I stumbled upon the Hahamongna Watershed Park when I met up for a group run there. I hadn’t ever heard of it before, but the group run started and ended at the park. We ran about 15 miles and disappeared deep into the mountains. If you’re looking for a long run through challenging trails, the Hahamongna Watershed Park is a great option. After about 15 miles, we climbed just over 2400 feet. I ran 15.4, but I also got lost…
About Hahamongna Watershed Park
Hahamongna Watershed Park is located between Altadena and Northwest Pasadena at the Southeast corner of Oak Grove Drive and Foothill Boulevard. It is a 1300-acre park that reaches all the way up to the San Gabriel Mountains, and we went up there. When I was there, I saw all sorts of hikers, walkers, runners, bikers, and families enjoying the park.
Hahamongna Watershed Park Address:101 Foothill Blvd La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
What is there to do at Hahamongna Watershed Park?
- sports fields
- 24-hole frisbee golf course
- Bridle trail
- Bicycle trail
- Running and Hiking trails
- Picnic areas with barbecue pits
- Restrooms and Drinking fountains
- Horse Stables
My Experience at Hahamongna Watershed Park:
Quick Facts: 15.4 miles
Elevation: 2400
Gear Used:
CamelBak Zephyr 10L Running Vest
Maurten Energy Gel and Drink Mix
As mentioned, I stumbled upon Hahamongna Watershed Park for the group run. The park starts near the high school, and you take a left to drive down to the bottom and begin your run or hike. Of course, you can start at the upper level, but it means you start on a steep downhill and end on a steep uphill. I digress.
The trails have diverse terrain. In the single run, we had a flat easy, fast trail, technical uphill, a mile in a rocky river bed, technical uphill, fire road, and even some stream crossings. If you are looking for a place to challenge yourself, it’s a great option. If you stay towards the front of the park, you likely don’t need good running shoes but going into the San Gabriel Mountains; you want something that can handle various types of terrain.
During the first mile, you’ll pass by the Jet Propulsion Library. It was fairly cool to see that and the giant NASA emblem. Around 1.5, there will be a fork, and you can head into the San Gabriel Mountains. After that, the divide is when the trails become tricky, and there is a lot more climbing. Around mile 5, I was alone in a lake or river bed. The rest of the group was running faster, so it was just me. I was slightly uncomfortable, considering they were new trails, and I didn’t have much cell service. The trail was easy to find, and I made it the full 15 miles, mostly alone. The first few miles are flat, with a mile crossing a bunch of rocks, and then you climb around 600 feet a mile. It got challenging fast.
But around a mile of 8, I reached a smaller peak with some beautiful views. The next few miles were pretty easy downhill, and they aren’t too bad as long as you don’t trip on a rock. I thought if this were the rest of the experience at Hahamongna Watershed Park, I would be ok. It’s not.
I made a right and found myself on a much more technical and rocky downhill. I was going even slower than climbing 600 feet up. Luckily there were a few more beautiful views of Los Angeles to keep my brain occupied.
The next few miles were uneventful; just trying to figure out how to make it back to the Hahamongna Watershed Park parking lot. The trails are well-marked and easy to follow, so it wasn’t too challenging.
Finally, you reach the fork’s other side and know you’re 1.5 miles back from the start. The last section was uneventful; I just wanted to be back. I was out there for about 3.5 hours, but it was an enjoyable run. You can go to Hahamongna Watershed Park and hike a couple of flat miles if you prefer. There is plenty of space to walk, run, hike, or mountain bike.
You can see Strava here and see more trail runs here.
Questions for you:
Have you been to Hahamongna Watershed Park?
What is your favorite local trail?