This morning Cecelia and I hiked the
Open Door Trail to Azusa and Glendora Peaks. This path starts at the Church of the Open Door in Glendora. Park in the church's overflow lot, which is directly across from the trailhead.
You cross Hook Canyon channel, then pass by a check dam built in 1970.
The trail is mostly steep, with 50+ switchbacks climbing a ridge behind the church.
A few benches offer places to rest and take in the views of the valley and surrounding hillsides.
In between the steep switchback sections, a couple easy sections run flat along straightaways and gentle bends.
After 1.1 miles we reached the ridgetop motorway and Azusa Peak.
Another couple was sitting on the summit bench already. The man played a flute occasionally. They were locals from Glendora.
Cecelia and I scrambled down the north side of the peak to find a view of the Crystal Lake Area. Snow covered all the higher peaks above six or seven thousand feet elevation.
The cloud deck hung around eight thousand feet, just above Iron Mountain.
After a snack break we checked the weather radar. Heavy rain was expected in a couple hours. This left enough time to grab bonus points on Glendora Peak.
The singletrack to Glendora Peak is in fine shape, not overgrown like the last time I was up there.
It sprinkled a bit on our way down, but didn't start pouring until we got home.
