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.

Mt Wilson was an amazing hike, utterly beautiful. The observatory at the top and the picture…read moreopportunities were fun. We hiked on a perfect weather day and enjoyed ice cream at Mother Moo Creamery at the bottom. Wonderful experience. Please come and create your own adventure.

+ Fun hike! Good exercise if - it weren't for the fires…read morecausing destruction. Mt Wilson trail is now in disrepair and inaccessible. No notice of when it'll reopen. - Before driving 1 hr up there, I searched online "mt wilson forecast" to check for road/trail closures. The websites don't mention any. I drive up there, turns out Mt Wilson is closed! D:{ + But thankfully Chantry Flat just 5min drive away is open. + Decent single restroom at the Mt Wilson trailhead. + There's a restaurant at Mt Wilson summit, near the Observatory haha . Moderate amount of shade on these trails. - Lots of flies on these trails trying to fly into my mouth.

+ Mt Zion Trail is a great hike. Good amounts of shade and opportunities to see animals throughout…read morethe trail. + I encountered a family of deer during my ascent, and a big bear during my descent! Both the bear and I were startled by each other. The bear quickly scampered away, thankfully. I didn't have to be the one to choose fight or flight. + A good next-door alternative to the burned down Mt Wilson Trail. + Nice thing about this hiking area is there's a restaurant both at the base (Adams Pack Station) and at the alternative summit (Cosmic Café at the end of Mt Wilson Trail). . Chantry Flat has a decent parking lot size. I found a spot right away at 10am, likely because it was a hot weekday. - The trail's often overrun with flies. Two flew in my mouth during my hike. Tasted bitter. Managed to spit them out. - Restrooms lacking amenities and in need of repair. No hand-washing sink or hand sanitizer available. - Required parking pass ($5/day). - No registry at the summit. Still decent view of Pasadena though.

I've tried to come here on 2 separate occasions years apart from each other and the drive up to the…read moretrail head has been closed on both occasions. Does anyone know why? I can't find any information online which is pretty annoying because I drive an hour to get here and have been unable to hike the trail!

Hiked up Strawberry Peak on April 14 and had a great experience. What I really liked about the…read moretrail were the two separate rock climbs near the peak of the mountain. Both rock climbs are located at an elevation between about 5000 to 6000 feet, so if you're planning to do the hike during the winter season, it's probably a good idea to check the snow level before heading out. No equipment is needed for the rock climbs, and there are markings on the rocks (arrows in a variety of colors) that point out the best route to take. It can be a little difficult at times to find the arrows or the correct route to take, but if you take your time you shouldn't have any problems. I have to admit though that there was a moment or two when I was hanging onto a rock (on the side of a mountain and without any equipment) where I thought to myself - uh, what am I doing? The trail is pretty steep, about a 2700 feet elevation gain during the 3 mile ascent up to the peak, so with the two rock climbs it provides a pretty good workout. Definitely a much better workout than a 5-6 mile run on relatively flat ground. Even though the hike is only 6 miles round trip, I would budget at least 4 to 5 hours to complete the hike. The two rock climbs take some time to navigate.

Definitely not for the faint of heart!…read more PARKING 2 dirt lots off of Highway 2 just past the Switzer Falls turnoff. Must display Adventure Pass. There is no trail sign or marker but take the obvious dirt path and stay on it (don't go up the rocks) COLBY TRAIL Clearly defined winding trail. It's certainly steep, but I didn't have any issues with it. After 2.2 miles (maybe 40 minutes-1 hour of hiking) you'll come to a water tower where the trail splits and is unmarked. Take the trail on the right and after a couple hundred feet is a small rock pile designating a smaller trail to the right. Take this if you're intent on the mountaineer route up to Strawberry. STRAWBERRY MOUNTAINEER TRAIL The steepness definitely increases as you continue up the ridge line. You'll come to the first rocky cragg where you'll need to use your hands and feet to climb. Be very careful as some of the rocks are loose and will crumble as you grab them. There is no defined trail just get to the top of the crag however you like. After that you'll continue on the ridge to the summit. The trail is very overgrown with Spanish Bayonets and Poodle Bush. Avoid touching the plants as much as possible but you WILL touch them. Although the trail is overgrown it's pretty obvious where you should be going. I unfortunately had to turn around before the last bouldering part because I started the hike too late in the day. Will have to come back! Happy hiking!

Sunday I hike with a friend through red box parking lot to do San Gabriel 5 peaks Circular a total…read moreof 13 miles. The wind was wild but we did all 5 peaks. San Gabriel peaks was a moderate hike not the many people and there is bench and have two plaques if you want to take pictures with it The view is ok..... Recommended to do Mt Markham, Mt Disappointment, Mt Deception and Mt Lowe since all are close by and you can do a loop. Look in All trails San Gabriel 5 Peaks Circular and you can download the map. Enjoy the trails and please leave no trace.

Fantastic local hike - definitely one of the easier peaks in the area in terms of strenuous level…read more But if you're afraid of heights (like me) then it's a feat of psychological endurance as well haha! Amazing views follow you almost the entire trail - on clear days you see the whole SGV from multiple spots along the trail, not just the top! The trail is well maintained but has definitely experienced some washout from all these storms. It's extremely narrow with no safety enhancements so take your time and be careful. A lot of the time you're up against the wall of the mountain with sheer drops on the other side of you. It's all very rocky and loose gravel too. I recommend hiking boots with good traction and poles! I don't usually bring my poles but they were a lifesaver on this trail. I was more terrified on this trail than even Angels Landing in Zion so it's definitely not for the faint of heart if you're scared of heights haha! There were patches of snow and ice at the top - I really was wishing for my spikes. It was slippery and scary - and yes, I slid back down on my butt for part of it haha! No shame! The top has amazing views on clear days. The clouds came rolling in right as I made it up so I didn't get to see the valley but the clouds were very dramatic and beautiful- and made it haunting and eerie on the way down. So worth it! There are several places you can start the hike from - I started from the Eaton Saddle trailhead as it's the most straightforward. AllTrails tells you it's 2.8 miles but my tracker read 3.5 miles at the end. You'll gain just over 1030 feet in elevation - half of that elevation gain is in the last half mile so be prepared - it's a great workout and totally doable. If I can do it, you can do it! You pass through Mueller Tunnel pretty early on - it was flooded at the end from all this rain - but if you keep to the right there's some shallow rocks you can cross on to keep dry. After about a mile (maybe less) you'll come to a crossroads - the left takes you to the Mt Lowe trails so keep right for San Gabriel peak. The next crossroads you come to, you'll also keep right. If you go left, you can also summit Mt Disappointment- I skipped it to save my energy but it doesn't add too much - less than a mile I think but several hundred feet in elevation is gained. The top of the peak is just over 6160 feet so it's a great vantage point - it's even higher than Mt Wilson!! There used to be a sign and a registry box up there but they were both gone when I went sadly. The parking lot is small at the trailhead but I had no issues - I arrived around 1030am on a weekday. To get there, put "Eaton saddle trailhead" into your gps - don't put "San Gabriel Peak" bc it'll take you on a wild goose chase - and that's why I got such a late start lol! It's a lovely drive along highway 2 and you turn into Red Box - there are bathrooms right at that turn so I recommend to stop there bc there aren't any on the trailhead or along the trail. There are also bathroom stops along highway 2 on the way. An adventure pass is required to park - but the national parks pass works too. Such a great challenge and you can't beat the views! Highly recommend!

Excellent hiking trail in Pasadena area. Well maintaoned. We went early and avoided all the crowds…read morethat we ran into at the end of our 2 hours in and out.

A super lowkey trail that's perfect if you just want to get some easy steps in. Keep in mind that…read moreit's not very shaded so wear sun protection accordingly!

AMAZING! A very steep trail I might add. We only did 3.5 miles, only half of the trail. The trail…read moreis very narrow and rocky. I highly recommend to wear good hiking shoes because it can be a bit slippery. The best part was the views of the mountains and how quiet and serene it looked. Definitely a place to burn off your calories. I would rate this trail as hard.

What a great historical hike to Inspiration Point, with the…read more Mt Lowe Railway dating back to 1915. It was 13 miles round trip with 2,700 feet of elevation gain. Throughout the trail you have the choices to stay on the Mt Lowe Road or to take the more narrow and senic Sunset Ridge Trail. Too bad there aren't more ruins left behind. On the way down from our hike we even found about 12 emergency vehicles parked by the 'Cape of Good Hope', even a Coroner's truck... something I didn't expect to see on a hike. Turns out some hikers found a human (femur) leg bone on Echo Mountain. You can use this address, or the directions below since my GPS wanted to take me in a very indirect way. 4041 Chaney Tail, Altadena, Ca, 91001 From the Westbound 210 Fwy/ exit Rt on Lake Ave / Lt on Loma Alta Dr. / Rt on Chaney Trail (at the yellow flashing light) to a gate that opens at 6am. From the gate go 1.4 miles to the 2nd larger Millard Camp Ground parking lot. You need to display a Wilderness Adventure Parking Pass. * Millard Camp Ground Trailhead (1,838') * 0.8 miles - The Sunset Ridge dirt trail reaches the wide asphalt Mt Lowe Road. * 1.04 - On the wide Mt Lowe Road, the narrow dirt Sunset Ridge Trail takes off to the left. It will meet up with the road again in 1.2 miles. * We took the wide road up and went down the Sunset Ridge Trail. Next time I will just take the nicer and more senic dirt trail up and down. * 2.16 - The Mt Lowe Road splits. We went to the left to stay in the shade, but they both meet up later. * 2.22 - While on the Mt Lowe Road, the Sunset Ridge Trail meets up with the road then continues up a narrow dirt trail. We took this dirt trail. * 2.95 - The narrow dirt Sunset Ridge Trail meets up with the Mt Lowe Road again. * 3.00 - Mt Lowe Road / Echo Mountain trail junction. Stay on the road for Inspiration Point. * 3.26 - Mt Lowe Road / Dawn Mine Trail junction. * 5.56 - Mt Lowe Trail Camp / Ye Alpine Tavern (4,420'). The tavern burned in 1936. There are only picnic tables and a couple of signs there now. Continue up the wide dirt road. * 5.90 - Reach a multi trail junction saddle. * Far Left heads to Mt Wilson Road * Next junction to the right heads to Idlehour & Mt Wilson Toll Road. * Next junction to the right heads to Inspiration Pt. * Far right junction is the Sam Merrill Trail to Echo Mtn & Cobb Estate * 6.17 - Reached Inspiration Point (4,540'). The Pacific Electric Railway originally built this in 1924. * Castle Canyon Trail junction here. Heads to Echo Mtn in 2 miles & Lake Ave. Trlhd in 4.7 miles. * 6.46 - We headed back down to the multi trail junction saddle and headed down the Sam Merrill Trail. A very nice rolling narrow dirt trail. Heading down you get a great view of the LA city below. * 7.15 - The Sam Merrill trail heads to the left towards Echo Mountain. We took the small dirt trail to the right towards the ridge crest and down the steep descent on the loose dirt. The view was awesome here! It felt like the Devil's Backbone of Altadena. * 7.82 - This dirt trail ends up back at the Mt Lowe Road with a 4 foot drop off near the 'Circular Bridge' trail sign. On the way down we took the narrow Sunset Ridge Trail. This trail was very nice, most of it was in the appreciated shade during the hotter afternoon. It also passes by a cool cabin, which is where you can also catch a trail to the Dawn Mine. You will also get a great view of the Millard Waterfall after the cabin. * 13.0 miles - Back at the Millard Camp Ground Trailhead.

There and back again after a year…read more Life is always better when you hike. I've decided to go back to Altadena which has plenty of trails with varying degree. There are fair amount of steep slopes, thus, it's recommended for avid hikers like myself. People can bring their dogs albeit needs to be on a leash. Overall, I enjoyed my hike and the views. I recommend this trail.