Vital Link Trail to Verdugo Peak Hike

In This Guide	Video & Turn by Turn Vital Link Trail Directions How to Get to the Vital Link Trail Everything You Need to Know To Prepare for the Hike
Total Distance (?)	6 miles (9.7 km)
Hike Time	3-4 Hours (Total)
Difficulty (?)	Hard
Total Ascent (?)	1,920 feet (585m)
Highest Elevation	3,126 feet (953m)
Fees & Permits	Free
Dogs Allowed	Leashed
Alerts & Closures (?)	Wildwood Canyon Park
Park Phone	818-238-5300

The Verdugo Mountains, often overshadowed by their bigger neighbors, offer great hiking and trails right in the middle of LA. This hike on the popular Vital Link Trail takes you to the highest point in the range, Verdugo Peak. The Vital Link Trail is a tough one, but you’re rewarded along the way with panoramic views from the ocean to the San Gabriels. And the Burbank trailhead makes it convenient to most of LA.

Where is the Vital Link Trail?

The hike starts at Burbank’s Wildwood Canyon Park. There are several trails in the park, which can get confusing, so make sure you pay attention to the starting directions below. There is plenty of free parking at the hike.

Use this trailhead address to get to the park:
Wildwood Canyon Park, 1701 Wildwood Canyon, Burbank CA 91501

Vital Link Parking — When you pull into the park, drive up the paved road until you get to the trailhead. If there are no parking spots, you can park further down and walk up the park road

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 3 — Enter the park at the gate.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 4 — There is some street parking when you first go through the gate. Otherwise keep going up the road.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 5 — When you get to the 2nd big stone arch (on the left), park. If you can’t park here, just park further down the road.

There are a few use-trails in the park that all lead to the Vital Link Trail. These hike directions use the trailhead described here.

The park has port-a-potties and water fountains (that don’t always work). I’d take care of your business and fill up with water before you get here.

Gear for the Hike

The main thing to be aware of is the lack of shade and the heat. If you are doing this hike when it’s hot out, use sun protection and bring plenty of water. I usually bring 2L. The trail is steep and sandy, so good hiking footwear and trekking poles will help on the steeper slope.

Altra Lone Peak 5
For most people, the Altra Lone Peak is a solid choice that will leave your feet feeling great at the end of any hike. The feel is cushy and light, and if it had a car equivalent, this would be a Cadillac or Mercedes Sedan. The grip is great and they’re reasonably durable for this type of trail runner, which I think is better in most conditions than a hiking boot, and here’s why. The downside of this shoe is that it won’t last as long as something like the Moab 2 (see alternate footwear choices at the bottom of my gear page). I’ve been using mine for many miles and my feet always feel great. Watch my video explaining why they are a great shoe here.
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Stay Safe Out of Cell Phone Range
If you’re not familiar with the Garmin InReach technology, it allows you to send and receive text messages where you don’t have cell phone signals. You can also get weather reports and trigger an SOS to emergency responders. Even if you don’t have an emergency, sending a quick message telling a loved one that you’re okay or are running late is well worth the cost. The Garmin InReach Mini (REI | Amazon | My Review) fits in your palm and weighs next to nothing.

Gaia GPS Mapping App
Smartphones are not backcountry instruments, but almost everyone has one today. And they all have GPS onboard. So I recommend getting a good GPS hiking app like Gaia GPS that supports offline maps. Just make sure to put your phone in airplane mode so the battery doesn’t drain. GaiaGPS not only has smartphone and tablet apps, but also an online planning tool. You can drag the GPX hike tracks from my (or any) guides into the online map and they will sync to your phone. You can also check for wildfires, weather, snow, and choose from dozens of map types with a premium membership (HikingGuy readers get up to 40% off here). Note that I also carry a paper map with me in case the phone dies or gets smashed.

Here’s my complete gear list that I personally use, have tested, and recommend, updated July 2021.

My July 2021 Top Gear Picks

No company pays me to promote or push a product, all the gear you see here is gear I use and recommend. If you click an a link and buy gear, I get a small commission that helps keep the website ad and promotion free. There is no cost to you.

Vital Link Trail Maps

The trails to Verdugo Peak are not well marked, but are relatively easy to follow. The Vital Link Trail has lots of cut-offs, and it can be hard to know what is a trail cut-off and which is a trail junction. If you have a GPS, loading the GPX file helps.

If you look at the OSM map, you’ll see lots of trails that (as of me writing this) are not there. They might have been at one point, or are small use trails, but in general there is a lot in the OSM map that’s not hike-able.

Explore Map on CalTopo View a Printable PDF Hike Map Download the Hike GPX File

If you try to download the GPX file and your browser adds a “.txt” or “.xml” extension to it, simply rename it as a “.gpx” file.

How are you going to navigate this hike?
To start, you should always have a paper map and compass. And it helps to print this guide out or save it on your phone. I highly recommend a GPS as well. I use the Garmin Fenix 6 Smart GPS watch ( REI | Amazon | My Review) with maps (or the more affordable Garmin Instinct). The GPS smartwatch is nice because it’s rugged, works if your phone dies, and also has a billion other features like sleep tracking, workout recording, etc.

Elevation Profile

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Poster Elevation — The brunt of the climbing is in the first half of the hike. There’s no warmup. It’s pretty much straight up. At the end of the Vital Link Trail you reach the Verdugo Motorway (dirt) and then it’s just a cruise to Verdugo Peak.

3D Map

Vital Link Trail to Verdugo Peak Hike Directions

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Video Directions

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Turn by Turn Directions

FYI “Verdugo” means executioner or hangman in Spanish.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 6 — Start by hiking through the stone archway. Such a grand entrance!

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 7 — You immediately start hiking up some short, steep switchbacks.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 1 — And soon you’ll start getting great views as the switchbacks leave the tree cover. That’s it for the shade.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 8 — When you come around a bend you’ll be able to see Verdugo Peak in the distance. It’s the peak with one big tower to the right.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 9 — When you get to this junction, make the hard right. The trail to the left is the connector trail that came in from the lower part of Wildwood Canyon Park.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 10 — After that you really start going up. This photo gives you an idea of how steep it is. Also notice the cutoffs. There are so many cutoffs that it’s hard to know which is the official trail. A good rule of thumb here is that you’ll never being going downhill. If you are, you’re probably on the wrong trail.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 11 — When you need to catch your breath, turn around to enjoy some sweet views of downtown LA.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 12 — There are a small handful of trail sections that are level, but they’re few and far between.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 13 — After that last flat section, you’ll be able to see the Vital Link Trail snake up the ridge to the radio towers.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 14 — Keep climbing….

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 15 — And when you see this stone column, make the left onto the Vital Link Trail. This stone column marks the official start of the Vital Link Trail.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 16 — And you guessed it, more climbing!

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 17 — Make the left at the next junction.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 18 — And stay left at the following junction.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 19 — The last stretch might be the toughest. You’ll see the trail climbing above you.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 20 — Soon you’ll approach the communications towers, which is where Vital Link Trail ends.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 21 — The big climb is over! When you get out to the fire road, go STRAIGHT, away from Verdugo Peak, not right, which is what your intuition will tell you to do.

Vital Link Trail To Verdugo Peak Directions 22 — There’s a very cool chair at this junction.

If you go right, there is a dead end at some communications equipment, but there’s also a hidden, shady bench. I marked the waypoint in the GPX file. It’s a nice place to catch your breath before continuing.