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Discover an easy-to-reach waterfall just outside the L.A. foothill community of Sierra Madre.

The rustic city of Sierra Madre, just east of Pasadena, has long been a departure point for hikers seeking exercise and solitude in the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains. That part of the mountain range, known as the "front range" of the San Gabriels, rises quickly from the edge of the city, and contains a number of awesomely steep canyons and plunging ridges.

Sierra Madre has two departing trails, the historic and precipitous Mount Wilson Trail (once used to haul the earliest instrumentation up to what became the world-renowned Mount Wilson Observatory) and the more modern, easier, Bailey Canyon Trail, which gives access to a small waterfall. Typical users of the Bailey Canyon Trail are hikers, runners, dog-walkers, and parents with kids. Mountain bikes are not allowed.

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To get to the Bailey Canyon trailhead, exit from Interstate 210 at Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia and go north into Sierra Madre. Proceed to Carter Avenue, turn left, and drive west into Bailey Canyon Park, which features parking spaces and a small, shady picnic area.

From the end of the parking lot, head west and pass through a gate. You'll be walking on a paved service road upward past a Passionist Fathers monastery on the left, and a debris basin on the right. The road plays out, but you continue on the trail up along Bailey Canyon's often dry bottom. When you come to the split where the Bailey Canyon Trail (bound for a high point called Jones Peak far above) diverges right, stay to the left, following the sandy canyon bottom. Take care to avoid exposure to poison oak. In a few minutes you'll come to the end of the line for easy hiking. A "dike" of dark, intrusive igneous rock, squeezed between lighter granite walls, lies ahead. This natural barrier forces any water flowing in the canyon to plunge about 15 feet over a precipice. The waterfall trills like a bird only after significant rain has fallen. That could happen anytime this month through about April.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

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The rustic city of Sierra Madre, just east of Pasadena, has long been a departure point for hikers seeking exercise and solitude in the adjacent San Gabriel Mountains. That part of the mountain range, known as the "front range" of the San Gabriels, rises quickly from the edge of the city, and contains a number of awesomely steep canyons and plunging ridges.

Sierra Madre has two departing trails, the historic and precipitous Mount Wilson Trail (once used to haul the earliest instrumentation up to what became the world-renowned Mount Wilson Observatory) and the more modern, easier, Bailey Canyon Trail, which gives access to a small waterfall. Typical users of the Bailey Canyon Trail are hikers, runners, dog-walkers, and parents with kids. Mountain bikes are not allowed.

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To get to the Bailey Canyon trailhead, exit from Interstate 210 at Baldwin Avenue in Arcadia and go north into Sierra Madre. Proceed to Carter Avenue, turn left, and drive west into Bailey Canyon Park, which features parking spaces and a small, shady picnic area.

From the end of the parking lot, head west and pass through a gate. You'll be walking on a paved service road upward past a Passionist Fathers monastery on the left, and a debris basin on the right. The road plays out, but you continue on the trail up along Bailey Canyon's often dry bottom. When you come to the split where the Bailey Canyon Trail (bound for a high point called Jones Peak far above) diverges right, stay to the left, following the sandy canyon bottom. Take care to avoid exposure to poison oak. In a few minutes you'll come to the end of the line for easy hiking. A "dike" of dark, intrusive igneous rock, squeezed between lighter granite walls, lies ahead. This natural barrier forces any water flowing in the canyon to plunge about 15 feet over a precipice. The waterfall trills like a bird only after significant rain has fallen. That could happen anytime this month through about April.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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