Sam Merrill Trail
Encyclopedia
The Sam Merrill Trail is a major hiking trail in the Las Flores Canyon of the San Gabriel Mountain Range
north of Altadena, California
which leads to the top of Echo Mountain
. It was built by Charles Warner and the Forest Conservation Club of Pasadena during the 1930s. After the deluge of 1938 most the trails which accessed the mountain sides around Echo Mountain and the Mount Lowe Railway
had been all but washed away. Sam Merrill found it important to maintain public hiking access to the railway ruins and other portions of the treacherous foothill. During the 1940s he overhauled and maintained the trail.
As a young man Merrill had lived with John Muir
for a summer, which inspired a lifetime commitment to the outdoors and the Sierra Club
. Merrill, who served as Clerk of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, was an active volunteer in the Sierra Club, leading outings for almost 20 years, serving on the Executive Committee of the Angeles Chapter from 1926 to 1935 and on the National Board of Directors of the Sierra Club from 1936 to 1937. When Sam Merrill died in 1948 the Sierra Club named the Echo Mountain Trail after him.
The trail originated at the old railway's right of way
just above a point called Hygeia Station and climbed by switchback up the steep face of the Echo promontory. In the late 1960s a housing development was established over the trail and the trailhead was moved to an access alongside of the Cobb Estate gateway at the top of Lake Avenue
.
The portion of the trail which was maintained by Merrill leads an approximate 2 mile trip directly to Echo Mountain and the ruins of the White City of the Mount Lowe Railway. It is also referred to as Lower Sam Merrill Trail as a section of the Mount Lowe 8, an old mule trail from the days of the Mount Lowe Tavern, was reopened giving a continued hike into Grand Canyon and the site of the Tavern, and is referred to as Upper Sam Merrill Trail.
The Sam Merrill Trail has been repeatedly mentioned in the Los Angeles Times
, including a review of the trail on May 18, 2003. In 1996 the national USA Today
newspaper published a list of "10 Great North American Hikes" which included the Sam Merrill Trail as one of them. The list had originally appeared in the October 1996 issue of Men's Fitness
magazine.
San Gabriel Mountains
The San Gabriel Mountains Range is located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east...
north of Altadena, California
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
which leads to the top of Echo Mountain
Echo Mountain
Echo Mountain is a summit on the Angeles National Forest above Altadena, California.-Geography:Echo Mountain was shaped from an alluvial fan between Rubio and Las Flores canyons. It is geographically defined by Castle Canyon to its leeward side, Rubio Canyon at its foot, and Las Flores Canyon on...
. It was built by Charles Warner and the Forest Conservation Club of Pasadena during the 1930s. After the deluge of 1938 most the trails which accessed the mountain sides around Echo Mountain and the Mount Lowe Railway
Mount Lowe Railway
The Mount Lowe Railway was the third in a series of scenic mountain railroads in America created as a tourist attraction on Echo Mountain and Mount Lowe, north of Los Angeles, California. The railway, originally incorporated by Professor Thaddeus S. C. Lowe as the Pasadena & Mt. Wilson Railroad Co...
had been all but washed away. Sam Merrill found it important to maintain public hiking access to the railway ruins and other portions of the treacherous foothill. During the 1940s he overhauled and maintained the trail.
As a young man Merrill had lived with John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
for a summer, which inspired a lifetime commitment to the outdoors and the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
. Merrill, who served as Clerk of the Superior Court of Los Angeles, was an active volunteer in the Sierra Club, leading outings for almost 20 years, serving on the Executive Committee of the Angeles Chapter from 1926 to 1935 and on the National Board of Directors of the Sierra Club from 1936 to 1937. When Sam Merrill died in 1948 the Sierra Club named the Echo Mountain Trail after him.
The trail originated at the old railway's right of way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
just above a point called Hygeia Station and climbed by switchback up the steep face of the Echo promontory. In the late 1960s a housing development was established over the trail and the trailhead was moved to an access alongside of the Cobb Estate gateway at the top of Lake Avenue
Lake Avenue (Pasadena)
Lake Avenue is a major north-south feeder road for the Pasadena and Altadena communities in Los Angeles County, California. The road was developed in the mid 19th century and takes its name from a lake which was located at its southern most end known variously as Mission Lake, Kewen Lake, and...
.
The portion of the trail which was maintained by Merrill leads an approximate 2 mile trip directly to Echo Mountain and the ruins of the White City of the Mount Lowe Railway. It is also referred to as Lower Sam Merrill Trail as a section of the Mount Lowe 8, an old mule trail from the days of the Mount Lowe Tavern, was reopened giving a continued hike into Grand Canyon and the site of the Tavern, and is referred to as Upper Sam Merrill Trail.
The Sam Merrill Trail has been repeatedly mentioned in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, including a review of the trail on May 18, 2003. In 1996 the national USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
newspaper published a list of "10 Great North American Hikes" which included the Sam Merrill Trail as one of them. The list had originally appeared in the October 1996 issue of Men's Fitness
Men's Fitness
Men's Fitness is a men's magazine published by American Media, Inc and founded in the United States in 1987. The premier issue featured Michael Pare from the television series The Greatest American Hero....
magazine.