Switzer Falls, La Canada Flintridge California

Lower Switzer Falls

Switzer Falls is one of my favorite hikes in the Los Angeles Area.  Most people just hike to the lower falls, but you can actually climb the lower falls and head upstream to the base of the upper falls which is among the best waterfalls in the Los Angeles area. The entire hike is around 7 miles round-trip to the upper falls, but it can feel tougher than that because the return trip is mostly uphill.

To reach the trailhead from the 210 in La Canada Flintridge, take the

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Trail Canyon Falls, Sunland California

Trail Canyon Falls trail. Sunland, California

After several years of being closed, Trail Canyon Falls is finally open again.  With some nice weather in the forecast, I decided to drive up today and check it out.

 The last time I visited Trail Canyon Falls 2 years ago was a disaster. The trail had been neglected for several years after a large forest fire and was nearly impassable because of thick vegetation and flood damage.  We took several wrong turns, forcing us to walk upstream in the creek at a time when the water levels were unusually high and the currents truculent in the best of places. We never did make it to the falls, giving up when we were less than a half mile away. To top it off, we were attacked by a 4 foot long rattlesnake on the return to the car.

 I was pleasantly surprised this time around to see that the entire 3 mile trail had been completely repaired.   Even the parking area for the trail had been restored and widened.  

To get to the trailhead from Sunland, follow Big Tujunga Canyon Road North for approximately 4 miles to a small dirt road on the left side labeled on most maps as North Trail Canyon Road.  Turn left and follow North Trail Canyon Road for ¼ mile to the parking area.  

From the parking area you follow a wide gravel road through the locked car gate and up the hill, passing by a few sporadic cabins. There are 1 or 2 signs indicating the waterfall is ahead.  After a half mile or so, you will descend back down the creek and come to a small junction in the trail. The left hand junction dead ends after a hundred feet at some abandoned farm equipment and the ruins of a small cabin. Take the right hand junction and continue to follow the creek. The trail is wide, well maintained and quite obvious. You will have to make several small stream crossings. Another half mile in and the trail will cross to the left of the creek and you will gradually ascend to the top. This part of the trail is moderately strenuous, completely exposed to the sun, and probably inappropriate for small kids.  After gaining a 1,000 feet or so of elevation above the creek, you will round one last corner and the waterfall will come into view.  The waterfall is about 50 or 60 feet tall situated in the middle of the canyon. From the other descriptions I've read, it flows for most of the year, regardless of the rain. The climb down from the trail to the top of the falls is relatively easy. There are a few cool spots to take some pictures at the top of the falls. Getting to the bottom requires some effort and a willingness to get dirty. I put my hand on a tree branch to steady myself on the way down the cliff face and was promptly attacked by a swarm of biting red ants. The canyon floor was also overgrown in a few places with those stinging water nettle plants, so watch where you put your hands.

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Falls Creek Falls

Falls Creek Falls

Falls Creek Falls is a seldom visited waterfall in the Los Angeles Forest about ten miles north of Sunland. The waterfall has five tiers and is over 120 feet tall. The trail to the falls features several smaller cascades that are great for photos. The trail starts on the left side of the road about ten miles North of Sunland on Big Tujunga Canyon Road. The entrance and parking area is less than a mile north of the Big Tujunga Canyon reservoir overlook at a locked gate on the left hand side. There is ample parking room for at least 5 or 6 cars. The Trail was an old road called Falls Creek Road which was closed in the 1980’s due to weather damage. From the locked gate, there is approximately 2 miles of a steep descent on a wide road with loose gravel and a few patches of weeds and boulders, but nothing too difficult. The trail is cut into the mountain and you get a beautiful view of the river as you hike down into the canyon. We ran into a small green snake on the trail, but he slithered off when he heard us coming. After a mile a half, the waterfall will be visible from the trail. This is your only opportunity to photograph it in its entirety because the upper tiers are not visible from the base of the falls. In addition to the main 5 tier waterfall, you will pass 2-3 other small cascading waterfalls on the trail. Once you reach the the creek, you leave the trail and hike about a half mile downstream through wide flat part of the creek to the base of the falls. We opted to avoid jumping on the rocky shoreline and walked in the creek with the current. The creek was quite calm and had a sandy base which made it easy to walk in. The base of the falls is less than half a mile downstream. The last 100 yards of the hike may require some tricky footwork on the loose stones and little bushwacking, but the reward is definitely worth the effort. There is a small pool at the base of the falls which is about 2 1/2 feet deep and a bit too small for swimming. Even though we’ve had almost no rain this month, the falls were really flowing hard. From the base of the falls you might be tempted to climb the canyon to get a better look at the upper tiers, but I would not advise attempting to do any climbing without bring some serious rock climbing gear because the cliffs are sandy and loose. The hike back up to the car was the only tough aspect of the hike.

There are several other waterfalls located in this canyon which I have not explored.

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