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HIKE 6

DILLON DIVIDE TO PACOIMA CANYON, DUTCH LOUIE FLAT, DAGGER FLAT

HIKE LENGTH: 6 miles round-trip; 800' elevation gain

DIFFICULTY: Moderate

SEASON: October–May

TOPO MAP: Sunland

Features

Rugged Pacoima Creek cuts a deep swath from the west slopes of Mount Gleason to the San Fernando Valley. An all-year stream rushes through the canyon bowels, shaded by oaks, cottonwoods, alders, and a handful of sycamores lower down. Dense chaparral clothes the north slope leading up to Santa Clara Divide, while the more protected south canyonside, below Mendenhall Ridge, is spotted with big-cone Douglas-firs. The 2009 Station Fire passed just east of here, sparing the riparian habitat along the stream as well as the surrounding slopes, and the canyon remains a sylvan delight.

Pacoima is derived from a Gabrielino word, possibly meaning “running water.” American Indians once visited the lower canyon to gather acorns and hunt game. In more recent years, the canyon has been the scene of mining activities—for gold, silver, titanium, and graphite. Most notable were the G. C. K., or “Dutch Louie,” placers; several thousand dollars in gold were recovered from the streambed. An old prospector known as Dutch Louie discovered the placers; to recover the gold, he and his associates diverted the stream by tunneling a temporary watercourse through a rock promontory. Today you can see the crumbling tunnel of this late-19th-century operation just upstream from Dutch Louie Flat. Three-quarters of a mile beyond, above Dagger Flat, are the remains of an old titanium mine.

This trip starts at Dillon Divide, drops down the dirt road into shady Pacoima Canyon to Dutch Louie Flat, and follows up the canyon, close by the sparkling creek, to Dagger Flat. Keep in mind that this is an “upside-down” hike—you finish with the 600-foot climb back up to the trailhead. Wear a good pair of proper hiking boots—there are several stream crossings where you must boulder-hop, and, if it’s the wet season, plan on wading in two or three places.

Description

From the Foothill Freeway (I-210), just north of Hansen Dam, take the Osborne Street off-ramp. Follow Osborne Street north, with a short jog right at Foothill Boulevard, into Little Tujunga Canyon. Osborne becomes Little Tujunga Road; follow it 7.5 miles up to its intersection with gated Mendenhall Ridge Road (Forest Service Road 3N32) at Dillon Divide. Park to the right (north) of the highway without blocking the fire road. Be sure to display your Adventure Pass on your parked vehicle.

Pass the locked gate and follow dirt Mendenhall Ridge Road to a junction in 0.25 mile, go left and follow the dirt road down into Pacoima Canyon to Dutch Louie Flat (formerly a campground), 1.5 miles from Dillon Divide. Turn right and follow the eroded, rocky old road upstream as it disappears and reappears, crossing and recrossing the creek. In 0.25 mile you round a bend and see, to your left, the remains of the old Dutch Louie tunnel. Just beyond, along the creek, is where placer gold was once recovered. About 0.75 mile beyond is Dagger Flat, where a prospector was allegedly stabbed to death in the late 19th or early 20th century. From here, the old Dagger Flat Trail becomes overgrown and difficult to follow as it zigzags steeply up the north slope to Santa Clara Divide; don’t take it—it’s a shadeless bushwhack. You now have an option of lingering at Dagger Flat to check out the ghosts of the prospectors who once labored here for nature’s elusive treasure, or of exploring a short distance farther up the canyon—it’s mostly boulder-hopping from this point on. Return the way you came.