It is, once again, June in Los Angeles and the temperature is steadily increasing with each day. However, we can all beat the heat and enjoy the outdoors by hiking to nearby Monrovia Canyon Park.

Last Friday, my wife, some of her coworkers, and myself enjoyed a hike to the pristine Monrovia Canyon waterfall. We began at the cabin inside the park and hiked up the partially shaded asphalt road to the trailhead, located on the left side of the pavement. The well manicured trail immediately gently ascends and winds through very green deciduous forest. We also crossed a healthily flowing creek, easily hopping over some strategically placed boulders.  

This trail is short, but changes scenery multiple times. After crossing the aforementioned creek, we continued through the forest, alongside sandstone and granite ridges, which rose above the creek bed approximately 100 feet. However, we never overheated, benefiting from the cool shadows cast by surrounding towering oak trees. 

Finally, after a mile of hiking, our hike culminated in the splendid 30-foot waterfall. Each person appreciated the waterfall in his or her own way: walking in the water, taking photo after photo, or simply closing their eyes and appreciating the hypnotic cadence of the rushing water. After a 15-minute break, we began our return home, satisfied by another wonderful escape into the San Gabriel Mountains.

Hike At A Glance

Difficulty Level (1-10): 2

Distance: 2 miles roundtrip from the cabin or 3.5 miles from the entrance station.

Scenery: This hike is heavily wooded and follows a canyon creek the whole way.

Best time to go: Year-round.

Trail condition: The trail is well maintained and fairly wide in parts.

Other considerations: Bug spray may be worth considering, because of mosquitoes and black flies (though they weren’t too bad when we went). Be careful of poison oak! Also, as always, be careful of the typical dangers that hiking in our local mountains present (e.g. rattlesnakes, bees, etc…).

Getting there: Take the 210 to Monrovia and exit north on Myrtle. Take Myrtle to Foothill and turn right (east). After a minute or two, turn left on Canyon Blvd and take that to where it veers right… all the way to Monrovia Canyon Park.   Canyon Park is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  The park is closed on Tuesdays. Weekend hours are from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. To enter the park, it costs $5 per car. More info can be found on Monrovia Canyon Park's website.