A loop hike filled with local history and a set of stairs. What more can you ask for? Our hike will begin at the west end of Calabasas Rd where “The Trail Between Two Valleys” was dedicated in 2005
This is the path the Juan Bautista De Anza party took in 1776 connecting the San Fernando Valley and Las Virgenes Valley while establishing missions along the way from Mexico to San Francisco.
One of the attractions along this trail is a more than 100-year old section of US 101, known at the time as Ventura Rd aka El Camino Real. Here are a couple of sections from when the road was widened in 1924. I shot the first on 8/2006. Fellow member Bruce cleaned up the area about 8 years ago and revealed the contractor’s name
We’ll then connect to the Anza Loop Trail and into Calabash Canyon where we’ll come across some interesting artifacts. This pair of photos is from 8/2006 when I first explored the area. The trail was once an active jeep road.
After some switchbacks, grassy hillsides and wooded canyons we’ll make a side trip to the Calabasas Stairs, a straight up-and-down shot rising a total of 375 steps. The stairs are a tenth of a mile long and climb 185 feet of elevation.
But before we get to the stairs we’ll need to climb an old set of steps (photo is from 2/2020)
We will then return to the cars along sloping grasslands.
Directions
Drive to the western end of Calabasas Rd and park in cul-de-sac