Las Flores Motorway to Mt. Thom

This hike actually begins before the trail does. Roadside parking isn’t allowed at the trailhead. Unless you are dropped off, you’ll need to park about 0.15 miles from the gate at the bottom of Las Flores Motorway, effectively extending the hike to Mount Thom to 5.6 miles round trip with 1,310 feet of elevation change. Park at the intersection of Balmoral Drive and Sunshine Drive in a neighborhood that drapes the lower slopes of the Verdugo Mountains. Walk up the sidewalk along Sunrise Drive, which curves to the right and meets the start of Las Flores Motorway. Cross the gate and begin up the trail, which is paved for the first 320 yards. Straight ahead, communication towers stand out above a high point in the Verdugo Mountains. This is Mount Thom, your destination.

Take CA 134 to the Glendale Avenue Exit (exit 8), which is one mile west of CA 2 and four miles east of Intestate 5. Drive northeast on Glendale Avenue. After half a mile, it becomes Vedugo Road. Go another half mile and bear left at a split onto Cañada Boulevard. In another quarter mile, turn left up Sunshine Drive. Come to the nearest roadside parking after 0.4 miles, which will be on the right across from an intersection with Balmoral Drive. The trailhead is 0.15 miles ahead.