The Sister Cities Friendship Path Grand Opening

What better day to announce the opening of the Sister Cities Friendship Path then on Earth Day 2024; the day that raises awareness of the need to protect Earth’s natural resources for future generations. 

Thanks to a collaborative effort by the City, Los Angeles County, the Descanso Gardens Foundation, the LCF Trails Council, and the LCF Sister Cities Association, the scenic 0.3-mile trail is now open to explore on foot, bike, or horseback. The first to explore the new, easily accessible, beautiful trail were the attendees of the opening. 

At the opening: Tom Reynolds, Trails Council President; Kathryn Barger, L.A. County Supervisor; Juliann Rooke, CEO of Descanso Gardens; Brad Schwartz, President of the Descanso Gardens Board of Directors; and Vicki Schwartz, Co-President of the LCF Sister Cities Association.

Greg Brown, LCF Trails Council and Sister Cities Executive Board member, noted “part of this Descanso Trail was a bit too steep for many residents to enjoy.” Early in 2020, Brown and Don Voss, also an active community member and Sister Cities Executive Board member, arranged a meeting with Descanso Gardens to discuss building a new trail to alleviate the issues with the existing trail. What was a future dream turned into a reality for LCF. 

Several years back, when the Mayor of Villanueva de la Cañada, our sister city in Spain, was visiting, the proposed Sister Cities Friendship Path was dedicated to our sister city. According to Vicki Schwartz, Co-President of the LCF Sister Cities Association: “The Mayor was so excited he announced they would build a mile-long trail in Villanueva de la Cañada called the La Cañada Flintridge Sister Cities Trail." 

Jennifer Seastrom poses next to the sign she designed to welcome people to the trail.