Rivas Ravine

Scott Regberg
Mirror contributing writer

   If you are at all sensitive to poison oak the Rivas Ravine bushwhack is not for you. However, if you are one of the lucky ones (about half of our hikers seem to be), this is an adventure hike that will put your patience and endurance to the test. The pay-off, of course, is boldly exploring a canyon floor where no one has gone before.
   Access to Rivas Ravine is essentially the same as to Rivas Ridge, which I’ve described in previous articles. Take off from the entrance of Will Rogers Park and head west, across the grass field, and down into the canyon. In about 30 minutes you’ll arrive at the Temescal junction, which you’ll continue past. (Yes, you can alternatively take the new Temescal trail heading south to this same point, and then turn left at the junction.)
   About five minutes up, the trail gets a little overgrown and squirrelly. The usual route is to bear right and begin a long series of switchbacks up Rivas Ridge. However, if you continue bearing left, you’ll be following the canyon floor along a beautiful and dense quasi-trail paralleling the ridge route above.
   For every ridge there is a valley, and this valley is neatly nestled between two hillsides. It gets lots of moisture, which explains the oak, and the floor is richly littered with sycamore leaves, typical of this type of canyon terrain. This time of year you’ll be stepping high and blind into a foot or so of crunchy ground cover.
   The going is slow, with lots of overheads, stepovers and other obstacles, at times rather jungle-like. This is a different type of hiking than most folks are familiar with. You end-up doing a lot of twisting and maneuvering, including some upper bodywork. But if you’ve ever fantasized about trekking in uncharted territories, this will give you a small taste of it without having to travel to real jungles.
   Eventually, the ravine will dead end into the upper Rivas Ridges, but you won’t make it that far in a two-hour hike. To keep yourself out of trouble, hike by the clock: go up an hour or so, and then turn around. It’s a challenge in both directions.
   Fearless readers who are interested in free Monday and Wednesday night hikes should contact Scott Regberg at (310) 475-5735.