Day 13: Bell Canyon to Castle Peak

Castle Peak overlooking the San Fernando Valley

Day #13: Bell Canyon to Castle Peak
Bell Canyon Trail/Castle Peak Trail
 El Escorpion Park- West Hills, CA
 Wednesday, July 8th 2015
Time:  3 hours, 14 minutes
Pace: 52:01/mile
Distance: 3.75 miles
Elevation Gain: 772 feet
Dogs Allowed?: Yes but be careful, steep drop offs in sections

Directions:
From the 101 Freeway in Calabasas:
Exit Mulholland Dr/Valley Circle Blvd and head north
Follow Valley Circle Blvd north for 3.4 miles to Highlander Rd
Turn Left onto Highlander Rd and continue 0.1 miles to Woodglade Ln.
Turn right onto Woodglade Lane and continue 0.2 miles to the trailhead on the north side of the street at the intersection with Castle Peak Dr
Park on the street, trailhead is in the corner of the intersection on the north side

Today I had an event to attend in West Hills so I decided to find a trail nearby that had some geocaches on it and some interesting terrain. This was a great choice. The beginning of the trail parallels Bell Canyon Rd up to beginning of the gated community, it then heads left and starts climbing toward Castle Peak.

Trail starts in a nice oak forest through Bell Canyon

After leaving Bell Canyon you begin to climb very steeply to the top of the ridge. You can see Castle Peak from here. I made my way across the top of the ridge to the intersection with the trail to the peak. The climb to this point was steep, but the views up here are well worth it.

 After scrambling around at the peak, I headed down the extremely steep hill that goes literally straight down to the neighborhood below. This section was very steep and loose, be careful!  After making my way safely to the bottom, I headed back to the neighborhood and walked a few blocks back to my car.






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