Peaceful here could use more water but perfect for fishing or just relaxing will be back soonread more

Probably my favorite part of Crystal Lake is the drive up Highway 39 to get here. It's about 25…read moremiles north of Azusa into the San Gabriel Mountains, and the only way to get there is a beautiful winding mountain road. The lake itself got its name in 1887 from a judge in Pasadena who always raved about the crystal clear waters that were prime for fishing. It really had its heyday in the 1920s through the 1950s. That's when all the construction that you see around the lake happened. Sadly, after the 1960s, it basically started to decay and was not kept up. You can find an article from 1990 that the LA Times published complaining about the condition of the place that you still see today. You'll see graffiti, trash, broken stairs, tons of algae, all sorts of stuff that you wouldn't see many decades ago. I would love to see this place cleaned up and have some national park-level structuring to it. Swimming is prohibited, but you can fish and it's a short walk around the perimeter of the lake. There is also a small café close by for groceries and food, and there are many different campsite options available from cabin to ground. I would love to see this place get the treatment it deserves someday, and I would suggest to all Southern Californians, it really is a beautiful place to visit, and even after driving 15 minutes up the road, you feel like you are in a totally different place and for once I was happy to have no cell phone service. Make sure to download your maps!

This place is pretty cool! Nice way to get off the beaten path and take in some nature. There is…read moreabsolutely no cell service here, so I was happy I was able to meet up with my friend without any issues. There's a decent amount of parking, but I would imagine it fills up during peak times. There's a couple of trails and we chose the one that meandered along the river. There were a couple places where people had stopped to fish as well. I think there's a waterfall, but we didn't go that far. It was pretty cloudy when we visited, but I don't think there would be a lot of shade on the trails when the sun is out. Still a pretty nice hike!

Parking was easy, this is gorgeous when it's not too hot out. Bring plenty of water and poop bags…read moreof you are bringing your furry friends along.

Definitely a 4.25 star trail. From a 5 mile to a 10 mile long trail - for walks, jogs runs bikes,…read moreskating- etc for individuals to groups ... and family outings... the scenic views are gorgeous...inspiring. from low to higher elevation, the trails are clean and encouraging. The river flows can be heard and seen. As the trail advances up north, less and less people and homes can be seen or heard...Just nature... as a runner, I was drawn to the beauty of the sounds and scenery. Along the way, wooden gateways lined the trails, rest stops along the way and up to the turn around point. Only thing missing is restrooms but I can see why. Have fun enjoy. Parking can be done at the wilderness point ...Last stop by north or park along the roadway , along the housing track.

Easy hike, lots of entry points to River. The family and I had a great time. I'd recommend wearing…read morebug spray and bringing water shoes if you plan to take a dip. It was quite dirty with people leaving trash everywhere (so sad)! A few of us plan to return and clean it (we didn't have the time or supplies to do a deep cleaning of the place yesterday). I will say that the only thing that was strange was toward the end of the day (approx 5pm), there were two elderly ladies walking. One of them had long curly gray/white hair with the most creepiest looking face (best described as a corpse with yellowish eyes). The family (and kids) who seen her all got very creeped out. It didn't look like they were going to film anything. Anyone else ever see her???

great trail! not too steep just a long trek around the river. beautiful scenery, saw a lynx cat in…read morea tree and got chased by a bee lol.

After the wettest winter in LA county in my life, South Hills Park is now (3/20/2017) tremendously…read moregreen! It went from looking like the Sahara to looking like Scotland. There are lots of deviating paths, but you don't get lost here as most side paths are just viewpoints that end rather quickly. I went here with my mountain bike starting from the eastern side of High Country Drive entrance (taking Hunters Trail road). I recommend entering this side as it's easier to go uphill on cement and do most downhill towards the exit of Bonnie Cove Drive. Amazing views at many points of the trail. Some parts, you'll hear the deafening 210 freeway and electric clicks of the overhanging ropes from electric towers. Other areas, you'll be shielded and it'll seem like you're no longer in a city. NOTE: the trail of Bonnie Cove is a little overgrown from the rain, so you'll smack into a lot of tall grasses and it's only like 1.5 ft wide now. Totally fun if you don't mind it. Lots of others are also overthrown, but I don't remember if they had names.

It's a small dog park, has a nice size playground, restrooms are usually clean looking since they…read morewere updated not too long ago! We do love bringing our dog and the kiddos here when Finkbiner park is just too overcrowded at times! If you've never visited and you live in the Glendora area, it's worth visiting. It also has a small trail to hike, family friendly of course!!

I enjoyed it with my family! It was a sunny day so we decided to grab our sandals and the kids for…read morea family day.

It's a huge lake park located in Irwindale, and its facilities including picnic tables and bike…read moretrails, which offers affordable family activities and scenic mountain views. However, the park is often crowded, and lack of maintenance, for instance, restroom was in bad condition. They charge a vehicle entrance fee of $15 per car, and from my experience you'd better prepare with cash as the reception there is bad, and their mobile card readers are often slow or not working.

We stopped by this station to purchase our adventure pass and use the restroom before heading to…read morethe Azusa River wilderness Park. It is a must stop before heading up the hill. It is the cleanest restroom you are going to find. The people here were very nice and very helpful when purchasing our adventure pass. We were going to buy the day pass, but We ended up buying the yearly pass for $30 instead. They have a cute little sitting area outside.

Definitely a 4.25 star trail. From a 5 mile to a 10 mile long trail - for walks, jogs runs bikes,…read moreskating- etc for individuals to groups ... and family outings... the scenic views are gorgeous...inspiring. from low to higher elevation, the trails are clean and encouraging. The river flows can be heard and seen. As the trail advances up north, less and less people and homes can be seen or heard...Just nature... as a runner, I was drawn to the beauty of the sounds and scenery. Along the way, wooden gateways lined the trails, rest stops along the way and up to the turn around point. Only thing missing is restrooms but I can see why. Have fun enjoy. Parking can be done at the wilderness point ...Last stop by north or park along the roadway , along the housing track.

This is the trail if you're looking for a crazy non stop incline. The entire trail is a 11 mile…read moreround trip. There are some parts that are gravelly. Be very careful to avoid injury. Should wear hiking shoes with traction. There's no shade so make sure you bring a hat and wear lots of sunscreen. Insect spray and net are high recommended. You will see army of Gnats flying everywhere. You will hit 3500+ elevation and it's a great trail for if you want to build that leg muscle and burn more calories. Pretty straight forward trail just one way up you will see a split when you're near the top. Make sure you make a right and a quick left if you're going towards mount bliss. Parking: I usually park at Encanto Park and walk towards the trail, about half a mile down.

Great hike since the beginning straight to business I would recommend to try this hike bring lots…read moreof water

This trail is pretty and has greatly improved these past few months. Some parts of the trail do…read moreneed some maintenance, where the grass is too tall, but it is cleaner. There's a nice incline of about half a mile at the beginning. There are different spurs that have varying levels of shade. I would definitely recommend a hat and sunscreen. The trail is good for families and pets. They have inside parking at the trail, or you can park outside, but be mindful of not blocking mailboxes. In the late evening, a security member comes to close the gate to enter the trail.

We entered through the man door on fire road off of Glendora Ave…read more Steep incline to dirt path to several trails. It being summer it's very dry and unfortunately the debris left from encampments is off putting It's clear that several homeless people live off the trail path. The hike would be very nice for families if it was cleaned up and didn't have the homeless mess

There really is not a great deal here to "review." This particular stop along the roughly 38 mile…read moreSan Gabriel River trail is little more than a parking lot, a public restroom, and a drinking fountain. There are no parking fees, but unlike street parking on Encanto Pkwy. just west of Lario, there is a gate that is locked at 4:30 (sometimes later in summer, despite posted hours. There are probably hundreds of access points to the bike trail, which runs from Azusa Canyon to the north of Lario (connecting with highway 39 at the trail "turnaround") to Seal Beach (access to Pacific Coast Highway 1). Between those two ends are countless adventures, communities, natural wonders, urban development, homeless encampments, industrial areas... Really, it's something to see. There might be no better way to really get a sense of SoCal than riding the bike trail from mountains to sea on a Saturday. The Lario section is generally pretty clean, and more or less free of riff-raff. Occasional broken glass or graffiti scars the landscape, but there are also lovely views of the the San Gabriel Mountains, the riverbed chaparral with plants like prickly pear and cholla cactus, yucca, American holly, wild buckwheat, ironwood, and mule sage, to name a few. Rabbits, ground squirrels, gopher snakes, rattlesnakes, foxes, coyotes, and the rare bear or bobcat can be seen. Be sure to lock your car and keep chargers and other valuables out of sight. Have fun

I've been on this trail a few times and really enjoy it. Only issue is there are some homeless…read morewalking around occasionally but they don't really bother you, although I would still be careful. Bring sunscreen and a nice bike and ride all the way to the Santa Fe Dam. Would recommend! Easy bike trail.