The Gabrielino Trail is a United States

National Recreation Trail The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

that runs through the

Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County in southern Calif ...

with trailheads at Windsor Avenue in

Altadena, California Altadena () ("Alta", Spanish for "Upper", and "dena" from Pasadena) is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in the Verdugo Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, approximately 14 miles (23 km) from the downtown ...

on the west end and

Chantry Flat Chantry Flat is a designated "Recreation Area" within the Angeles National Forest, about three miles (5 km) into Big Santa Anita Canyon, and is closely associated with the towns of Arcadia and Sierra Madre, CA. The flat itself houses a large ...

, just north of

Arcadia, California Arcadia is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, located about northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. It contains a series of adjacent parks consisting of th ...

, on the east. It passes through three major watersheds and has an elevation gain/loss of .

History

When several existing trails were renamed to make a "new" 28.5 mile (45 km) trail in 1970, in compliance with the

National Trails System Act The National Trails System is a series of trails in the United States designated "to promote the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nati ...

, the Forest Service announcement read as follows:

Directions

The trail winds its way from Chantry Flat, through Big Santa Anita Canyon past Sturtevant Falls and Sturtevant's Camp, then over Newcomb's Pass into the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. The trail meets the river at Devore Campground then follows the watercourse upstream to West Fork Campground. To this point, the Gabrielino Trail has been tracing the

Silver Moccasin Trail The Silver Moccasin Trail is a trail located in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles. It begins at Chantry Flat Recreation Area above the city of Arcadia, California, traversing upward and down through several canyons and along the ...

. It is across the stream from West Fork Campground that the Silver Moccasin Trail heads up Shortcut Canyon for the San Gabriel High Country. To continue on the Gabrielino Trail, travel west to the head of the West Fork at Red Box Saddle near Mount Wilson. This is the trail's highest point. From Red Box, the Gabrielino continues westward down the Arroyo Seco through Commodore Switzer Trail Camp, Oakwilde and Gould Mesa Campgrounds, and emerges from The Arroyo at the

Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is a federally funded research and development center and NASA field center in the City of La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Founded in the 1930s by Caltech researchers, JPL is owned by NASA an ...

. The entire route of the trail was declared open in a press release by the Forest Service August 27, 2018 Due to the 2009 Station Fire, part of the Gabrielino was closed by the USFS including the portion of the trail between Switzer down to the Arroyo Seco. With the help of a joint project from a variety of trail groups including the Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association (MWBA) and CORBA, the reopening of the trail was announced August 27, 2018.

Facilities

Potable water is available at the Chantry Flat trailhead and at Red Box Saddle, but otherwise one must boil or filter the stream water. Very little cell phone service along the entire route. The following is a list of Forest Service facilities along the route of the Gabrielino Trail, east to west: * Chantry Flat Picnic Area *Cascade Picnic Area *Spruce Grove Campground *Newcomb's Pass Picnic Area *Devore Trail Camp *West Fork Campground *Valley Forge Campground *Switzer's Picnic Area *Commodore Switzer Trail Camp *Oakwilde Campground *Paul Little Picnic Area *Niño Picnic Area *Gould Mesa Campground *Teddy's Outpost Picnic Area

References

External links

Map with elevation gain of the Gabrielino TrailHiking guide for Gabrielino Trail
{{coord, 34, 15, 49, N, 118, 02, 35, W, display=title National Recreation Trails in California Angeles National Forest San Gabriel Mountains Altadena, California San Gabriel Valley Protected areas of Los Angeles County, California

History

Directions

Facilities

See also

References

External links