This place is pretty cool! Nice way to get off the beaten path and take in some nature. There is absolutely no cell service here, so I was happy I was able to meet up with my friend without any issues. There's a decent amount of parking, but I would imagine it fills up during peak times. There's a couple of trails and we chose the one that meandered along the river. There were a couple places where people had stopped to fish as well. I think there's a waterfall, but we didn't go that far. It was pretty cloudy when we visited, but I don't think there would be a lot of shade on the trails when the sun is out. Still a pretty nice hike! read more

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Update this is for the west Azusa river not the east Azuza river. Attached is a photo of the east Azusa river read more

Azusa River Wilderness Park - West Azusa River, not the east Azusa River. - Hiking Near Me - Azusa, California

At the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains is a pathway into the canyons, bordered by towering cliffs and twinkling streams. It's the first right turn before you enter the national forest. Unadorned and easy to overlook, it's perhaps the most uncomplicated way to access the natural beauty of this area. Before you go, you need to prepare by...doing absolutely nothing. No Adventure Pass needed. Parking is free, marked by sizeable signage saying El Encanto. It's the remnant of a restaurant built in the 1920's that ceased operations about 20 years ago. A well-maintained trail curves gently down the canyon. On the descending path, you'll be accompanied by the bubbling river, lofty mountain views, and in typical LA fashion, colorful graffiti. It's an easy 2 mile hike round-trip with moderate elevation change. Though it says no river access at the trailhead, you'll actually end up right next to the river for the latter portion of the hike. The trail ends in a quiet oasis, sleek gray stones of assorted shapes and sizes protruding above the water like a floating zen garden. The Azusa Wilderness Park is still in its nascent stages of development by the Watershed Conservation Authority, a local public entity dedicated to planning and maintaining open spaces. Expanded trails, dining services, and interactive nature experiences are part of the plan. Exciting as all that is, for the moment, simplicity also carries its own tranquil charm. read more

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Definitely a 4.25 star trail. From a 5 mile to a 10 mile long trail - for walks, jogs runs bikes, skating- etc for individuals to groups ... and family outings... the scenic views are gorgeous...inspiring. from low to higher elevation, the trails are clean and encouraging. The river flows can be heard and seen. As the trail advances up north, less and less people and homes can be seen or heard...Just nature... as a runner, I was drawn to the beauty of the sounds and scenery. Along the way, wooden gateways lined the trails, rest stops along the way and up to the turn around point. Only thing missing is restrooms but I can see why. Have fun enjoy. Parking can be done at the wilderness point ...Last stop by north or park along the roadway , along the housing track. read more

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This is the bottom of the trail, had a lot of fun hiking near "the bridge to nowhere"

This is a great view of the San Gabriel mountains the river is right next to you and it is only about a couple miles there was a landslide but it was cleared you are supposed to go in the water but you can reach it very easily read more

Azusa River Wilderness Park - The river right below the ledge - Hiking Near Me - Azusa, California

I went on 05/10/2026. The road entry to the park is closed (Old San Gabriel Canyon Road). We tried to enter in our car but we were forced to turn back because the road was closed. I looked on the website on http://www.wca.ca.gov/ saying it's closed on Feburary 2025 until further notice due to a mudslide. I will update if I am able to get in next weekend or some day I am able to go into the parking lot. read more

The hike is beautiful. It was the first time I've felt the energy from the mountains, the wild life is stunning, and driving further north east deeper into the mountains is worth the trip. I highly recommend if you have children/grandchildren or wanna take the friends out to clear their head and reset the mind for the week, bring them here. read more

I loved it, quiet and beautiful place! Best for summer gatherings, river walks, hikes, etc. read more

Azusa River Wilderness Park - River - Hiking Near Me - Azusa, California

Very relaxing and beautiful hike! I have 25 people joining this hike. We enjoy the plants and water streams.

Be careful of snakes here. Quiet and a nice wide hike. I would say it's more of a leisure/challenged walk than a real hike read more

Easy hike that's not crowded. It's a 3 mile trail out & back, but only hiked about a mile before I turned around. Great for kids & dogs. Will hike again to finish the loop. You're able to see the river, but there is no access down. Plenty of parking at the start. The center before this has public restrooms, but it only has hand sanitizer. read more

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Truly a hidden gem! I say hidden because the entrance is not marked from the road and I had driven by many times without knowing this park existed. The trail follows the San Gabriel river up the canyon but does not provide river access. It's well maintained for hiking purposes, not too strenuous, but keep an eye out for landslides. Parking is free in the parking lot. Perfect trail for solo, friend and family hiking and especially for nature lovers. read more

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What beauty and a great place to explore nature it has a lovely bike trail that goes all the way from Aziza to the borderline of Los Angeles County and Orange County read more

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Nature at it's best love coming here to forget the city and enjoy nature to its fullest mountain trails to taking a swim in the river it's a great place for adventure seekers read more

Beautiful site! It has been cleaned up and graffiti has been removed which is much better! Met lots of nice people! read more

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Amazing review! No Wi-Fi but its amazing to go clean your mind off and have some quality time with family and restore your thinking.

Great place to go in Los Angeles after a rainy season and guards were very informative. However many things blocked off due to danger July 1,2024. read more

Azusa River Wilderness Park - Even partially disabled now I was able to maneuver to a nice spot to decompress from all this CA healthcare stress. River not passable. - Hiking Near Me - Azusa, California

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Beautiful hike trail! You can hear the river the entire way. It's very peaceful and not too crowded.

Now, you may have heard of BBQ Becky, I have a new name to add to pantheon of folks who go over board on authority and make no apologies for being block heads. I call him "ATV Larry" and I see that he was mentioned in a post earlier doing the EXACT same thing he did with us. Well, my wife and I decided to try a new place to hike in Azusa Canyon and found this wonderful gem. We arrived around 3:45p or so and began the hike. It's an easy one, pretty straight forward just keep on the fire road. But be warned, you will come to a fork in the road that is paved.. do not go down the paved road. It is private property. Just stay on the fire road. As we came to the fork we looked down to see a couple of guys with fishing gear and a guy driving on an ATV. My wife and I are thinking "hey this is like an outdoor paradise" we can come fish or just ride ATVs, this is a real cool place. Welp, what we were actually watching was ATV Larry kicking out the fishermen of his property and telling them that he was calling the sheriff. We thought that it was odd but it did not involve us so we moved on and continued our hike. Well, about 10 min later like a bat outta hell, ATV Larry rides up to my wife and I to tell us that the "park is closed" and "he called the sheriff" and we better "get out and not get wrapped up into it". I said okay fine and he looked at me and said "all right, you said Ok so turn around start moving out" and he then waits for me to turn and walk before he grinds down the trail on his ATV. Would you know it! The LA County Sheriff truck arrives right as we were making our way back into the parking lot. At this point, my wife needed some clarity and walked up to the Sheriff to ask when the park was closed and the Sheriffs say at sundown. Of course, ATV Larry is leaning next to the truck door looks over at us and agrees with the sheriffs nodding his head saying yea it closes at sundown! Wow! What a knucklehead! We told the sheriffs that ATV Larry was telling everyone that the park was closed and left it at that. ATV Larry is not a park ranger, he is not a sheriff, my assumption is that he is a property owner or the care taker of the private property along the river. So sure, I get that he is protective of the property but he goes overboard thinking that he has some authority over people in a public park. He has no authority to kick people out of the park especially when it is 4:50pm way before sundown begins! Just remember, if you see his ATV a-commin' just give him a wave or a friendly nob but don't think for a minute he makes the rules on when the public park is opened or closed. Would give this place 5 stars if it wasn't for ATV Larry ruining our first time experience at this beautiful park. read more

Azusa River Wilderness Park - ATV Larry - Hiking Near Me - Azusa, California

Anyone know how to get here EXACTLY ? My dad would take us here when I was younger and I want to go now but don't remember I asked him but things look much different than they did 20 yrs ago so his description doesn't help much . read more

Azusa River Wilderness Park - Hiking Near Me - Azusa, California

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Short hike :) but nicely if you don't want to walk too much and still Enjoy . There is loose dirt and rocks to get to the end of the hike . Must be very careful read more

Azusa River Wilderness Park - With my boys . Short hike - Hiking Near Me - Azusa, California

Love this place! It's heaven! The fact that there is no phone service is a plus. Definitely a beautiful place! Pick up after yourself! Family friendly! read more

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The Azusa River Wilderness park is a bit of a misnomer. It isn't really a park. There is NO ACCESS to the river and the trail that is referenced is compromised due to landslide from the rains this fall and winter. My suggestion is to instead try the East Fork Trail only a few miles down Hwy 39. You can access the river there. read more

Today and the last couple of times we been here, it is extremely packed. So much so, that there were road blocks and police not letting people drive past Camp Williams. There's also lots of trash in and around the river. And the restrooms, really disgusting. read more

Really enjoyed this hike. The parking lot is free and the hike runs along the river with awesome views of the canyon. Seemed like they were working on the trail when I went and looks like they have future plans for expansion. Very peaceful. read more

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very short and quick hike, the hike does state that there is no river access and to go to the one with river access you have to continue onto the highway but when we got to the end there was a small section with the river. very hot and very little shade, it's all dirt as well. read more

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I was here today and maps does not show it closed. There is a barricade and the park is closed !!!! Dec 31,2020 read more

We drove out as a sort of spur of the moment trip and unfortunately the wilderness park was closed. We continued driving through the canyon and it was very beautiful with great views. You can pull over at certain areas and admire the dam. As we drove further down there was a small creek area where we saw people gathering. read more

The view was beautiful. The owners (?) or employees working it were quite rude. We had walked not even a quarter mile into the hike and were told to turn back by an older man and woman on quads. When we asked why, they said "we're closing! Read the signs." We never saw a sign coming in about the times so we trusted what they told us even though they were rude in how they said it. We turned back and on the way out we looked for signs that had the closing time on them. Struggled to find one until we finally got to the very front entrance where there was a small piece of paper that said "July 4th - closed at 4pm." ...they kicked us out before 3pm even though they weren't closed until 4. I would understand if it were closer to 4 but they made us leave when we had a full hour left of time to spend there. It was just annoying and a disappointing way to leave there, especially with it having been my first time. Quite a bummer. read more