A Follow-Up on a Beloved La Cañada Trailhead

Trucks used to spin their wheels in a deep rut on the left-hand side of this bend (Photo – Reg Green).

Warnings from a few determined hikers, amplified by ColoradoBoulevard.net and the La Canada Valley Sun, have brought a so-called ‘temporary fix’ to the huge ruts on the dirt road through the Angeles National Forest that services the antennae on top of Mt. Lukens.

By Reg Green

The ruts, the biggest of them three feet deep and three feet wide, were so formidable in one or two places that large vehicles were unable to get through. Easy access to the towers is vital: they handle communication throughout Southern California for hospitals, police and firefighters as well as cell phones.

The problem spots have been filled in with gravel and a flat surface restored. One place where the road bed was undermined and which threatened to give way has been widened to allow trucks to pass a foot or two from the edge instead of a few inches.
The forestry service acknowledges that these repairs can last only for a while. Although giving no problem now, the gravel already shows tire marks that in time will deepen until the ruts in the soft spots are as deep as they were before. The section where the road is undermined could still collapse at any time. The first heavy rains will put a severe test on everything.

Maintenance crews have dug into the hillside on the right at this dangerous spot so heavy trucks can keep away from a near-vertical 30 ft. drop (Photo – Reg Green).

The authorities know all this since it was brought to their attention by concerned hikers and the drivers of vehicles, like bulldozers and water carriers, that this previously lonely road was never designed to carry. Presumably they are monitoring the situation. But a vigilant media doesn’t do any harm either!

A journalist most of his life, Reg Green lives now in La Cañada Flintridge. He can be reached at his website, NicholasGreen.org.