|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
         
 Reporter |
Summary: This is a fun hike with quite a bit of diversity. The hike starts out on Sunset Ridge, with great views of Millard Canyon and a 50 foot waterfall. The trail then drops sharply into a dark and heavily wooded canyon with an abandoned gold mine to add an interesting twist to the trek. The hike through the canyon has many lovely spots with gentle pools and small cascades. Bring along a camera. Note that the route show in the topo map was from the hike outlined in 101 Hikes in Southern California. Route finding was a little challenging, so hikers should make sure to have a map when hitting the trail. Trailhead: From Loma Alta Drive in Altadena, drive up the Chaney Trail (past a locked gate that opens at 6am) to the top of sunset ridge, where there's parking by the roadside. The trail starts east on the gated paved sunset Ridge fire road. (Lat:34.2148 Lon:-118.1477) Trail Guides for Millard Canyon - Dawn Mine: 101 Hikes in Southern California by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Day Hikers Guide to Southern California by John McKinney (Olympus Press) Hike Los Angeles Volume 2 by Dennis Gagnon (Western Tanager Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring User Groups: Hikers, Dogs Ranger Contact: US Forest Service, 818-790-1151 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 1 of 10 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Heidi on 6/30/2009 Went today- mine was there! Awesome!
Reviewed by mb on 6/28/2009 did the dawn mine hike for the 3rd time on thursay 6-25, but this time i couldnt find the mine. Found where i remembered it to be(next to the beams sticking out of the rock and engine block), but no mine. I went further and found a small shaft, but not the mine that i had gone into in the past. Just wondering if anyone else had recently had the same experience.
Reviewed by zero on 6/21/2009 I also would have been lost without the detailed instructions from SS. Every time I thought I was completely lost I stumbled across one of his landmarks. The hike was pretty challenging in parts, and I was afraid my dog wouldn't be able to make it over some of the boulders-but apparently he is part mountain goat. The creek is about ankle deep, with a few deeper pools. Chaney Trail Rd closes at 8pm, so if you get a late start, your car may get locked in until 6am! If you bring small children to the waterfall (trickling, but beautiful!), please don't let them pick up, squish, or throw the docile salamanders =(
Reviewed by LV_Norm on 6/20/2009 In early May, I hiked from the campgrounds to the falls, on to the mine, and then up to the Sunset Ridge Trail looping back to the parking lot following directions on Hiker Dan's web pages. It was a wonderful hike, challenging at times, but well worth the trip. Dan's hikes are at http://66.39.73.65/hiking/hikes.html
Reviewed by ASO on 5/11/2009 hiked on 4/16,good water flow.I started at the bottom, at Millard Campground where its 1/2 mi to the 50 ft fall.To reach the mine from the bottom of the falls, you must climb the VERY steep mountain side just before the falls and get to the top of the waterfall.You can also access the mine trail by parking near the top of the hill, before it goes back down to the campground.If you go this way you will start the trail on top of the fall.Continue past the falls the reach the mine. THERE IS A TRAIL THAT PASSES THE BOULDERS, so if you are rock climbing, then you missed the trail on the LEFT( its hard to see)!!The mine entrance is just to the left of the steel "I" beams sticking outta the mountain. Bring a flashlight if you plan to enter mine. 
Reviewed by Anil on 4/19/2009 Great Hike. Had a lot of fun. Some challenging spots in between which made the hike interesting. Finding the mine is difficult but I followed the picture trail by S.S. http://budurl.com/dawnmine. (Thanks S.S.!). Bring your Adventure pass for parking. No one sells it there. That is the only thing I didn't like. We had to waste an hour or so to go back and get the pass. I saw a lot of people who parked there without the pass and got tickets.
Reviewed by Rachit on 4/19/2009 We almost didn't do this hike 'coz the trail wasn't clearly marked after the falls. The trail goes almost vertically up about 50 feet before the falls to get you to the top of the falls. That point is marked by a single white pole. After that an easier method to reach the mine is to just follow the water stream up to the mine. This is pretty strenuous. Plan to sleep the rest of the day after you get home!
Reviewed by kf on 4/16/2009 This is a beautiful hike, but not an easy one to follow. I tried it a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed the beautiful stream and boulder hopping, but I never found the mine. I'm still not sure where we went wrong, but have seen on other web reviews that there are many false trails, and that the more faint trail is often the right path. There are so many tall boulders, it's hard to get a clear view of the path ahead. I didn't think it was possible to get lost, but on the way out, we realized we were going a different way and emerged at the Millard Falls campground. We ended up walking along the road back to the trailhead. Oh well, I guess I need a gps. Any hints on landmarks would be greatly appreciated!! 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||