Alta Dena’s Brown Mountain Is Another Great Local Hike With Kids

You know when you find a place that is beautiful and near perfect?

Whenever I stumble upon those places, there’s always a small part of
me that wants to keep that secret. To preserve that space. That’s how
I feel about Brown Mountain. It is indeed near perfect!

Less than 30minute drive (check!)
Stroller friendly (check!)
Kid friendly elevation (check!)
water (check!)
I could go on!

Alas, I DO want to tell you about this place because families who live in LA should know
that they can experience the nature that all of their friends in other
states brag about. We have that too! We just need to drive a little
(sometimes in traffic) to get there!

Brown Mountain is located in Alta Dena. We left around 10:30 am on a
weekday and got there in about 30 minutes. The parking lot is located
on N. Windsor and Ventura Street. However, we opted to park on Alta
Dena Drive and Ridgeview Drive as that would afford us less fire road.
It would also save us about 30 minutes. Not a huge deal in the
beginning, but if your kids make it all the way to the end, 30 minutes
shaved off your time is some kind of magic.

From there, you’ll go down a short hill.

When you get to the bottom, make a right and follow the
trail. After about a 1/2 mile, you’ll hit a fork in the road that will
direct you to a couple of different trails. We stayed on the Lower
Brown Mountain Trail. Either way you go, you can’t go wrong. There is
just so much to explore and enjoy here! We hiked through the creek a
lot of the way. It was a super fun adventure for the boys (and their
moms!). We ended at the campground, where there is a watering hole.
The kids played Huck Finn style for at least an hour. A truly special
moment for these city children!

Conclusion:
This is a near perfect summer hike for families. It is lush and green
and unexpected in our city. If you pack a lot of snacks and water, you
can spend an entire day here. Everyone will be truly happy. I
promise*.

Stroller friendly?: Yes! Although, I highly recommend bringing a carrier with you and you read the best double stroller reviews of 2017 to make sure your stroller is appropriate for this, just in case it gets a little to rocky or if you want to dip your toes in the creek.

Quick tips:
1. Park on Alta Dena Drive to shave some time off the fire road.
2. Bring water shoes on this one. We absolutely LOVE our Keen sandals.
They double as water and hiking shoes and save space in our bag when
we’re on the trails.
3. Bring a change of clothes for the kids.
4. Start early and pack snacks! You can enjoy a full day here.
5. Always keep Leave No Trace in mind:
https://lnt.org
6. What’s in our hiking backpack?: Snacks, water, day hikers first aid
kid, flash light, sonic whistle, compass, sunscreen, water bowl for
our dogs and emergency survival blankets.


*why am I making promises when it comes to kids?! I take it back. I
half promise.