2/7/13: Santa Anita Creek's East Fork

[blueshammer]

From Chantry Flat, I took a stroll up the East Fork in Big Santa Anita Canyon. There were plenty of people on the trail to Sturtevant Falls, but not a soul was seen in the East Fork.

11:30: Started the walk from the half-full parking lot, descending to the canyon bottom.

11:50: Reached Cabin 67 at the bottom of the canyon. Tom Bombadil was not around.


Turning right, I crossed the creek.


As I went forward, a distinct trail on the left permitted me to go above the cabins.


12:00: After dropping down from the check dam, I went upstream. The trail might be hard to find; you can pass through the foliage on the right. Saw a leaky hose on the creek. Also, instead of dealing with the boulders on the creek, it's easier to keep to the right and to climb up with a faint trail.



12:15: Once at the stream bed again, I encountered the first major barrier -- boulder city. It wasn't difficult to climb up them, but just be careful you don't fall down and break your crown.


After passing the boulder barricade, I kept on going.



12:35: Reached a cascade/water fall.


After lunch, I went above the falls via a somewhat crumbly/rocky path on the right. Use your hands, please.


Once above that cascade, I poked around for a few more minutes before hitting my turnaround time at 1pm (had a prior engagement in the afternoon). Be careful climbing down the boulders.





The return was equally nice. Saw the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue walk by to assist an injured hiker towards the Sturtevant Falls. The only negative thing was the discovery of a tick on my shoulder a few hours later. Next time I'll keep going and see the big waterfalls that were further ahead.

[Hayduke]

nice TR, looks like a fun trip

[shreddy]

Awesome! Thanks for the description. This little side trek is on my list. Could you have gone further or was it the time that made you turn back. I imagine at some point of the canyon one needs special gear?

[outwhere]

Thanks for posting this Blueshammer! Such a lovely area...

That's what's so wonderful about the San Gabriels --- you have areas like this [essentially west of San Gabriel Canyon] and then not too far away, you can get into some nice/more 'alpiney' areas like in Ice House Canyon etc etc...

[blueshammer]

Awesome! Thanks for the description. This little side trek is on my list. Could you have gone further or was it the time that made you turn back. I imagine at some point of the canyon one needs special gear?

I could've gone further but for the time factor (and the joy of saving the 75-foot waterfall for a later trip). It really didn't take me long to reach that first cascade/waterfall, so a return trip should be easily accomplished.

I imagine at some point continuing up the East Fork would require special gear, but I didn't reach any such point. The only areas of concern were the large piles of boulders that had to be climbed,

and the crumbly, rocky path that goes above the cascades,

but hands and feet (and exercising care) easily sufficed.

Have fun out there! And be on the lookout for ticks.

[shreddy]

Thanks B-Hammer. I figured at some point one would need gear. I will check this area out soon. Helpful to have the pics you provided.

I didn't think one would have to watch out for ticks this time of year, but alas ... caught one in my hamstring last week on the Santa Anita Ridge. Thanks for the reminder!

[PackerGreg]

It sounds like you may have read my trailhead description on the pack station website. The cascade and pool was known simply as "the swimming hole" for many decades. After the big February 1969 flood, the canyon bottom was pretty well scoured, and for years the canyon folk frequented the area in the warm months. It was considered "clothing optional" in it's heyday.

Glenn Owens, author of Heritage of the Big Santa Anita, told me that cabin 67 was inhabited for a time in the late 70's - early 80's by a "family" of Hare Krishna that "walked around jingling the cymbals on their fingers". They got busted growing pot in the East Fork.

Too bad you had to turn around. You were very close to Adams Falls.

The canyon bottom was smooth sailing from '69 to '77. A wet 1978 winter loosened much material and more substantial rains in '83 provided large obstacles, but it was still manageable. It was the Jan & Feb 2005 floods that put the East Fork in its current condition.

There are still long, recognizable and easy to follow remnants of the old Spring Camp trail, which started behind cabin 55 (the foundation of which can be seen across the creek, above the check dam, as you enter the canyon), but this was built to skirt Adams Falls, not bring you to them (two drops from two watersheds comprise Adams Falls).

[blueshammer]

Finally got around to visiting Adams Falls properly on 6/12/13. PackGreg was right, it's about 30 minutes past the swimming hole/cascade pictured above. I stupidly deleted my pictures by accident while they were uploading to my computer, so only about 1/3 of my pics made it to my computer. Unfortunately, the latest picture I have of the East Fork is this one taken about 15 minutes before reaching Adams Falls.


From car to falls, it took about 1.5 hours to reach the big falls. In the four months since I visited the East Fork of Santa Anita Creek, it's gotten a bit more overgrown. Again, be careful with climbing up/down the boulders. The water level this time is very low. Also, liberal application of Deet is recommended, as I thought I saw plenty of ticks hanging on bushes (though they could've been ants; couldn't tell in my haste).