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 Reporter |
Summary: I really enjoyed this hike through Trail Canyon along the banks of Gold Creek. The trail starts out on a fire road, with several cabins from the 1920's dotting the landscape. After about 3/4 of a mile the trail narrows and begins a half mile long gradual accent through a lovely alder lined stream bed. The trail then leaves the stream bed moves up along the slopes of this amazingly deep canyon. At 1.5 miles in from the start, the lovely falls come into to few. I found a several somewhat steep side trails that dropped into the base of the falls. This is a spectacular setting, not to be missed! After the falls, the trail continues for another 2 miles or so to Tom Lucas Camp. The hiking is pleasant and the terrain quite lovely. I was not successful in spotting the camp, and wound up walking at least a mile past it supposed location on the map. All the guide books say it there, and other hikers I talked to say they have been there, but I sure didn't see it! Trailhead: From the 210 freeway in Sunland, take the Sunland exit and head north east to Mt Gleason Avenue. Turn left and follow Mt Gleason to a T intersection with Big Tujunga Canyon. Turn right and follow Big Tujunga 4.5 miles to Trail Canyon Road on the left. Note that Trail Canyon is a fairly narrow dirt road, a bit bumpy, but passable. Follow the dirt road to the parking area/gate. (Lat:34.30564 Lon:-118.25527) Trail Guides for Trail Canyon - Tom Lucas Camp: Hike Los Angeles Volume 2 by Dennis Gagnon (Western Tanager 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, Dogs, Horses Ranger Contact: Angeles National Forest, (818) 899-1900 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 2 of 10 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Lee 1 on 12/6/2008 Hiked this trail today with a friend in search of the elusive Tom Lucas Camp. I drove past the road even though I have been here many times. The nice thing about missing the road is there is a sign for it when coming from the other direction. The weather was just about perfect for the section of exposed trail up the side of Trail Canyon to the “fallsâ€. I thought there might be an abundance of water after the rain we had last week, but the falls were dry. There was a trickle of water in the stream from time to time. (continued in next review)
Reviewed by Lee 2 on 12/6/2008 (Cont.) We hiked past the falls, crossed the stream a couple of times, then the trail headed up and away from the stream (though not too far) and there was almost a mile with the stream to our left and no crossings except for a dry tributary. The next time we crossed, we found Lazy Lucas on our right with a few log benches and a fire pit. (continued in next review)
Reviewed by Lee 3 on 12/6/2008 (Cont.) We continued our journey toward Tom Lucas Trail Camp, according to my GPS topo map we walked right thru the camp and continued a ways beyond looking for a spur trail to the camp or anything that might help us find it. Eventually we crossed a small stream and the trail started to switchback uphill again so we turned around. My GPS said we walked thru Tom Lucas camp 3 or 4 times, we searched on both sides of the trail (I have the scars to prove it) and never found any indication of a camp. DOES TOM LUCAS TRAIL CAMP REALLY EXIST? It’s a good thing I love this hike. 
Reviewed by KS on 7/8/2008 So far everyone that I have taken on this hike has not been disappointed. The falls are quite spectacular and refreshing on a hot day. I last hiked this trail 6/29/08 and unfortunately there was hardly a trickle going over the falls. Usually there is a good flow of water for most of the summer. I suspect that our lack of substantial snowfall this past winter may be the problem.
Reviewed by Susan on 6/9/2008 Hiked for the first time with kids and hubby yesterday. Trailhead is hard to find, as is the 2.01 mile marker. If you pass Ottie Rd. you've gone too far. Look for rusty chain link fence and mailboxes. If you go too far and turn around, it's right by the Pick Up Litter sign. On a hot day, be prepared for whining kids. That, however, is quickly dissipated when they lay eyes on the waterfall! Bring your suits! Climb is not so bad. Plenty of roots to hang on to folks! What an awesome spot! 
Reviewed by Mtn. Mongol Man on 5/22/2008 Hiked on 05-21-2008. I reached the top of the falls and decided I would goto the base on the return trip after reaching Tom Lucas Camp. The path after the falls was very overgrown and filled with bugs. I had to stop a lot to remove the grass seedlings? that would pierce into my sock and stab my foot. My nice new socks have some loose threads now. It really wasn't worth going to what I think was Tom Lucas camp, 3 picnic benches? I would do this again to goto the base of the falls; I put it off and had to skip it because I wanted to make it home for the laker game :)
Reviewed by Mark on 5/21/2008 Did this hike this past Sunday. Cool shade and the falls at the top were welcome relief from the exposed middle part of the hike which was hot. Stream crossings were very easy. Saw (and heard) two rattlers in the brush adjoining the trail. They were warning us to stay away from them which of course we did. You might want to keep dogs on a leash until you make the last stream crossing and head uphill so that they don't have an unwelcome encounter.
Reviewed by drew on 4/18/2008 I have taken so many friends with me to this place, they all have loved it. i literally just got home forthe hike and it was great, the water was cold, and we did encounter a 5ft. gopher snake. still I had no complaints. It's one of the only local waterfalls, and a very enjoyable. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||