Big Santa Anita Canyon

Good hike with a lot of stream crossings (01/26). Parked along the road near the parking lot and was ticketed. Dozens of other cars parked along the road but we were the only car 30 mins after sunset. Displayed an America the beautiful pass to no avail.

The trail to the waterfall was not too hard. Nice view with the sounds of water since your walking alongside the river

I got here on a weekend while it say's it was open and ended up doing a 10 mile hike to Mt. Wilson. While on the trail you will pass the old Stuevant campsite i think i used it as the halfway mark, i recommend using stuff on your skin to keep bugs off because while i was almost there theres a part that has bugs that will just fly around you and bug making you want to go back but i managed to just get past them and make it to the end. It's a long trail but it isn't too dangerous. Theres a part where you'll probably be at a ledge and i thought the whole thing was kind of hidden but it's really cool to adventure through. The way back is way simpler and faster i think. And oh right after the ledge part theres a few places you could go in the water and relax for a while if needed. You could bring sandwhiches & also; theres no trash cans or litter anywhere.

We went on January 4th 2025 during the holiday season, so there were many cars. Even though parking was paid, there were no available spots. We had no choice but to park along the roadside and walk a long distance. We challenged ourselves to walk along the cycling trail. Later, we saw others doing the same, but unlike them, we completed the entire trail, which took us 4 hours. It’s worth noting that this is a one-way trail, so you must return the same way you came. Along the way, you can see traces of past wildfires. As you get closer to the top (the circular structure), you’ll barely see anyone, and the silence becomes unsettling, especially as the sky quickly darkens around 3 PM. We ended up running downhill. Families with kids are not recommended to take this trail, as it requires significant perseverance.

We did Sturtevant falls trail which is about 3.6 miles out and back from chantry flats parking. The first .6 mile of the trail is a steep pavement road which can be a bit challenging while coming back from the hike. Rest of the hike is really pleasant with minimal elevation gain and is shaded throughout. Falls at this time (June end) have less water given the rains this year. But the pool is quite refreshing. Parking here is a headache. We reached around 11 am and had to wait quite a lot to get a free parking space. People had parked on the road way before the actual parking starts. So I would suggest reaching here super early or later in the afternoon when most of the crowd is going back. Overall, a very nice hike. We had 3 kids with us aged 6, 4 and 2.5 yrs. The elder ones had no problem walking the entire trail. We will definitely come back when there is more water to the falls.