Of course, this backyard wilderness isn't just for hikers and mountain bikers. The Verdugos are also a prime spot for television and radio station antennas.
	As it turned out, work on a radio antenna put me onto a detour that added a couple of miles to the hike. No big deal. This is a small example of why it's a good idea to carry more water with you than you think you will actually need.

I was routed onto the Beaudry North fire road, which deprived me of some of the ridgeline views of Los Angeles for several miles.

The best view from Beaudry North was looking over to the next hill, where there wasn't any development. To me, this vista looks like a scene out of a thousand old westerns.

	However, as I got closer to Glendale (the Beaudry North Trail terminates in the hills above the Oakmont Country Club) it felt like I was walking around behind people's back yards. It was still pleasant, but less of a nature experience.
	I was almost to the end of Beaudry North when it intersected with Beaudry South. I figured it might hook up with the trail that I had been routed off earlier, so I decided to give it a try.

Beaudry South involved a steep climb back to the ridgeline and the Las Flores fire road. I knew I was back on track when I saw a detour sign just like the one that had routed me off the ridgeline trail. From Las Flores, I began to see some excellent views of Los Angeles.

Here is another city view from Las Flores. That is Glendale's main business district in the foreground. Central and Brand are the two main streets that point at Downtown Los Angeles. The puddle at the right side of the photo is Silverlake Reservoir. In the upper right is the tip of Catalina Island.

As Las Flores wound through the hills above Glendale, there were some nice views of Glendale College.

Las Flores ends at the top of Sunshine Drive in Glendale.  In case you're wondering, I didn't come upon any mountain  lions on this hike.	I did, however, find seven (!) locks on the gate at the trailhead.

From the end of Las Flores, it was an easy walk down the hill to Verdugo Park. I caught the Glendale Beeline to Glenoaks and Brand, then transferred onto Metro Line 92, which took me back to my car at Glenoaks and Lanark.

On this enjoyable hike, I crossed the path of trails that started in Sun Valley, Tujunga, Montrose and other places. In Glendale, there is a popular trail that begins near the Brand Library. Here is a link to a website that has a lot of helpful information about hiking in the Verdugo Mountains. John McKinney's excellent local hiking guide, Walk Los Angeles : Adventures on the Urban Edge, includes a section on the Verdugos.

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