Eaton Canyon Waterfalls Hike

Decided to do another waterfall hike since everyone loves it!

This walk has a flat nice trail for 1/2 the way. After that, you'll be walking on a riverbed with lots of rocks. You'll have to use your hands on parts of the trail--if you don't like this, you can turn back anytime. Easy to find your way back. You'll have to do some stream crossing--may get wet. Must have good shoes! Beginners in decent shape may be able to do this walk since it doesn't have any elevation gain. Bring water.

In addition to the stream crossings, there may be a few more minor obstacles involving a mini-climb here or there along with unforeseen detours. Eventually after about a half-mile or so into the canyon, the trail ends right before the Eaton Canyon Falls. The overall length of the trail is about 1.5 miles each way (or 3 miles round trip.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Eaton_falls.jpg

This flat, rocky trail parallels a seasonal stream and will appeal to families and explorer types who don’t mind scrambling over boulders and forging their own way from time to time. I intended to hike the 4-mile waterfall trail when I arrived at Eaton Canyon Natural Area in Altadena on a sunny Saturday in April. When I checked in at the nature center, however, I learned that the northern part of this popular path was closed due to mudslides and washouts caused by the January and February rains, and there were no plans to begin assessing and repairing the damage until late spring. Because the park was packed with cars, I decided to investigate what all these people were doing there anyway. As it turns out, there was a rattlesnake festival going on in the nature center, and it was brimming with reptile-loving kids and their parents. But a decent number of visitors were also making their way to the stream that leads to the waterfall. Thanks also to the earlier rains, it was going at full force and made a great place to splash around and have a picnic on the surrounding boulders. You can also forge a decent 2-mile hike along the western side of the stream; it requires some scrambling over boulders and debris left from the rains, but is relatively easy to navigate using the parallel stream as your guide. This path has little shade and is best done in the late spring or early summer, before the weather gets too hot. Before setting off, stop at the nature center for a trail map and a guide to the canyon’s native plants, which include honeysuckle, laurel sumac, coast live oak, toyon, yucca, prickly pear cactus, and Matilija poppy. Eaton Canyon was badly burned in a brush fire in 1993 and the slopes and flats are still recovering. A fire ecology brochure available at the nature center explains how the area’s native plants regrew following the fire.

http://www.ecnca.org/information/directions.html

Give yourself extra time due to limited parking. May have to either park in dirt lot there or on the street.