE? Magical nature trail with trolls and gremlins.
Directions
Driving Directions
The 210 freeway used to be the 134 freeway which used to be the 101 freeway which used to be PCH which used to be an Inuit whaling route. What a wasteful story. Okay - get to the 210 and take the Altadena exit north. It's a straight shot toward the mountains and just after New York Drive you start to winds uphill a bit. At the small intersection where Roosevelt Ave splits off to the left, there is a crappy dirt and broken asphalt lot on your right. You are welcome.
Hiking Directions
Remember, you are not hiking Eaton Canyon today, you're crossing Eaton Canyon to get to a grassy shady campground. So down to the creek bed, then head a little ways down the main trail till you see a trail heading back up the other side of the canyon with 20 different signs and warnings and instructions on them. They're all just saying, 'yep, this is it. C'mon up.' So you'll head up a not terrible trail until it hits the fire road. Welcome to terrible. This blazing hot boredom machine lasts for over a mile until it reaches a crest, and a very fancy sign, and you've made it to a pretty well developed camping area. Stroll around. See if the ranger station is open. Take the nature trail over some bridges. Can you imagine how cool this would have been if the water were still running here? Nice going, Obama.
The Story
Pablo Picasso's father Jose was the finest paint brush maker in Pasadena and this entire valley was filled with the best paintbrush trees in the world. Jose didn't know much else, so he chopped all the trees down in one day, and didn't know how to make more trees. He was also never really sure where Pablo came from.