La Cañada Flintridge started Earth Day with the grand opening and inaugural hike of the LCF Sister Cities Friendship Path on Monday at Descanso Gardens.
A joint project of the city, Los Angeles County, the Descanso Gardens Foundation, the LCF Trails Council and the LCF Sister Cities Association has made a 0.3-mile trail more accessible for equestrians, mountain bikers and walkers to enjoy.
Rep. Judy Chu, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Descanso Gardens CEO Juliann Rooke and LCF Mayor Michael Davitt spoke at the ceremony, applauding the individuals who made the trail possible.
Rooke said she was excited to be part of the planning process and be part of a project where everybody wants it to happen.
“This is a project that really makes a lot of sense for Descanso Gardens,” said Rooke. “Our mission at Descanso Gardens is to connect people with nature and with one another.”
Chu couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Earth Day than by opening the new trail.
“I know that this trail was originally very difficult for hikers and equestrians because of the slope, but the city was able to analyze an alternate route that actually made it easier and safer for all the residents, and that’s why this new trail is so very, very important,” said Chu.
“Now, people of all ages and abilities will have access to this beautiful open space,” the Congresswoman added.
Barger spoke on the importance of the trail and what it means for the next generation, adding that she is excited to hike the trail.
“The beauty of La Cañada is about collaboration, it’s about bettering your community,” said Barger.
Co-President of the LCF Sister Cities Association Vicki Schwartz spoke about the relationship between LCF and its sister city, Villanueva de la Cañada in Spain, and how they both value their respective trails. Schwartz remembers when the mayor of Villanueva de la Cañada stood at the very place the trail would be built two years ago.
“He got so excited that he announced in front of his City Council and said ‘We’re going to build a new trail too, and it’s going to be a mile long, [and] it’s going to be the La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities trail,’” Schwartz said.
After the ribbon-cutting, the community was encouraged to hike part of the trail, LCF Trails Council member Randy Strapazon spoke about the journey it took to preserve the trails of LCF and build a new one.
“We’re so delighted,” said Strapazon. “Not only is this trail a perfect solution, but that the whole community came together and gave a little piece of it.”
Part of the Descanso Trail was a bit too steep for many residents to enjoy, Greg Brown said. Brown, LCF Trails Council and Sister Cities executive board member, added that mountain bikers, equestrians and hikers were all having difficulty climbing the trail.
So, in early 2020 Brown, a former City Councilman, and former Mayor Donald Voss set up a meeting with Descanso Gardens to discuss the possibility of building a new trail to address the problems with the existing trail.
The project progressed, and a few months later, the City Council approved funds for studying, designing and undertaking the environmental review for the new trail. Additional funds for construction were approved by the City Council in mid-2021, and a groundbreaking and naming ceremony was held for the new path at a joint council ceremony with the delegation from Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain, in 2022.
The sister city also proclaimed that they would make a trail in LCF’s honor as well.
In 2023, the city applied for the Los Angeles County 2016 Measure A grant to fund trail construction. The grant, for $400,000, was approved and funded the entire construction costs of the new trail, while the city continued to pay for the design and environmental permitting. The construction contract was approved in September 2023 and started in November.
Longtime LCF Trails Council member Cookie Kulper said the new trail is a benefit to all, especially for “parents getting out with their kids.”
President of the LCF Trails Council Tom Reynolds said that members are just stewards of the trails, and it takes the community support to be able to achieve anything.
“Every trail has its own story, and each trail has its own history and how it became part of the system,” said Reynolds. “It’s a never-ending story. … The trails council are stewards of the trails, and … it takes the county, the city and [collaboration from] Sister Cities.”
First published in the April 25 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
