Hellman Park Trail

Water tower at the top of the Hellman Park Trail

Location: Whittier, California

Distance: 4.5 Miles Out and Back Time: 2-3 Hours

Difficulty: Moderately Strenuous

Elevation Gain: 1,000 Feet

Season: Year Round

Foot Traffic: Light to Moderate

Date Hiked: Thursday, March 2, 2023

Overview

Hellman Park Trail is one of the many trails in the hills of Whittier. The 2 mile (one way) hike continues along a steep ascent until it eventually ends at a water tower high in the hills overlooking the San Gabriel Mountains. The views are especially good in the spring after a heavy snow pack year. While the Hellman Park Trail isn’t overly exciting, it’s a great way to get some exercise as the grade is fairly steep most of the way up. There is also the option of connecting with many other hikes that make up the network of trails in this area.

Trail Description and Scout’s Story

Over the years, the Hellman Park Trail has consistently been a hike that my wife has begged me to go do when she just wants to get in some quick exercise. Although we’ve done it a bunch of times, I wouldn’t necessarily say that I really enjoy it. It’s a little too dry and desert feeling for me, however it does offer a great workout.

The last few weeks have been really tough for our family to get outside or to really do much of anything outside of our own home. Our 2 year old daughter, Scout, finished her most recent round of chemotherapy a few weeks ago. After returning home, we ended up living back in the hospital for a week or so as Scout started running neutropenic fevers.

Finally, we are back home and Scout’s blood counts are looking better as we wait for our oncologists to determine Scout’s next steps in her fight against cancer.

On this particular day, we were just happy to finally be back at home and were looking for somewhere close by to be able to get Scout outside for a bit. Of course, my wife suggested we drive down the street and hike the Hellman Park Trail. Knowing that the main goal was just to be outside with Scout, I reluctantly agreed to head towards Hellman Park in Whittier.

Starting The Hellman Park Trail

After parking along the street, we made our way into the parking lot, taking a right onto the main trail. My wife and I decided to bring Scout’s hiking backpack along, in an attempt to get her more used to it. We got her situated and up the trail we went.

The trail gets down to business in no time, as a pretty steep portion starts the hike. The trail briefly flattens before another hill and climb comes in.

Hellman Park Trail in Whittier, CA

After all the recent rains, there was tons of color on the surrounding plant life. The trail is incredibly straight forward and the first 1.5 mile is the most taxing.

After that the trail briefly flattens and views of the San Gabriel Mountains start to come in.

At this point of our hike, Scout decided she had had enough of the carrier and wanted to walk. This slowed our pace majorly but it was a relaxing and calming walk as the snow covered mountains laid in the background.

The water tower was now in sight as we came to a trail junction. We headed right and pushed along the final, very steep, section of the trail that ends at the water tower. My wife decided she would hang back as we weren’t sure how long it would take for Scout to make it up the steep section.

I pushed forward, doing my best to make it to the water tower as quickly as possible. The section is by far the steepest of the trail but went by quickly. Finally, I reached the water tower and soaked in the views of the city below and the beautiful, snow covered San Gabriel Mountains above.

Great views of the snow covered San Gabriel Mountains from the water tower at the top of the Hellman Park Trail

I eagerly jogged back down the trail to my wife and Scout and we hung out for a bit before making our way back towards the trailhead.

Finishing the Hike

The hike back went rather slowly as we just enjoyed watching Scout run around and we soaked in our time being outside together as a family. This was unquestionably the most fun I had ever had on this trail and made me a little more eager to come back in the future than I had been at the end of other hikes here. Overall, this was a fabulous day just enjoying time as a family and getting a brief reprieve from the worries of Scout’s cancer treatments.

Getting to the Hellman Park Trailhead

5700 Greenleaf Ave, Whittier, CA 90601

Questions

Is this a fee area?

  • No, there are no fees to hike or park at this trail.

Are dogs allowed on the Hellman trail?

  • Yes, as far as I know. Dogs must be leashed and kept in control at all times along the trail.

Are there restrooms at the trailhead?

  • No, there are no restrooms at the trailhead. Please go before you go.

Notes and Thoughts

Please recreate responsibly. Respect hikers, fisherman, and all visitors and wildlife. Help make everyone’s experience better by keeping the nature experience as authentic as possible. Leave no trace and pack out everything that you pack in. Please remember that we are visitors and stewards of these special places. Help keep these places as wild as possible while not diminishing the outdoor experience of others.

I would highly encourage visitors to bring a trash bag and clean up what trash they see. While there is not an abundant amount of trash along the trail, there is quite frequently more than enough to clean up.

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