Trails
The Deukmejian Wilderness Park is a place where people can enjoy scenic hiking trails near and on Mt. Lukens. Upon entering the park, hikers are met with a driveway that leads up towards two parking lots, a grass area with shaded bench seating, and a stone barn next to a small vineyard. Inside the stone barn is an exhibit with information about the animals in the area, along with information about the hiking trails you can take at the park.
Hiking trails at the base of the park are easy to traverse and increase in difficulty as you progress up the mountain. Following the main trail will take you up the mountain while staying alongside a riverbed that fills with water during the winter. Many trails diverge off of the main path, and lead to different points where hikers can enjoy amazing views. The two most challenging trails lead all the way up to the top of Mt. Lukens, which has an elevation of 5,075 feet above sea level.
History
In 1885, two French winemakers purchased over 700 acres of land in Dunsmore Canyon, from Dr. Benjamin B. Briggs. The land they purchased is now Deukmejian Wilderness Park. In the newly acquired land, they created a vineyard where they grew grapes to ship down to their winery in downtown Los Angeles. A son of one of the original wine makers began construction on the stone barn in 1905, which was finished in 1915, and then used to store barrels of wine. Their wine business was ended by the Prohibition in 1920, but they continued to sell non-alcoholic drinks and grapes. Once the prohibition had ended, a fire broke out and burned the property in 1933, only sparing the stone barn. The barn was converted into a home, and then in 1986, the City of Glendale acquired the property. Now, the Stone Barn Vineyard Conservancy maintains the barn and the vineyard.
