Liquid Assets

California’s most important aquatic engineering system distributes liquid life all over the Golden State. And as we endure drought conditions, the arid Los Angeles high desert lets you pay homage to H2O via 7.75 miles of walking along the aquatic channel. Followed by enjoying a different liquid quencher, beer from Bravery Brewing Company.

Park at the Aqueduct Vista lot off 70th Street and find the trailhead behind a gate along Palmdale’s segment of the California Aqueduct, not to be confused with the famous Los Angeles Aqueduct, which cascades down a hill in Sylmar. This is part of a much larger statewide system that was developed in the 1960s as part of the ever-important California State Water Project. The paved trail runs nearly 4 miles along the water, which has fish swimming with the flow.

The panoramas to the north of the Antelope Valley are awe-inspiring and constant. Multiple spur trails climb up the hills to provide broader vistas. Just past the 0.5-mile marker, look for one of the optional dirt side trips taking you about a mile to the Sgt. Steve Owen Bench. Named after a local police officer, this memorial seat might offer the best local views of Palmdale and neighboring Lancaster. Your adventure ends at just after the 3.75-mile marker, but it’s only right to keep thinking about the aqueduct’s longer journey (the system totals almost 450 miles!) which ends at the Lake Castaic dam.

BONUS BREW: Palmdale and Lancaster are home to three breweries, and while they are all good (see Transplants Brewery or Lucky Luke Brewing), we like Bravery Brewing Company for some liquid courage. Located across from Sgt. Steve Owen Memorial Park, Bravery offers a huge rotating tap list that features a multitude of barrel-aged stouts, even one that spent time in a tequila barrel! Everything is worth a try for the tasting at one of their two large open-air patios that often has a food truck, like Tacos Al Afro (go for the mouth-watering birria!), to enjoy with your beer.

To get to the Aqueduct Vista trailhead and parking lot, take the CA-14 to the Ave. N exit in Palmdale and head west. After 5.4 miles, continue onto Agena Rd. Turn left onto 70th St. and find the lot on your left after 0.25 mile. Dog-friendly!