Parts of Mount Washington we cover
- Elyria Canyon Park
- Moon Canyon Park
- Heidelberg Park
- San Rafael Avenue
- Eldred Street
- Marmion Way
- Museum Drive
- Self-Realization Fellowship grounds
Where rodents get in on Mount Washington
Walnut woodland and canyon brush
Elyria Canyon, Moon Canyon and Heidelberg Park keep native woodland, sage scrub and chaparral right beside the houses. Walnuts and seeds feed wild rodents there, and roof rats move from the canopy onto roofs wherever branches hang over the eaves or a skylight.
Narrow streets and dirt roads
Many streets are narrow and steep, and a stretch of Burnell Drive is still dirt. Houses, garages and retaining walls sit close together along these roads, so rodents cross easily from one neighbor's garage, deck or roof to the next.
Cabins and older wood houses
The hill's early cabins and Craftsman houses have wood siding, wood trim and attic vents that have loosened with age. Mice fit through very small gaps, and the joints in old siding and trim open up a little more every decade.
Modern houses with flat roofs
Mid-century and newer modern homes often have flat or low roofs, deep overhangs and equipment on the roof. The openings where ducts, conduit and pipes pass through the roof and walls are easy for owners to miss and easy for roof rats to find.
Age matters here: vent screens, eaves and foundations open up over the decades, and those small gaps are how mice and rats get in.
