Ernest E. Debs Regional Park — Attraction in Los Angeles

PART 1, 1 of 2, curiousity...resolve...& discovery!

I was born and raised in Highland Park. No matter where I go, this is always gonna be the corner of the world, who this man knows to be home. We were poor people, whatever that means, because when you're little, you don't know any different, and as a boy, growing up in the mighty, mighty, Los Angeles, I dreamed of wilderness and forests. The library and public pool were my summer time places of refuge, and my mama, bless her heart, always made sure to leave us 2, sometimes even 3 dollars, so we could go to the pool, (50cents), and have money for the ice cream truck afterwards! Remember? You 'member!! ...Big sticks, push pops, liberty pops, those red,white,& blue ones, and the rest of the ice cream trucks mysterious & vast assortment of the worlds finest and most delicious refreshments... SALADITOS!! 25¢ in the regular charcoal grey salty plum, or the advanced molten lava red, chili flavor!! I'm drifting, pardon my long windedness, those memories are so precious to me... Where was I??.....Ahh yes! Well, as a boy in highland Park, the one thing that's in the background at all times as you traverse my neighborhood, (Ave.57 & Marmion way), are these towering hills, with trees and brush...What is that place? Is it someone's property? It's funny how much bigger the world is as a kid. Or at least our concept of it. I remember being in my mom's car, and we were on Via Marisol, I must have been 10 or 11, and that's when I saw it! It was a road, with a swinging bar gate, ....the road lead up towards those hills! That must be the way in!! Frantically, I began to plan a mission. I needed to know what was up there! So I lied to my mother, and told her there was a science club at the library, and I wanted to go to their first meeting, but it was at 6 am... and I would just walk. I told her this lie, because the library was the only place my mom would let me walk to on my own. We lived next to the railroad tracks, before the blue line, and the park, the pool, and our library, was like a four block walk from my house, along the tracks, ( which trains rarely used anymore ) So I got my fanny pack, my water canteen, some snacks, my swiss army knife, rope, a compass (that I had no clue how to use), my mini binoculars, bandanas, camouflage utility shirt, but decided that I would leave my special walking staff at home, because since I was sneaking onto that road, which might be private property, I might look suspicious, to the houses by that gated road! So I would just have to find and make a walking stick with whatever naturally occurring materials I could find!! This was all very serious...if I wasn't swift and silent, I could be spotted, and reported to the police, who could investigate and arrest me for trespassing! But there was no turning back now! I had to do this right, the first time... So I decided I needed to be crossing that gate before dawn! The night before my mission, I slept in my mission clothes, so I could wake up and go...and at 5am the next morning, I slipped quietly out my front door, and began walking to the hills! There's nothing that tells you that it's a park, from that side, or on that road. It's just a road that steadily climbs into the hills...I was alone, and exploring this wilderness area, that for some reason, was separated from the rest of my community. Finally, I reached the hilltop, or ridge, and there was a paved road there! I remember arriving there as the sun rose , that summer morning...the air was cool, and the view was amazing! I felt like I had discovered this secret place... I never made it to the park area, I just explored the hilltops, and remember hearing a car or truck coming! And instantly took cover behind some bushes! Thinking it could be cops investigating a report of some kid trespassing in this private restricted property! It was a white pick up truck, with an official seal on the doors! Just stay still...trust your camouflage will conceal you, blend into the...

A pleasant experience - even for solo hikers like myself!

Came here on a Tuesday and arrived at 11:37 am.

Set directions to "Ernest E. Debs Regional Park, 4235 Monterey Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90032" via Google maps which took me directly to the (FREE) open-gated entrance of the park. This led me up to a large parking lot area that has PLENTY of parking spots. Warning: LOTS of speed bumps upon entry--be prepared!

I live in West LA so by the time I arrived (a bit TMI but) I had to PEE! To be honest, I absolutely dread using public park bathrooms (unfortunately I am one of those people) but when your bladder is going to burst... you just gotta go. I am happy to report that the women's bathroom as of 8/24/21 - 2 stalls with toilet paper and 1 sink was pleasantly CLEAN! So if you're a bathroom shy person like me, don't worry about the restrooms here-- use it if you must! Hopefully it stays that way and we all do our part in keeping it clean (:

LOTS of picnic table seating area in the parking area for families, meeting up with friends, resting and relaxing. I even saw some BBQ areas too! I would say at least 10+ people were here when I arrived!

The Hike Having this be my first time here, I decided to start my hike at the large "Ernest E. Debs Regional Park" sign. Right by this sign is a cement paved path that literally goes uphill. I would say in 0.4 miles it leads you to a pond area to your left. The pond had turtles in them, a few benches to sit on, and some people were fishing!

I wasn't sure where to go from the pond so I went back onto the cement trail that later branched into several paved dirt trails. I followed a couple in front of me in turning left which led me to the beautiful views of DTLA. From the parking lot to this DTLA view, it was 0.6 miles according to my Apple Watch. Feeling as if this hike was far too short, I decided to continue exploring and chose a random dirt trail to continue walking. I ended up walking around in a loop and got 2.5 miles in!

The reason I subtracted a star and ranked 4/5 is because unfortunately this park does not have any signs to direct you. The views are nice but I wish there was just some guidance. If it wasn't for my Apple Watch, I would have had no idea how many steps I took nor how far I walked. Regarding the Visitor Center--I have no idea where that was and did not happen to see it at all.

Overall, nice views! Love the spacious parking, the large picnic table seating area by the parking lot, and the availability of public restrooms. There was just not really any shade on the trail nor any signage or guidance on where to hike. I wouldn't mind returning, though! If you are in the area, I do recommend checking it out! I can only imagine the sunrise and sunset views...

My fiance and I were at a nearby carwash, saw this place on the map, and decided to see what it was like. We were glad we did! After parking in the one of the ample number of available parking spaces, we headed up one of the nearby trails. It took us to this shaded pond area with beautiful overlooks all around. There were a good number of people here, so we decided to go further down the trail. We came across a covered pavilion area with no one in it and sat here for about an hour, enjoying the silence of nature until another group came nearby. The hike back down gave us a great view of downtown LA, even with the hazy, smokey air.

The trails are pretty steep here and there aren't many shaded areas, so definitely bring a good pair of shoes and some water. There is a good amount of the trail that is paved which provides easier walking. Some of the other trails that branch off the main one, though, aren't paved and area a bit dusty.

Note that we didn't go to the park area itself due to the large number of big groups gathered there and not practicing social distancing nor wearing masks, so this review is only for the hiking...