One of the delights of living in Pasadena is the access to easy hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains. Most hikes are just a few minutes drive away and one is immediately transported into a world apart from urban Pasadena. I have chosen three easy hikes near Pasadena as an introduction to the pleasures of hiking in the San Gabriels. The San Gabriel Mountains are filled with canyons that have streams and big trees and these sylvan canyons are a surprise to first time hikers because the San Gabriel Mountains look so arid.
Hiking near Pasadena is best if done from November through May because it gets too hot in the summer time and there is always a risk of being caught in a forest fire. Streams are up after the summer ends but you need to be cautious if it is raining. Water that is flowing gently can suddenly turn into the dangerous wall of water of a flash flood. Check the weather reports for flash flood watches before heading out from Pasadena for your hike.
No one has ever been killed by mountain lions on these easy hikes near Pasadena but the mountain lions are there. It is best to hike with someone and if you see a mountain lion, get close to each other so that the mountain lion thinks he is facing something big. Don’t run. You are much more likely to see a coyote but he is not interested in you. He is, however, interested in small dogs so keep yours on a leash and reel him in if you see a coyote.
MILLARD CANYON TO MILLARD CANYON FALLS
One mile round trip
Drive up Lake Ave to its end and turn left. Look for Chaney Trail Drive and turn right onto it. It goes up over a ridge and then down to the bottom of Millard Canyon where there is a parking area. If you are hiking on the weekend, get here early because it is very popular. Go upstream to a nice little campground beside a mountain stream. It is amazing that you can camp just a few miles from Pasadena. Continue upstream on a path shaded by big canyon oaks, and a few alders and willows. There are a few rustic cabins on land leased from the forest service. You may have to do some rock hopping or stream wading because the trail crosses the creek.
In one half mile you will reach Millard Canyon Falls, a fifty foot sheer drop.
You can walk in behind the Falls, which is a delight. Do not try to climb the falls-many a hiker has been injured trying this.
THE ARROYO SECO
Three to nine miles round trip
From the 210 Freeway take the Windsor exit. Drive north on Windsor for three fourths of a mile to the intersection with Ventura St. Park. There are two gated roads, take the one to your right. You will walk down hill on a road overlooking the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At the bottom of the hill you begin your walk along a stream in the Arroyo Seco. First you pass an area owned by the Pasadena Water Department, which includes a small pond. Soon you pass the Forest Service houses and the trees become lush and thick with canyon oak, alders, willows, and sycamore. This was once a popular resort area but almost only the little road remains. You can stop for a break or a bit to eat at a picnic table called Teddy’s Outpost, a reminder of a time when there really was a Teddy’s Outpost resort. All that remains are daffodils, ivy, and some rock walls. You can return from here or hike on another one half mile to the Gould Mesa Campground. If you like to backpack, this is an easy way to hike to a camp. Fishing is also very good here. You can go on from here but the hike is not as easy. The trail narrows and you have to do some climbing.
CHANTRY FLAT TO STURTEVENT FALLS
Three miles round trip
Take the 210 Freeway from Pasadena to Arcadia. Exit on Santa Anita Ave. and go north into the mountains to Chantry Flat. Chantry Flat is a pine covered area with a tiny store and is the headquarters of the mule train that brings supplies to the cabins in the canyon below. If you are lucky, you will run into a mule train and feel like you are in the 19th century.
I think this hike is one of the loveliest you can find anywhere. The scenery is not spectacular but has an intimate beauty all its own. You start by walking down a paved road to the bottom of the Big Santa Anita Canyon. At the bottom, the road ends and you are walking along a trail. All your senses are engaged: there is the sound of Big Santa Anita Creek as it gurgles its way along; there are the rich, loamy smells of the forest floor and a faint spicy smell; there are the sights of the stream and sun shafts through the huge canyon oaks, the alders, and the sycamores. There are ferns and ivy, left over from resort times. The hike is dotted with cabins on land leased from the forest services but they are very rustic and don’t detract from the scenery. You will cross the creek a couple times and you may have to rock hop.
At the very end of the trail you have to climb over boulders to reach Sturtevant Falls. Stop, sit on a rock, and just take in the roar and spray of the falls. When you finally go back, you may experience some huffing and puffing as you climb out of the canyon floor.
Well, there you have it-three easy hikes near Pasadena. Now go out and do it.
