Sturtevant Falls

Sturtevant Falls, Sierra Madre California

Sturtevant Falls is located a few miles North of Sierra Madre California in Big Santa Anita Canyon. The Canyon looks like something straight out of a storybook. It’s filled with cabins, oak trees, rambling brooks, stone walls and picturesque cabins.  If you’re lucky, or unlucky depending on how you look at it, you might even run into a black bear. If magic really exists in the world, you’re most likely to find it in this canyon.

The hike to the falls is approximately 4 miles round-trip from the parking area at Chantry Flats.  The trail to the falls is wide, well maintained and usually very busy.  Chantry Flats also serves as the starting point for the Mount Wilson trail, the Mount Zion trail, the Gabrielino Trail, Hermit Falls, Hoegees Camp, the Spruce Grove Camp and the Santa Anita Canyon Loop. Sturtevant Falls is one of the few waterfall hikes in Southern California where pets are permitted, so the trails here attract everyone from families to hardcore backpackers, but most of the casual hikers confine themselves to the Sturtevant Falls trail.

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Monrovia Canyon Falls

Monrovia Canyon Falls

Monrovia Canyon Falls is definitely worth a visit. The hike to the falls is less than 2 miles round-trip and suitable for hikers of any ability. The falls are probably around 40 feet tall, but they’re fed by a spring so you can visit in the middle of summer and not be disappointed. I would definitely recommend doing Monrovia Canyon Falls during the week to avoid the large crowds and the LA “hikers”. I put "hikers" in quotation marks because I'm always a bit skeptical about anyone on the trail sporting a Raiders football Jersey, a teardrop tattoo, or a switchblade. The last time we made this hike, we had the place to ourselves and it was gloriously peaceful. Nothing ruins a hike faster than a gaggle of screaming teenagers drinking Coors Light and blasting Nickleback from a set of blown-out iPod speakers. You probably won’t be able to make a whole day of Monrovia Canyon, but you can easily see Monrovia Falls in the morning and then drive 5 miles west on the 210 and hit Hermit Falls and Sturtevant Falls in the little town of Sierra Madre. From the 210 Freeway in Monrovia, exit Myrtle Avenue, drive through Old Town Monrovia to Foothill Blvd, turn right, go two lights to Canyon Blvd, turn left, drive through residential area for about 1 mile staying to the right, turn right into Canyon Park at the 3-foot-tall sign. To avoid the $5.00 parking fee or to hike after hours, drive to the intersection of Canyon Drive and Ridgeside Drive (approximately 100 yards short of the Canyon Park three-foot tall monument sign). The park entrance is about half a mile from here. You can find parking just below this intersection along Canyon Drive. Pay careful attention to any ‘no parking signs’. Be aware that the curbside parking fills early on most weekend mornings.

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