My second time doing the stairs here is how I found them…read more Number of stairs- 9 Sycamore Glen to Redwood Dr.-this staircase is not in Fleming's Secret Stairs book, Walk #1, though they could have easily been part of the route. 60 steps Elmwood Dr. to Redwood Dr. 98 steps Redwood Dr. to Tamarac Dr. 81 steps up then 19 steps down Tamarac Dr. to Glenullen Dr. 86 steps Glenullen Dr. to Cherry Dr. 99 steps Cheviotdale Pl. to Capinero Dr. 44 steps La Loma to Cheviotdale Pl. 54 steps Cheviotdale Pl. to Cherry Dr. 43 steps La Loma to Evergreen-this staircase... Hope it helps It's around two miles.

I decided to give the Secret Stairs a visit after a tip from Yelp! There is just something charming…read moreabout a neighborhood network of stairs. The stairs serves well as an easy hike or an exercise spot for those who love stair climbing. One thing I did not expect is that the stairs go up and down. Rather than take you higher and higher, some of the stairs just takes you across hills which for me is disappointing. Also, I did not find the houses along the trail particularly scenic. They are probably nice for Pasadena but definitely a far cry from what you see in nearby Arcadia, San Marino, La Canada, etc. Overall, I consider the Secret Stairs a local attraction. It's a worth a visit if you live less than 20 minutes away and its a fun neighborhood novelty but it's definitely not worth your time if you don't live in the area. Parking: I parked on the street on Elmwood which is the beginning of the trail, but I don't highly recommend it. It's not a particularly well maintained street and it is super narrow and steep without proper curbs/sidewalks. There is also a sign that says 'Tow Away on Red Flag Days'. Refer to the affixes picture. If I returned, I would either park on the street prior to Elmwood or just skip to a different segment.

(From 2022) Was here last year and had the day off highly…read morerecommended place for a walk/hike and water I'm commonly the "person" (one of them) witnessed at the top of the waterfall most of the images during my trip this last time were shared on various "check ins" here One thing I noticed is that this time there wasn't as many face masks on the ground so it appears that the volunteers are doing an excellent job at removing all of the random trash

Eaton Canyon is a popular destination, especially in the spring when wildflowers bloom…read more Not much water right now. Go after a rain and you will see a wonderful waterfall.

While the initial goal was to just pass through Colorado Street Bridge, we instead on a whim…read moredecided to park and explore the area, leading us to this charming trail. Plenty of trees for shade and not too many inclines, this is a great place for leisure walking/jogging around and exploring. It's also great to just look up and admire all the bridges along the way. There was a small stream of water in some areas, so you might have to do some stonefhopping. However, for the most part it was pretty dry. Another thing worth noting was how quiet the trail felt, even though there were others strolling about. I'd imagine a good deal of that was just the effects of the pandemic on people's interpersonal skills, but who knows? Overall, it's a great change of scenery. The bridges add a little something you don't see/feel much around LA, so I recommend a visit.

Nice walk - free parking at nearby Rose Bowl Aquatic center. Leave parking lot and walk away from…read moreBowl and when you get to a sign you'll see a trail heading down under bridge - walk a ways and you'll come across plaque- can turn around or loop around at any time or continue on much farther down into the arroyo.

I am only reviewing the playground area because we stopped by after our day at Kidspace Museum…read more Parents just be forewarned that your child will see this playground on the way into the museum and will want to play there afterwards. The park itself looks huge and there is so much open space The playground is super fun. There is a younger kid area and an older child area. Both have monkey bars which, of course, is my LO's favorite. There's slides, swings, and a bunch of ladders and balance apparatuses. It's a great park and I'm sure all the Pasadena families come here often. I know I would if I lived here

2026 Ronald McDonald Walk for Kids was held at Brookside Park in April. What an amazing non-profit…read moreorganization to help provide "life-changing support to families with critically ill children through seven Ronald McDonald Houses, three Family Rooms, and Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times." I was grateful to have participated in the event this year. I look forward to be a returning participant in the future. It was my first time visiting Brookside Park. It is Pasadena's largest fully maintained park located south of the Rose Bowl Stadium. It is indeed a beautiful park. Huge parking lot available off Arroyo Boulevard. There is a baseball stadium, football and soccer fields, tennis courts, swimming pool facilities, many picnic tables, good size children's playground area, restrooms, drinking fountains, etc. Barbecue pits are available in most picnic areas. I would love to return to this park on my own personal time and enjoy its amenities. If you're in the Pasadena area and need a place to walk, rest, hang out, have lunch, or play, Brookside Park may be the place for you.

THE RESERVOIR IS FULL OF WATER =============================…read more Eight inches of rain in November of 2025 has really filled up the Devil's Gate Dam Reservoir. It's really nice walking or riding bikes over the dam and seeing the pretty scenery. You can access the roads and trails via the intersection of Oak Grove Drive and Berkshire or the multiple access points on the east side of the dam.

Devils Gate Dam is one of those places that feels straight out of an urban legend. Getting there…read morewas half the fun - a little hike, a little adventure, and then boom... you're face to face with this massive rock formation that legit looks like the devil's face carved into stone. Creepy but awesome. The tunnel itself? Yeah, definitely has that "horror movie" vibe. Dark, echoey, and unsettling enough to give you chills -- in a good way. I was honestly surprised it didn't smell musty or gross inside, which made exploring it even better.

A little bit of everything for people, dogs, horses etc. my favorite part was the horse ranch…read more There's fly fishing though the pond appears empty and archery too. Scenery was nice, dry basin overall. Had a good time walking around with dogs and people alike.

The trailhead is located at the north end of the San Pasqual Stables parking lot. The Lower Arroyo…read moreis also a tourist attraction and park that's good for kids and dogs. Walking, hiking and jogging are the most common recreational activities in the Lower Arroyo. Connecting many miles of equestrian trails, the Lower Arroyo trails are permitted for mixed use by foot traffic of humans, horses and dogs. No bicycles or motor vehicles are permitted in the area.

30 acres of green space, perfect on a hot summer day because it's very shady. Lots of people come…read moreand sit and read in the grass or benches. I come here mainly for the rose garden. Who needs to pay the Huntington prices when you can go to a rose garden for free? That being said the Huntington is worth every penny. You can access the rose garden from St. Albans Road if you don't want to go to the rest of the park. This garden is picturesque with the rose bushes surrounded by white arbors and tall Italian Cypress trees. It had a nice formal design and ideal for strolling around and taking photos.

The city recently remodels the play structure! It's much bigger and the kids love it…read more Also, this place is ideal place to take photos (family, engagements, kids, etc.) It does get crowded at times, especially during the weekend. They also have open fields where you can play catch or have a picnic. They have some pave roads where kids can bike, scooter or rollerskate. They also have tennis courts on the side of the park and they also have lessons for those who were interested. Unfortunately, they recently implemented charging non residents during the weekends. I don't support this charge since public parks should be for everyone. Whether or not you are living in the city. Other than that come to visit during the weekdays when it's free!

Love this neighborhood park. Nice place to meet up with friends, have a picnic or go on a walk. The…read moregazebo's need to be better maintained. There's spider webs under every table and lots of leftover trash from parties but we've always found parking. Just warning it's next to a baseball field so you're risking a fly ball by parking on that side rather than next to the playground

Arroyo Park is a lovely park in South Pasadena. We went for our friends' baby shower and took over…read moreone of the gazebos, and it was a pleasant, relaxing venue for a big group that included several small children. Parking seems like it could be annoying, but we got lucky with a spot right by the party. The gazebo area was nice and spacious, with tables and benches and plenty of room for kids to toddle around. My only complaint is there were a lot of greedy bees coming after our tacos, but no one got stung. The playground was great. Our three-year-old had a blast, as did his little friends. We don't live in the neighborhood, but if we did, we'd get a lot of use out of this park.

This place is the jackpot if you like birding and bridges!! Bare with me bc I'm about to share a…read morebutt load of pics! I think this hike may have been the most pics I've ever taken in one sitting (well over 350 - but I'm not sharing that many ok lol)!! This is a very easy hike - it can be as long or as short as you want it to be. We did about 6 miles. And it's almost completely flat - AllTrails says 160 feet but my AllTrails recording logged 230 feet - either way it's minimal. There are some optional stairs that have neat views as well. A lot of the trail is rocky and bumpy, and there was a ton of mud bc of all the rain - but still easy. And there's a little trail construction going on but it's easy to maneuver around. It's also a very busy trail. We arrived right before 8am and there was a moderate crowd - not too bad. But by 9am it was pretty packed. Luckily the trail is very wide so it's easy to keep your distance and not feel like you have someone on your heels constantly. There are some really great features on this hike - all sorts of surprises in all sorts of nooks and crannies! There's a huge archery range - who knew?? It's well marked so it easy to stay out of the way and safe. There weren't any archers when we started but tons had assembled when we were leaving! I'll be coming back to watch them next time bc it's such a neat range! There's a "casting pond" which was so totally random and I'd never seen or heard of anything like it before!! It's a huge, shallow "pond" of sorts, with these rings scattered around - I'm guessing it's for people to practice their casting techniques for fishing. The water was super clean too! And the birding - omg don't get me started on the birding wow!! I'm an avid birder and this place was heaven for me! I even managed to catch one of my life-list birds here!! Huge day for me (my fellow birders will understand lol)!! A female Red Shafted Northern Flicker!! Not to mention the Yellow Rumped Warbler, California Scrub Jays, tons of Lesser Goldfinches, Mallards, and House Finches, and even an Oak Titmouse!! It was a smorgasbord of birdies!! Totally unexpected for such an "urban" hike. And then there's the bridges...soooo many bridges concentrated in one area - like 5-6 bridges!! And they're all beautiful - especially with the mountainous backdrops! You can even walk under most of them. The most famous is the Colorado Street Bridge - aka "Suicide Bridge" - kinda cryptic but everyone seems to call it that so you desensitize. You can also walk on this one, which I highly recommend bc it's a true beauty, from above and below. There are numerous trail options along this huge route - looks like it links up to the rose bowl loop too. It's easy to find and has a dirt parking lot - it definitely filled up fast (was full by 10am) but again, it was a Saturday morning. I'll definitely be back anytime I'm needing to do some serious birding!

I've been on a little running kick in 2021 and on a search for more interesting routes near my…read morehouse, I discovered the Lower Arroyo Seco. I've always preferred running on a trail versus cement, so I was so happy to find a soft trail to run on that's not too far from home. I've been twice now and it appears that the trail is an out and back, although there are some river crossings (I think that's what you would consider them) so perhaps you can veer off and make things a little more interesting. I love looking up at the Colorado Street Bridge and getting a change of scenery--Pasadena really is a special place. While you're definitely out in nature, you're also spending a lot of time looking at a wire link fence and the cement river bed. Still, I like that this place is flat (running in the mountain trails near Pasadena seems, well, challenging) and I actually like that there are a fair number of people around since I've grown increasingly fearful of snakes and wildlife as I've gotten older. I've only come on weekdays so it's really not too busy, but do be sure to bring and wear your mask as you will see other people there. There's a parking lot onsite but also a few entries from the street (Arroyo) if you're on foot. I've always run here from my house so I haven't tried the parking situation, but this is a pretty quiet neighborhood and it seems like you could park on the street and walk down if the parking lot was full (although, you might just want to opt for some other sort of excursion if it's that packed during COVID times).

Did you know you can kayak the LA River? Did you know that in the summertime the water ain't…read morenearly as dirty as you'd think? Yes, this is an urban wildlife experience. Don't go expecting to be away from the city. Go if you want a unique view of the city, in a lush and strange area where it feels like nature is winning out over concrete. Guides were friendly. We saw lots of cool birds. Nice blend of relaxation and fun.

I've lived in LA for years and somehow never realized you could kayak the river until a friend…read moresuggested trying LA River Kayak Safari. We booked a weekend morning tour, and it ended up being one of the most unexpectedly fun things I've done in the city. I was a little nervous at first since I'm not super experienced with kayaking, but the guides were patient and gave clear instructions before we got on the water. Once we started, it felt calm and surprisingly peaceful. We even spotted birds and fish along the way, which I definitely didn't expect in Los Angeles. The whole experience felt safe, well-organized, and relaxed. It's such a cool way to see a different side of the city. I'd absolutely do it again.