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 Reporter |
Summary: This hike takes you through the lovely Arroy Seco to the Oakwilde camp. The trail is shaded by oaks, sycamores, maples, and countless white alders. A trail crosses a pretty little seasonal stream at least a dozen times, so bring some shoes you don't mind getting wet. This hike has scenery worthy of 5 stars, but I bumped it down a star due to the ever-present reminders of civilization (from the 1920s!) along the trail. Along the way you will pass a number of inviting picnic sites and several beautiful areas along the stream covered with ivy twining around the trees. The trail is very mellow for the first 3 miles to Paul Little Picnic Area, which you might consider as a turn around point if you are hiking with small children. Beyond the picnic area, the trail steepens, and a rather spectacular waterfall comes into view cascading over an erosion dam. I suppose you could follow the creek upstream from the Paul Little Picnic are to find the base of the falls, although I did not try this. Trailhead: From the Foothill freeway (210) in Pasadena, take the Arroyo Blvd/Windsor Ave exit. Head north on Arroyo, which becomes Windsor. Park in a lot on the left about a mile up, just before the intersection with Ventura Street. Walk up Windsor a few hundred feet to a gated ,narrow, paved road on the right side of a Y. The road to the left drops down into the JPL parking lot. (Lat:34.19338 Lon:-118.16893) Trail Guides for Lower Arroyo Seco: Day Hikers Guide to Southern California by John McKinney (Olympus Press) 101 Hikes in Southern California by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Trails of the Angles - 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels by John W. Robinson (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Year-Round User Groups: Hikers, Bikes, Dogs Ranger Contact: Angeles National Forest - (818) 790-1151 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 2 of 4 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by PK on 5/28/2008 Indeed, one of the bridges 1.5 miles in has collapsed, but the stream, while strong, is shallow running enough that you can rock-hop around to the other side, not that you're explicitly supposed to not do that. Otherwise, the trail is teeming with greenery and wildlife (hares, woodpeckers, quail, and ducklings, to name a few!), and is pleasantly secluded on a pre-dawn weekday. 
Reviewed by Viewer on 2/1/2008 Very pretty once you get past the fencing and pavement. Recent rains have converted the little creek into a raging river. The trail is closed a little ways in due to a bridge colapse. Maybe about a mile and a half in, not sure exactly. I talked to some rangers who said they hope it will be repaired by September. I'd suggest joining the trail further up, past that bridge.
Reviewed by Doug & Crew on 12/4/2006 If you want to do this right, do the shuttle thing. We had cars at Switzer and cars at JPL/Pasadena area. Hiked from Switzer all the way to the other cars...About 11 miles, and beautiful day for it on 12/3/06....Feet hurting today, but it was worth it!!!
Reviewed by iwriteplays on 8/8/2006 Hiked it on 7/15/2006. It is a really nice hike if you don't want to drive too far out of the city. I wrote a detailed review on my hiking blog, Hiking L.A.. Once you get past most of the crowds, it's a very nice little hike. You can take it as far as you want, so you can be very flexible.
Reviewed by Paul on 8/6/2006 Did annyone else think it seemed like a heck of a lot more than the 0.7 miles it says on the sign from Gould Campground to Paul Little Picnic Area? If so, you're right. I brought my GPS and it's really 1.5 miles, which makes it about 4 miles from the start of the trail, not 3. I don't know if the distance to Oakwilde Camp is correct or not though; we didn't get that for today. 
Reviewed by harry d. on 10/7/2005 1st mile or so is just like walking in a park or something. it's an old asphalt road, some chainlink fence, etc. good for afterwork with the dog, etc. there's a swimming hole there we go to, quite a bit, late in the afternoon. haven't been beyond the campground. the creek is very very pretty but this is not a hike to get away from civilization or anything. good for little dogs and kids.
Reviewed by Andrew on 7/10/2005 The first three miles to the Paul Little picnic area is definitely "mellow", perhaps boring. It feels like a stroll through an old park more than a _hike_. Very wide, initially paved trail with LOTS of people, bikes, and dogs. The remnants of old 1920s public works are mostly eyesores, completely with barbed wire. After the picnic area, the trail gets more difficult, more narrow, and much more interesting. Then it turns up a short but steep incline with an ok view (i found the waterfall pretty mediocre actually). Then, there's a lot of hiking along the stony dry riverbed, which is pretty nice, quiet, and attractive. There are _many_ stream crossings and I found it fairly difficult to pickup the trail after some of them.
Reviewed by tt on 5/15/2005 This is one of my favorite trails. The recent rains have made the trails a little more challenging and also a lot of fun... if you don't mind getting a little wet. The trail wanders and becomes less defined the further you hike. The stream has a strong current and crosses the trail much more than it did last year. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||