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 Reporter |
Summary: Mount Bliss (3720') stands as a prominent summit in the San Gabriel front ranch above Monrovia, Duarte, and Azusa. The route follows a broad fire road (1N36) all the way until you get to the summit ridge. As you climb, you'll have nice views of the San Gabriel Valley to the south, and the surrounding canyons, ridges, and summits of front range. Once on top of Mt. Bliss, you have an unobstructed 360 degree view. There is no shade in route, so hike when it's cool. From the north end of the equestrian center, take the fire road left as it crosses the creek bed. Follow the road for 4.2 miles to the junction southwest of Mt. Bliss summit, where the power lines cross the ridge. Turn right (southwest) onto the side road. After a couple minutes the road curves left around the ridge. At that point, leave the road and follow the use path up the ridge to the left. Hike along the ridge northeast until you reach Mt. Bliss, in 10 or 12 minutes. Trailhead: From the I-210 Foothill Freeway: Traveling west, exit at Irwindale Avenue in Irwindale. Turn right (north) and go .2 mile. Turn left (west) on Foothill Blvd. and go .7 mile to Encanto Parkway. Turn right (north). From the I-210 Foothill Freeway: Traveling east (or the I-605 traveling north), exit Mt. Olive Avenue in Duarte. Turn right (east) on Foothill Blvd. and go .6 mile to Encanto Parkway. Turn left (north). Drive north on Encanto Parkway 1.3 miles. Turn left onto a dirt rood, the entrance to Encanto Equestrian Center (marked with a yellow sign). Drive about .5 mile and park on the left side of the road across from the horse stables. The hike starts at the north end of the equestrian center. No Forest Adventure Pass is needed since this hike begins outside the forest boundary (Lat:34.15559 Lon:-117.93511) Trail Guides for Mount Bliss via Van Tassel Fire Road: Best Seasons: Spring, Winter, User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Bikes, Horses, Ranger Contact: Angeles National Forest, San Gabriel River Ranger district: 626-335-1251 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Dan Simpson, who has posted 4 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by David on 6/29/2008 Boring hike up a fire road. I took an alternative overgrown route to connect to the fireroad from a neighborhood in Duarte. After that a pretty monotonous climb with a summit near the powerlines. Do it once and find something else to climb like Monrovia Peak nearby. 
Reviewed by KB on 5/3/2008 This hike is considerably more strenuous then reported. You do not start at 800+ elevation. It's no more than 200 ft. Making each mile elevation gain a whooping 850 ft. Not to mention it's pretty front loaded. Will discourage you in the beginning. I seemed like the gain in some parts of the beginning are like 2000 ft / mile. Very steep. 
Reviewed by David on 10/22/2007 Unless the only goal is an intense 2-hour workout followed by a 90 minute cool-down, there are much nicer hikes 15 miles away from this one with better views (for example, head over to the area around Mt Baldy and Icehouse Canyon -- Ontario Peak is spectacular). This hike is very monotonous. The only variation is when you turn around -- it goes from consistent uphill to all downhill. The way up was fine but so much consistent (steep) downhill can be hard on the joints. Really, too much up or down at once is just not fun and the lookout over an area under development was unimpressive. Thankfully I was in excellent company so the time out was still a lot of fun. 
Reviewed by paul on 9/26/2007 need more trash cans in parking lot
Reviewed by STL on 3/12/2007 A tough but enjoyable hike. It was more strenuous then I expected. I'm glad I packed extra water. There were flies, mosquitos and ticks early on, so be warned. Nice views of smoggy LA at the top. I've posted photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/samlee/sets/72157594583719400/
Reviewed by AK/RK on 4/17/2006 We just got back from our hike. Great views and as we went in spring, beautiful wild flowers! It was a perfect hiking day, misty with low clouds that we practically hiked into. We would definately do this again even though it was straight up and then straight down the mountain. We didn't see much in the way of wildlife but we also were not eaten alive by bugs. (Note: there are lots of dogs who live at the stables.)
Reviewed by zmooches on 3/15/2006 My husband and I took advantage of the rainy weather and decided to hike to Mt. Bliss on March 11, 2006. The rain was not that bad, it was just sprinkling here and there - however, as we elevated to about 2600 feet, the rain seemed to fall slowly. To our surprise, it was snow! From that point on, more and more snow started falling and so much that the road was completely covered with snow. We felt like we were in a different world, truly a winter in wonderland. It was exhilarating! Wow, this is one of our best hike, mostly due to the snow. We were glad that we didn't have any bug problems nor see a mountian lion. And a big "THANK YOU" to Dan Simpson who provided us with a great deal of information about this hike.
Reviewed by mdash on 11/5/2005 Hiked up October 22nd, 2005, and had to contend with hordes of bugs. I'm not even talking about the Land of a Billion Flies around the equestrian center--run for your life away from there. Forgot to put on bug spray--BIG MISTAKE. Saw NO view until almost to the top because of thick fog. Above the fog it was gorgeous. On the way down, with about a mile and half to go, I rounded a bend and came face to face with a MOUNTAIN LION. I was petrified and stood stock still staring it in the eyes for what seemed like an eternity. It was big--and beautiful, actually. I slowly moved behind a bush and it turned and walked away--down the trail! I picked up 2 big rocks and hiked hypervigilantly down the rest of the way, but did not see the lion again. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||