If you want a challenge and see beautiful views, hike up the canyon and take the fire road all the... read more
If you want a challenge and see beautiful views, hike up the canyon and take the fire road all the... read more
Eaton Canyon Falls is about a 25min drive from the Downtown, LA hustle and bustle. The trail is... read more
We decided to drive 2 hrs from San Diego to Pasadena, CA to hike the Eaton Canyon waterfalls and we were not disappointed!
Due to recent Southern California rains, the waterfalls and the creek came alive and boy it was very crowded at the trail leading to the waterfalls. We sometimes have to wait our turn to cross the creek and there were several of them. My wife outbalanced so she ended up in the water. Very scenic and easy 5 miles fun hike! Clean restroom at the Nature center. Best part is it's all free. You just need to get there before 8 am to get good parking spot otherwise you will end up parking in the overflow dirt parking area. Go now before falls and creek dries up again.
Highly recommended. Just look at our photos!!!
As rookie hikers, it took us about 1hr and 15 min to make it to the fall. Mind you, the fall is not that enormous, but it is a very nice site. We found parking to be a challenge. There was an overflow parking area but the entrance can be easily passed if you blink. The trail itself was pretty smooth and easy, the last 1/3 mile or so was very rocky - make sure you have good shoes and steady balance. I would give 5 star rating were it not for the boom-boxes on the trail (who does that?). There were times when it felt like I was in a mall (translation: more than one person did this)... it was so noisey! Nonetheless, the scenery was beautiful and we enjoyed the outing.
I can travel here in 5-10 minutes, parking at times is a pain but there is usually parking at the second entrance further away from the Nature center Parking lot. I like that I can go here alone and there will be people nearby but not so crowded that I get annoyed by all the noise. There is a waterfall at the end that has actual water closer to spring than late summer. There is so much terrain to discover too and the Nature Center is a nice stop on days when I need a clean bathroom indoors!
My daughter and I took a Sunday afternoon hike. The canyon trail to the waterfall was awesome. It is an easy hike to the waterfall. There are a couple of different trails. The one that heads up around the mountain is a little challenging with the incline, but definitely manageable. The trail was a little crowded on a Sunday, but everyone was friendly and respectful.
This is a nice quiet space, with arid surroundings but nice to get an early trekking. Our first day was to the falls, there is no much water to see just a small string of water, most of the walking is through a dried river bed but is very nice, coming back after the bridge we turned left up the hill till the third leg steep turn where a great view of the city can be reached. Find 3 small deers! Difficult to see, they are the same color as the grass.
This is one of my favorite hikes. It's short ... 3.5 to 4.0 miles, depending on where you park. It's very quirky ... if you're hiking in the winter or spring and the water is flowing, you have to cross a creek 9 times going to the falls, and returning the falls. It's SO much fun. The falls always has water. I've been there when water was pouring over the trail leading up to the falls, and when the pool at the bottom of the falls was disturbingly small. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE obey the rules ... Do NOT try to climb to the top of the falls. It's horribly dangerous, and a lot of people have died trying it ... Young, fit people. Plus, if you require rescue, they will make you pay for the rescue, and it can cost $20K to $30K. I've never seen rattlers there, but I never go off trail. I have seen deer cavorting several times when I've been there early. The gates to the parking area don't open until 7a. If you get there before then, you have to park on the road. I strongly recommend getting there early. It can get very crowded, and with novice hikers, who can make the creek crossings treacherous (I've had people stand on the opposite bank, blocking me, so I got stuck hopping from the last rock), plus they can be really noisy. I like my hikes PEACEFUL. Best hike I ever did there was on a rainy day ... Only saw three groups or hikers. The rocks were a little slippery getting across. Dogs are welcome, but leashes ARE REQUIRED. That's a rule you don't want to break, because there are rattlers and poison oak off trail. If your sog gets in poison oak, he'll be fine, but you won't be after you pet him. You can take some of the side trails up to Henninger Flats, but you will need to be in a little better shape than what is needed for the Eaton Canyon trail. There is a wonderful nature center at the trailhead, which makes it a wonderful hike to do with children, even if you don't go all the way to the falls.