About This Event
A fascinating historical hike along part the steep Old Stagecoach Road a.k.a. the "Devil's Slide" in the hills above Chatsworth Park used from 1860 - 1890.
Oh yes, I remember it well....It's hard to believe but Los Angeles was once a sleepy little town and San Francisco was the big city, and to get to and fro was not easy. It required either a horse, wagon or stagecoach, all of which are not very comfortable by todays standards.
There were several stagecoach lines but the route from San Francisco through the Santa Susana Pass, Between Simi Valley and Chatsworth, was the most dangerous. This pass on the Chatsworth side was called "The Devils Slide", and for good reason. The road was carved out of the sandstone rock by hand (you can still see the pick marks), and holes were drilled so that steel pins were set so that block and tackle could ease the coaches down the grade.
One of the highlights along the way is a plaque set by the Native Daughters of the Golden West in 1939 marking Devils Slide. The observant hiker will notice the drainage chutes along the side of the road, old cisterns used to capture rainwater, and notches carved out from the wear of wagon wheels. There are petroglyphs to be found on some of the rocks along the trail if you look carefully.
The hike will be about 6 miles with 650 ft elevation gain. Maybe a little longer if we go all the way to Corriganville. We'll see how the day goes.
Directions:
The main entrance is in Chatsworth Park but the park is closed down for lead cleanup (50 years ago the park was a private club where people went to shoot clay pigeons. The field is still littered with lead pellets and bits of clay to this day. The lead is causing concern and is bing cleaned up). We will use an alternate entrance on Larwin St. , one block south of Devonshire.
Go west on Devonshire as if you are going to Chatsworth Park. Instead of driving into the (closed) park entrance, turn left (south) on Larwin Street and go one block until you come to a chain link fence on your right. This is very easy to locate because in addtion to the fence, an old set of power lines runs directly overhead. Park along the curb. We will enter the park through a gap in the fence.
Bring plenty of water, hat, sunscreen, camera
