4 min
Overview
Santa Anita Canyon is one of the most beautiful areas of the San Gabriels, full of varied landscapes and a dependable 50 foot waterfall – Sturtevant Falls – which doesn’t take all that long to get to. The landscape is populated by turn-of-the-century Forest Service canyons, a few campgrounds, and an old outdoor resort. It’s also pretty close to the L.A. basin sprawl, which means the main area in this canyon is also capital c Crowded. Every single time I’ve come here, no matter what day, no matter the weather, no matter what time – the parking lot at the trailhead is packed solid. But don’t be discouraged or scared away. You can park in the lot or along Santa Anita Road on the way in with an Adventure Pass, or you can pay ten bucks at the Pack Station / General Store and use their dirt lot. In 2016, the Forest Service and several transportation agencies did run a pilot program that operated free shuttles from the Metro Gold Line stop in Arcadia for a month. From all accounts, the program was a huge success — and ballot measures that could provide funding both passed in late 2016. However, as of summer the following year — arguably the busiest season in Santa Anita Canyon — no revival of the shuttle program has materialized. We strongly recommend you get to the trailhead as early as humanly possible to avoid the parking nightmare here. Parking along the winding canyon road can be more than enough to ruin your hiking trip — and notoriously spotty signage may result in a hefty parking ticket from L.A. County Sheriffs if you aren’t hyper-vigilant. From the parking lot at Chantry Flat, head south to the trailhead, which follows a narrow paved road down a sharp decline. It descends 325 feet on hard pavement, without shade. It’s not necessarily the most pleasant way to begin or end a hike, but it’s the fastest way down – so what are ya gonna do? If you’re interested in getting off the pavement as quickly as possible – and don’t mind adding a little bit of distance to your total trek, you can hop on the Hermit Falls Tra
Trail Stats
14.4 km
505 m
1102 m
580 m
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a waterfall in santa anita canyon
a waterfall in santa anita canyon
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