Take A Hike

Take A Hike

Westridge_ entryThe Westridge Trailhead

Drive up Mandeville Canyon and take the first left at Westridge Road. Follow the road as it winds around the hillside for about 2 miles until it dead ends, and you’ve reached Westridge Trailhead and San Vicente Mountain. As you walk past the barrier and start your hike uphill on the single track, you’ll pass a handful of breathy cyclists and people walking their dogs. It’s just a ten minute walk and the views are breathtaking. From 1956-1968, San Vicente Mountain was one of sixteen Los Angeles area anti-aircraft missile launch sites. Radar-towerYes, you read that right. This site contained ground-based radar and computer systems designed to detect and track hostile aircraft, and to guide the anti-aircraft missiles that would be launched from nearby Sepulveda Basin. Westridge_viewThese days you can gain access to the original radar tower for spectacular views of the Encino Reservoir, San Fernando Valley and the Los Angeles Basin. It’s also a great place to watch the sun set, have a picnic or meditate on the follies of war.

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