The first time we hiked in the Gabrielino trail, we took the right fork which was mostly paved road and flat ground but this time we decided to go to the left fork and hike the El Prieto Trail. There is an incline and it's more challenging and nature-y. The trail is narrow and there are more mountain bikers, I've heard a lot of bells ringing the back and front of me along the 1.5 hour hike but all bikers were courtesy. I would definitely hike this trail again. read more

Parking can suck depending on where you decide to start from, but overall, just consider this embedded walk as part of your hike. The well-maintained trail system can take you many various places and you can do a nominal effort hike or you can bust your butt and head for the summits that continue on via other various trails and fire roads read more

El Prieto Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pasadena, California

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My friend picked this trail randomly off of Google maps cause we were up for a little exploring. It was a November afternoon on a Sunday, and the three of us along with two dogs made our way over to the parking area which kinda felt like a construction site. There was enough free parking to go around, so thumbs up to that. Since this was our first time here, we took the low road which lead to what seemed to be a river that had dried up. A fair amount of this part of the trail had sticks and branches all over, implying it might not be as maintained these days. With that said, you'll have the opportunity to pass under small, old bridges and an array of tall, thin trees that don't see as much foot traffic. I personally preferred this bit more. The good thing about this trail is that if you get tired of the lower areas, you can reach for higher ground in many spots by just walking up and out onto the main trail. By contrast, there were more hikers along with cyclists to share the road with. The dirt on this road can be pretty loose too, so having face masks as well as sunglasses helps. All in all, a fun time was had. One of the doggos was thirsty and getting tired from the heat and incline, so we had to leave earlier. The main road is definitely wide, though we still had to watch out for rocks and ditches on the ground, potentially scary for wheeled folks. Would come back to finish this and reassess in the future. read more

El Prieto Trail - Going on up - Hiking Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Parking- we arrived before 7 am but found the small lot full so we parked on a side street(Sterling Pl.) near Ventura St. and Windsor Ave. Trailhead- we accessed the trail where Windsor Ave becomes Ventura St.; your walk on a private paved road with a yellow metal barricade to block vehicle traffic...you walk on this road for about half a mile until you connect to the dirt trail...for this paved part the back of the Jet Propulsion Lab is to your left Trail- you will be on the dirt trail for about .8 miles when you reach a spot where the trail splits in two and you will complete a 5.2 mile loop...we decided to stay to the right and we did the loop counter clockwise; after 2.6 miles from the split we reached the Brown Mountain Saddle where some other trails connect here and there was a nice bench there for us to take a little break, take in the views, and eat a little something; after about a 10 min. break we continued with the rest of the the loop which was also 2.6 miles back to the area where the loop ends and connects back to the trail that leads you back to the road Distance- 8 miles...the loop portion made up about 5.2 miles of the hike Elevation Gain- 1,350 ft (peak elevation was 2,380 ft) Duration- took us about 3 hrs Trail Conditions- this is a very narrow trail for the most part and is sun exposed for the majority of it *for the first 2 hrs we saw very few people but it started to get busy after 9 am and the majority of the people on the trail were mountain bikers and with this trail being so narrow it is important to not hike using a bluetooth speaker or wearing earphones *hiking poles are not needed on this one but make sure to wear shoes with good grip and bring enough water for the conditions...I only used 1L but it was early and not very hot read more

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We parked near 4361 El Prieto Rd and to the left of this house up the driveway is the entrance to the loop trail. The trail has many trees to keep you cool during the summer months. Be aware there are many mountain bikers who use this trail on the weekends, at least 30 bicyclists passed us during our two hour hike. Toward the end of the loop you will come across the gravesite of Owen Brown the Liberator buried on 09 January 1889. We hiked a total of three miles on this loop. read more

My friend and I decided to go for a hike at 8.30am Wednesday morning in mid April 2022, the first of the year. This trail is very green at this time of the year, has great tree cover over the trail so allows for shade on sunny days and the ground cover was really lush green. The parking lot at the bottom is very spacious and allows for many vehicles to be parked there. It is right next to a NASA lab. The trail started on a tar road at a level of 1-2 in hardness at the bottom, but it brogressed to a 5-7 towards the middle and lop in steepness as well as the trait went from tar to dirt. There were numerous dam walls built in the rivers path, we passed by over a dozen of them. There were 3 bridges we crossed. We encountered squirels, beetles, various birds and quail on our hike, but no rattle snakes(there was a sign warning us of rattle snakes). The river was running in places and dry in others. We had to cross 2-3 puddles along the hike, nothing major and were easy to pass through. There were numerous flowers of all colors. The dirt path ranged from 1.5 - 7 ft in width. Some places were very steep and the path very narrow with an almost vertical drop, so be careful. We did encounter some cyclists coming down the hill, some slow, others fast, so be careful. At the top we got a view of the canyon and right at the top of the hill were residential houses. It's private property so you can't go look at the view. We started our descent along a tar road and weren't sure how to get back to the car so cut between 2 houses we found a path going down. It said restricted access with permit only, so be careful. In conclusion I enjoyed the hike, its level of difficulty was a 5-6, it's scenery a 7-8, but I did encounter dog poop on the ground 4 times which I was very surprised by. This is a very high end area of LA(Pasadena) so I expect people to pick up after their animals, but it wasn't the case. Also I must say for being in LA county, it was quiet, not that many hikers and there was hardly any graffiti(which was nice) All and all the hike was like 2hrs 45min(1hr 30min up, 1hr 15min down) PS. I did stop to take a few photos read more

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My hiking partner and Yelper Kris A. and I started off on the Gabrielino Trail over by JPL to hike on 9/23/13. We decided we better kick up the work out a bit after consuming extra calories over the weekend. El Prieto Trail is a perfect trail to get a work out whether you are hiking or riding a Mountain Bike. We parked near the Gabrielino trailhead by Windsor and JPL and walked about 1.33 miles until the we saw the turnoff for the El Prieto Trail. This is the second fork in the trail past JPL. We met a guy who hikes there quite a bit named Ivan R. and he told us there was a better place to park if you go all the way to the top of Lincoln Avenue and then head west on Canyon Crest Rd. Ivan also told us to look for El Prieto Road on our GPS. He said the fire road that connects to the trail starts at a double wide driveway in this residential area of Altadena abd you can walk down to access the main trail. I am sure you can use "Maps" on your smartphone to help you while trying to find it too. When we got to the El Prieto Trailhead there is a sign that indicates that it is 2 Miles to Lower Brown Mountain Road. We hiked quite a bit farther than 2 miles and decided to turn around because there were so many forks in the trail and we didn't want to get lost. On our way back to our car we met Ivan again who told us that we were really close to the fire road and he explained which way to go at the last fork. Next time we'll turn left at that last fork above the picnic tables to access the fire road. The elevation gains in that 5.65 mile round trip hike were about 2,200 feet so it felt like a good work out. Next time ,we'll park near the beginning of the trail and make our way to the Brown Mountain Fire Road. Tips: - There are quite a few stream crossings, so if it rains you may end up getting your feet wet because there are no logs to help you get across. - I didn't need poles, but if you have bad knees then poles would help you a lot on your way back down. - Don't hike alone. I am sure there are Mountain Lions and Black Bears up there. Rattlesnakes were the least of my worries. Miscellaneous: Here are some interesting historical facts about the San Gabriel Mountains and the early settlers. http://www.kcet.org/updaily/socal_focus/history/la-as-subject/from-sierra-madre-to-the-san-gabriels-a-brief-history-of-socals-crooked-mountain-range.html read more

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We started hiking on Fern Truck/Arroyo trail and merged into El Prieto trail. We hiked a full loop and ended up to the Windsor parking. This trail was beautiful and serene. The plants and flowers looked gorgeous. A very green scenic view. The Fern Truck/Arroyo trail was a very moderate hike. You are pretty much going up hill. El Prieto was easy to walk down. It took us 8.3 miles to complete the loop. A beautiful trail to bring your friends and family. read more

El Prieto Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pasadena, California

I should be writing two separate reviews considering how different the experiences are as a mountain biker and as a hiker, but I don't think Yelp allows for that. As a mountain biker, I've ridden this trail over 40 times, according to my Strava account, and I was riding it long before Strava was around, so obviously I don't hate it. This trail is a blast! There are a lot of fun technical challenges: little drop offs, rock gardens, log hops and tight switchbacks that force you to use all of your MTB skills. The little creek crossings and the shaded sections add to the joy of this trail. I also like that you can pedal up a relatively easy fire road to have such a rewarding pay off. Do note that there is some cliff exposure. Nothing too serious, but if heights make you nervous at all, you might want to avoid this one. I do try to avoid this trail in the morning on weekends because there are so many hikers that it's difficult to keep up a good rhythm on the descent. This trail is also a nice trail running option because it's shaded and there are similar challenges as mountain biking. As a hike, I think it leaves a lot to be desired. To begin with, it starts with a mile long walk on pavement, which is hot torture during the summer. What is scenic rolling by on two wheels, is a little boring and unrewarding as a hike. The few times I have hiked this, I've found myself imaging what fun I'd be having if I were on my bike. In the summer, the trail gets excessively dry and hot. Additionally, the view from Brown Mountain Road at the end is really nothing spectacular. In fact, if I do hike in this canyon, I prefer to just hike up the arroyo. Lastly, there is plenty of wildlife on this trail. Deer and squirrels are common, but I've also seen foxes, bobcats, rabbits, snakes, coyote, owls, and even a bear. read more

The El Prieto Trail is more known to bikers than hikers. I've hiked this trail about a dozen times, and have came across maybe 5 hikers versus 50 bikers! Anyway, this trail is perfectly fine for both bikers and hikers. I'd say its a moderate trail and definitely not one for beginners. You'll have to go uphill-a-plenty, and have to hop/jump on rocks to cross rivers. Its easy to get lost getting to the start of this trail. You'll have to walk through part of the Gabrielino Trail, and at the second road split (its a grassy hill), you head uphill (I'll take a pic next time as Point of Interest). Once you head uphill, keep following the road and you get to a small water fall with this sign http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-prieto-trail-pasadena?select=y9n2sy0gsmnAE-yiemhbtg#f7AFR--cW33IpBSYdYKxaA You can either head left or right, its basically a loop around Brown Mountain so it doesn't matter which way you go. But the way most people start is from the left, since coming down on the right side is much more fun. Starting from the left side of the mountain, the first half of the trail is basically a fire road uphill. The incline gets pretty steep and there is zero shade here. The good is that you get a great view of the city and a nice work out. Once you get to the middle part of the trail, there's a flat area where hikers and bikers usually rest, and the large road is split into 3. I'm not sure where the other road leads, but if you keep to the left road, you'll get to the second part of this trail. Going downhill is much different than the first half going uphill. You'll see a lot more trees and greenery, and will have to cross some rivers. There are many paths that break off, but just remember to keep left (heading down) and you'll get back to the base of the trail. This is a pretty fun trail and you'll get a great workout. The best part is that you get two different rides/hikes in one since the terrain changes mid-way. Just watch out for rattlesnakes! I've come across them a few times already. read more

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Great area for hiking, not a lot of people know about this place. There is a lot of mountain bike traffic so don't be a moron and wear earbuds. You'll hear them coming and can announce yourself. All the bikers I came across were really courteous. The one warning I will give, is DO NOT park at the top of Rising Hill Rd. Back in the day this was OK, but today the woman at 4950 Rising Hill flipped out when she saw me pass by. Rising Hill Road connects with 2N68 which is a public road so residents are not allowed to impede public traffic. However she started taking photos of me and told me she was calling the Sheriff. I tried asking her a question, and she kept yelling that this was private land and had been for 200 years. Instead I parked on El Prieto Rd and the neighbors waved and said hello. read more

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Whew!!! You have to huff your bike 4 miles up a fire road before you get to the first set of single tracks to wind you in and out of diverse flora back down the mountain. There is dry brown brush and then lush jungly greens that appear out of nowhere. There are some fast flowy sections and many tight hairpin turns. Some of the trail crumbles alongside steep hillside so if you were off your line a bit and took a tumble recovering from a fall wouldn't be pretty. Be Careful!! You will encounter a lot of people on this trail. Hikers with dogs and some bikers run the lower portion of the trail backwards so be aware of that as well. On the weekends there are two shuttle services available. For $15 you can avoid climbing completely. As arduous as it is I think it's more rewarding to do the climb on your bike. Shuttle feels like cheating!!! read more

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This trail is not for the faint of heart. If you are a beginner or an intermediate rider like me you have to consider this trail at least once and see for yourself the technical terrains that I have encountered during my first run down this mountain. Of course, just like what I did, you can always walk the trail if you're hesitant to tackle hairpin switchbacks, small drops, and narrow trails. Otherwise, just go for it and enjoy! The climb, depending on your endurance and again level of expertise, is not as bad as I thought it would be. Just pace yourself and enjoy the scenery as you head up the mountain. Once you reach the top, put on your knee pads or whatever choice of protective gear you have just in case and get your camera rolling because you are in for a nice treat of adrenaline rush on your way down the hill. Overall, this trail is worth trying out and it won't disappoint thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies alike. read more

El Prieto Trail - Hiking Near Me - Pasadena, California

We used the beginning of Gabrielino trail to head up Brown Mountain. About a mile or so into the hike, you will see a sign (for El Prieto, Brown Mountain trails) and an option to take the trail to the right. The hike is mostly uphill but not a severe incline. It's also not shaded. However, it's a nice dirt path without many loose rocks hindering your way. You will arrive at a flat landing area with options for different trails and another sign to your left. Facing the sign, take the Ken Burton trail to the right of the sign and go 2.6 miles more. This part of the hike is easier but more rocky. At the end of the hike, you will be atop the mountain and there are very nice views. All in all, I figure it's about 6+ miles each way. tip - go early to avoid the heat since most of the hike is not shaded and wear sunscreen. read more

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Nice trail. Mixed use, horses, hikers and mountain bikers. Nice mix of high exposed segments with great views and shaded stream side walks. Watch out for bikes. Remember that horses, then hikers and finally bikers have right of way. read more

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3.5 stars because I love nature. There is a very small parking lot if you can get there early if not there is nearby residential parking. The view was lovely because there wasn't much elevation, the view wasn't spectacular. The trail is is very narrow in most place so only one biker or biker at a time. And rocky. There were so many bikers speeding up and down the trails it made it difficult to truly enjoy it. It has made the hike longer because of all the necessary stops and starts. Dogs are welcome. This hike is mostly shaded. Bring plenty of water and a snack. Moderate intensity. Wear good hiking shoes, tends to be a little slippery. There's a picnic area at the end of this trail. I do recommend this hike but would not do it again. read more

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One of the most popular single tracks in Los Angeles. Popular, for good reason. It's beautiful, mystic, challenging and 20 mins from downtown. Hike it or ride your bike, doesn't matter. Just be safe and courteous to other trail users. read more

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Beautiful and amazing trail for mountain biking. Climb is moderate for a good ~2.3 miles. Downhill straddles a calm stream, at least when I went, with fun cuts and small lips. Beautiful lush green vegetation. Trail must have ridden over the stream ~10 times, so expect your bike to get a little wet. There's a bunch of small man made damns, warmly adds to the scenery. I loved it, absolutely gorgeous. I would definitely go back. read more

The old witch at the top of Rising Hill Rd is still there. Heed fellow yelped John M.'s comment (wish we would've read it before the hike) and AVOID THE GPS OF THIS LOCATION. We had a similar encounter with her which was quite amusing, didn't see the "no trespassing" sign. Here's an idea old hag, you might want to put up a fence if it's your private property. Or better signage. Don't be so cheap and bored. I'm pretty sure she sits there in her car waiting for people to come up to drive down and threaten them. The highlight of an otherwise unproductive life near its end. Other than that, just GO TO THE YELP REVIEW FOR GABRIELINO TRAIL, because it's the same hike with better directions and the correct GPS read more

Awesome trail but once you hit Brown Mountain, be prepared for a workout. It's a steep 4 mile climb up and nothing but speed going down. Be careful or you just might kill a hiker on your way down. The first part of El Prieto is a typical path with forest trees and a dirt and gravel road. It's pretty wide for both hikers and bikers. If you want to take the trail with kids, stop at the foot of Brown Mountain or your kids might get run over. Otherwise, enjoy yourself up and down that brown hill. read more

Mountain biking steps: Step 1. Climb your butt off. Step 2. Descend without killing hikers or yourself. Seriously though, this is a great trail--HUGE climb to start off, but so worth it coming down the other side. If only it were closer to my place! read more

Great trail!!! Get ready for a long slow climb to the saddle for about 4 miles up. Completely worth it though once you descend back down El Prieto. Its mostly single track and it gets a little technical. Gotta try it. Get an extra 2.8 miles or so by climbing to the top of Upper Brown before turning around and coming all the way back down. The upper section is not as hard of a climb as the lower. Great views once you are at the top on a clear day you can see downtown LA. read more

A trail that is not busy with hikers (we only saw a couple other), but there were 40 to 50 mountain bikers. This is a trail for alert and courteous hikers that let fast-approaching bikers pass. It is not for the oblivious or rude trail blockers. Some of the trailheads start in residential areas, but we started in a parking lot at Hahamonga Watershed Park at Windsor Ave and Ventura St. The hike begins on the paved Gabrieleno Trail, breaks right to the dirt El Prieto Canyon Trail, and ends at a junction with Fern Truck Trail. Instead of returning back through El Prieto Canyon for a 5.8-mile out and back hike, we took a left on Fern Truck Trail/ Brown Mountain Road for a 7.9-mile loop. When taking the loop, El Prieto Canyon is the pretty part of the hike along a shaded stream on a single-track trail while the Fern/Brown portion was a narrow mountain road with common views. read more

Great mountain biking segment! It's a 1.8 miles downhill single-track segment with some tight switchbacks and a few technical parts. There are some intimidating tight corners exposed to cliffs, but nothing too crazy compared to some other trails around here. See for yourself: https://vimeo.com/52359197 Here's the segment map on Strava: http://strava.com/segments/non-dangerous-fun-descent-near-jpl-2316266 read more

WARNING: someone broke into my car and another hiker's car at the parking lot just south of Ventura on Windsor. The break-in occurred between 4pm and 8pm on Sept. 17. There are apparently a lot of break-ins at the lot, so make sure to hide your valuables if you park there. As for the trail, it was an enjoyable and moderately challenging hike (I went counterclockwise). There's shade in some parts but in other areas there's direct sun. I can imagine it getting extremely hot during the day during the summer months. Also, be on the lookout for mountain bikers (the trail is full of them). Next time I plan on making the trek all the up way to Brown Mountain. read more

It is a good trail, I been hiking a lot in Orange County, it is nothing like that. This hiking have a lot of tree and lot of shade. It is amazing. read more

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This Trail was awesome!!! I first started out doing the lower road till you hit the waterfall which was nice there are some good jumps and a great downhill, but then stepped up to EL PRIETO and it definitely kicked my butt. This was a great workout and i suggest getting gear before going up. read more

As for mountain biking El Prieto Trail is perhaps the best and one of the most technical rides in L.A county. It starts with a 2.5 mile climb up Brown Mountain fire road. Once you reach the saddle you have the option of veering to the left for another 2.5 miles of climbing or to the right not left as mentioned by Tristam for a 1.5 mile descent. The trailhead to El Prieto is off to the right dropping you into a gnarly single trail run that dumps you off at the beginning of the Brown Mountain fire road. read more