Brand Park, Verdugo Mountains, Glendale Field Trip
Leader

Historic Brand Park (named after Leslie C. Brand, the Glendale developer, 1859-1925) is a popular recreation site on the northern side of the city of Glendale, California. The park includes the early 1900s Brand family mansion named El Miradero with its picturesque Indo-Saracenic architecture, and Brand's own airfield, one of the few showplaces in all of southern California at the time. The park has shaded playgrounds, picnic areas and trailheads supported by free parking lots and restrooms. The property houses Brand Library & Art Center, the Statue of Miss American Green Cross (1928) symbolizing dedication to preserving the country's forests, the historical Doctor's House with Victorian architecture, Brand Family Gravesite with its epic pyramid, a Japanese teahouse beside a koi fish pond and many other monuments which collectively provide a glimpse of Glendale's historic past. Several trailheads and a fire road (motorway) begin in the park and lead hikers to the mountain crest, with its many radio towers and magnificent views. On a clear day, looking south from Tongva Peak, there is a marvelous view of downtown L.A. to the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. The hills and canyons north of Brand Park present some of the best outcrops of the rocks that shape this part of the Verdugo Mountains. Stop 1 in the frontal hills, allows examining the crush zone left from the ancient movements of the Verdugo Fault. In the next stops we will look at excellent examples of metamorphic-igneous crosscutting relationships and plutonic geology including magmatic differentiation. We will spend some time on an enigmatic skarn which seems unique to the park area.
Logistics
- Departure: Participants should be ready for a 6:30am departure (meeting place TBA). Busses will provide transportation to the west side of the Brand Library & Art Center, where the field trip will begin (Google map).
- Return: Shuttles will arrive back in Pasadena by 12pm.
- Releases: All participants will need to sign liability releases.
- Attire: Wear comfortable hot-weather clothing, hiking footwear, and a hat. Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, and a hand lens.
Tentative Itinerary
- The field trip will take place at Brand Park, Glendale. More information to follow.
- Brand Park Field Trip Guide - July 2023 (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 2.8MB Feb1 23)
Cost and Registration
Registration for the field trip is open to the first 20 people to sign up. Participants will be able to sign up when completing their Rendezvous registration form. The cost for this field trip is $50 and includes transportation.