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 Reporter |
Summary: This trip takes you along the banks of the east fork of the San Gabriel River. While the river banks are wooded and quite lovely, most of the trail traverses the rim above the high water line and most of your travel is through scrub brush. The highlight of the hike is a mysterious bridge built over the east fork in 1936, which has no road leading to it. Actually, in the 1930's a road did lead to it, but was swept away by floods in 1938. There are some small trails that lead down to the stream just after you cross the bridge. This is a stunning setting with shear pink tinted granite walls, roaring cascades, and the lovely bridge in the background. Route finding was a bit challenging with many day use trails mixed in with the main trail, washed out sections of trail, and over a half dozen stream crossings (bring waterproof boots even when the water is low). I was also astounded at the number of swimming holes. This place must be a zoo in the heat of the summer! Trailhead: From Interstate 10 or the 210 freeway, exit on Azusa and head north 10 miles or so, paralleling the San Gabriel Dam on your right. Turn right on East Fork Road and continue 8 more miles to the East Fork Station, where the road dead ends. Note that if you go around a hairpin 180 degree turn on East Fork Road, you missed the road into the Sheep Mountain Wilderness. The trail head is short distance down an obvious service road. (Lat:34.2372 Lon:-117.76546) Trail Guides for San Gabriel River - East Fork: Day Hikers Guide to Southern California by John McKinney (Olympus Press) 101 Hikes in Southern California by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring User Groups: Hikers, Dogs Ranger Contact: Angeles National Forest (626) 335-1251 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 22 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by BobC on 12/13/2009 We, 6 of us, just did this hike today, even with the rain. Got to within 1/2 mile of the bridge and it started raining harder. River getting deeper, stronger current and more debris flowing into it from much run off. Also, witnessed many landslides along the way. Decided rather be safe than to continue on. Good time for prospectors to be working and some were. On the drive back down, there was a mudflow from the burned area that covered a section of hiway with 2 feet of mud. We'll be back, when the weather is better. Still, enjoyed the hike.
Reviewed by Hank on 12/12/2009 Ran the East Fork the day after Thanksgiving. This is one challenging and scenic trail. The toughest part was running on the rock beds. The stream crossings brought much relief.Can't wait to do it again. Bungee jumpers were setting up as we arrived to the Bridge to Nowhere. Thanks but no thanks, I'll stick to trail running. I didn't realize people still pan for gold, that was surprising to see. 
Reviewed by Viewer on 12/8/2009 go for it
Reviewed by Jeremiah H on 11/22/2009 Finally did this hike after 2 years of wanting to go!! I will do this again, it was great! Beautiful sights and fresh tree and plant scents in the canyon. Very refreshing being in the canyon. I thought it might be too cold, but it wasn't bad. Nothing a light jacket can't fix. Lots of people on trail for mid November. It took us 5.5 hours round trip with a moderate pace (including 1 hour at bridge).
Reviewed by ellspops on 11/21/2009 Very enjoyable family hike. The weather was coot so it was a good day to hike it. Lots of bungee jumpers at the bridge made for an interesting sight while we ate lunch. So many interesting pools on the creek worth exploring. A really pleasant hike.
Reviewed by PK on 11/19/2009 I got lost the first couple of times I tried this hike. To avoid my mistakes, be sure you eventually make it to the upper trail (it'll be West of you) a bit past the wooden Sheep Wilderness bridge. At a moderately steady pace, I made it to the bridge in 2.5 hours. It does get hot on the trail, but there is also cover in places, shade, and nice breezes. The upper trail is a bit overgrown, so either wear thickish pants or prepare to get poked by the flora. Also some of the stream crossings are more challenging than others, so if your balance isn't so great or you're just plain unlucky, prepare for soggy foot/feet. Otherwise, damn awesome!
Reviewed by Greg H on 10/10/2009 plan on making this a day trip. It took us 8 hours 20 min to finish but we were stopped half the time. If it's hot def. plan on it taking a long time. It was between 11 and 12 miles and i followed the GPS Route on this to the T. Thanks for the review Jim it was helpful
Reviewed by Greg on 10/10/2009 Nice day and weather for this hike. Cool breeze, nice river. It's low enough to rock hop across river but bring a change of shoes as you will prob. get a pair wet if you slip on a rock and your shoes get soaked. If you climb down to the bottom under the bridge be careful when you climb back up. People above you can step on loose rocks and they will go flying and may hit the people below climbing back up as they roll very fast. Saw some Big Horned Sheep very cool Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||