Worked on this trail recently with Bear Canyon Trail Crew and had a blast. The trail isn't that difficult with a few stream crossings with shallow water lines in February 2026. The trail has some decent shade in some areas, but a lot of exposed areas as well. This trail is secluded from the outside world compared to Chantry Flats and is a perfect day hike to get away from people. Highly recommend coming early to beat the heat and find parking. A day pass or an adventure pass is needed for parking. Beware of poison oak. There's a lot in this area. Would come back! read more

See all

During a recent weekend backpacking trip with my son and his Boy Scout troop, I enjoyed our first night of camping at Hoegee's Camp on the Loop Trail. As posted in my other Chantry-esque reviews, I've hiked this area hundreds of times, but always with young kids or inexperienced hikers... thus, we end up at Sturtevant Falls instead of venturing into connected trails. This time, we arrived at the Chantry lot around 6 P.M., hung our Forest Adventure Passes on the rearview mirrors, and backpacked with headlamps into the local hills. At the bottom of the asphalt-paved trail from the parking lot-- just as soon as you cross the footbridge, the trail to Hoegee's branches off to your left. A slow but steady uphill climb saw us arrive at Hoegee's camp in the dark of night. Just a few other folks were availing themselves of campsites, so our group of about 15 made camp, and enjoyed a sack dinner. All trash and food was secured in bear cans (which we brought) and a bear box that was found in the middle of camp near the trail. Plenty of bears in the area at all times, so be bear aware. No, actually, you probably aren't very good at creating a bear hang, and you're doing it wrong. Use the bear box! Plenty of water rushing over the nearby spillway for late winter/early spring was a delightful sound as I fell asleep on my not-entirely flat camp spot selected in the dark. In the morning, we awoke with the morning light to a beautiful canopy of oak trees. After breakfast, we tore down camp quickly, and continued up the loop for Spruce Grove. This hike can be completed in a single day, to be sure... but if you want to stretch it into an overnighter, camping here is free for first-come, first-served folks. Do note that there are no restroom facilities at Hoegee's camp-- so you're going nature potty and/or digging a latrine. Please be sure to move far away from Winter Creek before digging your little hole... everyone downstream thanks you :) If you're doing the day loop, there is a restroom at Spruce Grove, but no running water. read more

See all

Excellent hiking trail! Nestled in the Santa Anita Canyon in Sierra Madre, this is good as it gets. Read my review for Chantry Flats! I don't want to write another review, that will end up being redundant. But I highly recommend it, as all the trails up in there. One to go on a hot day, because it's mostly shaded. Beautiful nature environment and lots of wildlife. You can bring your dog, your kids, groups or come w/a buddy. (females should never travel alone - I say this in all my hiking reviews). It's a long one, but an easy to moderate level. Also connect to the more challenging trails like Mt. Wilson. I've exhausted myself in the Chantry Flats review, but it's all true and true to this trail as well. Get the annual pass, because you'll want to come back again and again. Bring lots of water, sunscreen for the open parts, sun cap and crack a smile when you see other folks. Make it a day and plan a picnic (I'd ask the people at the General store what the rules are). I highly recommend getting there early weekend mornings, right before light comes. Embrace it for all it has to offer and Enjoy! read more

See all

I think I found a new hiking trail to trek on! Yahoooo for me! Any other Yelpers are welcome to join me on my hiking adventures! Different sections you'll be passing through: 1) Chantry Flat 2) Gabrielino Trail 3) Roberts Camp 4) Ascend Lower Winter Creek to 5) Hoegees Camground (Plenty of picnic tables and can enjoy a nice snack before heading back) 6) Climb up the South Slope of Winter Creek 7) Trail will eventually descend back to the Chantry Flats This hiking trail is mostly shaded throughout the 5 mile hike and you'll be hiking single file. What's great about this hike is that it's a loop trail so you won't get lost and basically enjoy mother nature at her finest! Along the way, you'll be crossing streams, and be very cautious of poison oak (3 leaves... let it be), stinging nettle, and in the summer... SNAKES!! Side note: I had the chance to bump into Dan from Dan's Hiking Pages and shook his hand! *Two thumbs up* read more

I wanted to do something different and I knew that there were a few hikes from Chantry Flats that I have not yet done. This was my choice and I am happy as can be that I decided to do this hike. However, I am not upset that I didn't go for Mt Zion as well as it would have only been an extra 3 miles, but I have that to look forward to next time. This trail is roughly 6-7 miles from what I can tell. That works well for me. It was also easy going enough that I was able to rock this trail in a lil over an hour and a half. Moving solo on it definitely helped. I also believe that you will travel through about 2000' elevation change, but that is a conservative estimate. As this is a loop you can take the easy or the hard way. Starting off with a short uphill then a long downhill finishing with a hard uphill or the inverse. I went for the inverse. This means I descended the hill that is the start of Sturtevant Canyon and then I began the climb up to Hoegees Campground. You then pass the campground and the Mt Zion exit (only another 1 1/2 miles each way). You peel back and up to the top of the ridgeline passing the Mt Wilson turnoff. Once passed the Mt Wilson turnoff, you begin a descent towards Chantry Flats. This is the perfect area for some trail running if you are sure footed. One side has a precipitous drop, but a 2'-5' wide trail that is mostly rock free makes it an easy jog. The trail has canopy coverage for 4/5s of the route or more. This makes it a great place to go on a hot day. You also will cross Lower Winter Creek numerous times. There are also a couple of pools that you could likely dive into if you needed a bit of a cooling off period. Its also nice that at the bottom of the big hill from Chantry Flats there is a restroom and a second restroom at Hoegees Campground. There are a lot of lush and verdant parts of this trail. A couple of animals were easily spotted on it as well. I saw a bunch of chipmunks and a ton of birds. There may have been others but I didn't see them. This trail is definitely the road less traveled here. I loved that part a lot personally. Especially for the direction that I was headed. I can also see that this is a trail I can do with my daughter but we will need to go in the opposite direction after I have trained her up to going this kind of distance. So get off your couch and check it out one of these days. It is well worth exploring something new. Its also awesome on the descent back to Chantry Flats as you get a brilliant view down Santa Anita Canyon towards it while on the way back. I think you will love it. I sure did. read more

Not our intended hike for the day. We were off to Hermit Falls and followed the little red Yelp marker to the general area that we thought it would be. We ended up at Chantry Flat, a parking lot, picnic, information area that serves as the beginning for several trails. We had already hiked at Sturtevant Falls so we did not want to do a repeat since we had done than one a couple of months ago. Instead, we found a marker that led to Hoegee's camp. I guess if I would have just read a couple of reviews I would have been alerted to the fact that we were only a couple of hundred feet away from the Hermit Falls trail. Next time I guess. The hike was great. A little under 2 hours. A 6 mile loop with great views and a couple of good hills. If you start the loop from the top of Chantry Flat, you have the pleasure of ending up at the bottom of the road. Anyone who has hiked around there knows the final incline from the bottom of the access road to the parking lot is a doozy. I forgot how much I didn't enjoy it the last time I climbed after hiking Sturtevant Falls. It'll humble you. The only thing I didn't like was the discarded water bottles along the trail. Take your trash with you! read more

See all

This hike is a 5 mile roundtrip loop with 1,000' elevation gain/loss. It is a fairly leisurely hike without much difficulty. Parts of it will get your heart rate going, but it's not difficult. The trail itself is mostly smooth dirt without loose rocks. Most of the way is single file. It is mostly shaded and is a peaceful wooded walk with lots of trees and streams to cross. The destination is Hoegee's Campground area. tip - if you want to make it a longer, more challenging hike: once you pass through the campground to continue on, you will see a sign (designating the Lower Zion Trail Junction) and a fork in the trail. If you go left, you will continue on Hoegee's Loop Trail. If you go right, then the hike will eventually take you past Sturtevant Falls (it's worth seeing) via the Gabrielino Trail and back to your starting point for a total of about a 10 mile hike. parking - small lot at Chantry Flats that requires an adventure pass read more

See all

Without expecting too much, we headed out on our venture. Being very familiar with the falls at Chantry Flats, we decided to try something new and hit Hoegee's Loop. Given that it was a pretty warm and sunny day in the early hours of the morning, the choice was spot on perfect. The hike in total distance is just over 5miles round trip. I guess you could say that the descent into Big Santa Anita Canyon is my nemesis. Not going down, but ending a hike and having to come back up that treacherous hill. The great thing about this loop is that you start by heading down into the canyon and end up at the parking lot! You had me at "ending up at the parking lot". For those of you who have done this hike will understand. This is a primarily shady hike with wonderful scenery along the way. The trail is clean, well maintained, and lots of wonderful native plants in bloom during this time of year. The inclines are gradual with a total of approx 1,000 foot elevation gain. Once you hit Hoegee's Trail Camp, take a minute to look around. Some scattered foundation ruins of Hoegee's Camp are still intact. This is a campground with established fire pits, so a neat place to stop if you like backpacking. Hang your hammocks up between the lush trees and enjoy the silence of the forest. It's absolutely beautiful. From here you continue on to Upper Winter Creek Trail which will eventually drop you off at the parking lot. For this alone I was overwhelmed with joy! I can honestly say that this is my favorite hike at Chantry Flats. It is absolutely beautiful. The changes in scenery keep it interesting and fun. This is very doable for the whole family. Parking is crazy on the weekend, get there early or plan on parking an additional mile away in hopes of getting street parking which is very limited. Adventure pass is required and is available on site or at REI / Big 5 sporting goods. Bring lots of water, sunscreen, bug repellent, and a great attitude because this hike is a must do! read more

See all

Yes it's a perfect 5. Definitely the number one spot for hikes in LA. It's about a 5 miler. So don't bother unless you can hang with that. Start at the trail head with all the loud teenagers and mobs of people going to the falls but secretly steer off to the left when you see the bathrooms below. Don't let anyone see you. This is important. Or slowly this trail will become a mess of loud humans and bad blaring music. Killing the beauty of quiet and solitude. It's beautiful. Flowing creeks and small waterfalls surrounded by sweet little cabins. Keep going till you think you are lost and your partner starts having anxiety about bears. The trail is clear to follow but some people start to freak out regardless...city folk. Eventually you will hit the campgrounds. Continue on the path which is also clearly marked. You will shortly come up to a fork with a sign for other trails. STAY to the LEFT. Again you will come upon a fork...STAY LEFT. In fact...if you always stay to the left you will be fine. It will bring you up the canyon and back to the upper parking lot where you started. The views from the upper portion of the trail are fantastic. We only saw a handful of people in the entire 2.5 hours. Some of the trail up top is narrow. It's not for beginners...but they wouldn't want to hike for 5 miles anyway. Bring snacks. And stop to take it all in. Being in the forest is medicine for the soul. read more

Relatively easy 5-mile loop that starts from Chantry Flats. I hiked starting at Upper Winter Creek--I think doing the loop the opposite way (starting at Lower Winter Creek) would be more of a workout, but I'll have to confirm that for you later. The trailhead is up behind the picnic area, attached to a paved road. It's a well-maintained, mstly-shaded trail, but definitely bring some bug repellent because although you can't SEE the creek from the water until you venture into the depths, the gnats are a-plenty wayyy before then. Note: I got there at 9:30am on a Sunday and had to park about a mile away, adding some unshaded trekking to that hike. So, you should be bringing sunscreen ANYWAY, but definitely pack it in if you're not getting there at the crack of dawn (Gates open at 6am). You need an Adventure Pass to park ANYWHERE in that area! If you don't have a yearly one (you can buy them at REI), I advise driving up to the ranger's station, stop in a 15-min spot and buy a $5 day pass, then driving BACK down to your parking spot. Unless, of course, you don't mind adding 2-4 miles of paved, car-occupied road to your hike. UP TO YOU. read more

See all

Great campsite, was just there yesterday (11/3/18). Not too much water in the stream, but enough to pump out for us. The bear and cub referenced by others is definitely still a nuisance. They came back to our campsite and another 2 sites three times after being redirected away each time. We packed out at 11pm because there was no end to the bear approaching us. Wasn't aggressive, but didn't feel safe knowing it's cub was nearby. read more

This hike wasn't as strenuous on my legs and it was on my car. The drive uphill in the heat caused my car to overheat and the coolant valve was blown when I parked it on a 45 degree angle on the side of the road. But I digress... This trail is just a little over 5 miles and the nice part is that, as the name indicates, it's a loop so you just keep going until you get back to the original point. You don't have to turn around and go back the same way. It does get confusing even if you follow the signs. Just ask people around you or you can get clearer instruction at Dan's Hiking Page (No I don't know this guy I just love his site) at www.simpsoncity.com/hiking. That really helped me to not get lost. Most of the trail, fortunately, in shaded but the beginning 0.5 miles or so of the trail has a lot of sun exposure. Wear lots of sunscreen. Hoegee's Camp is located almost at the half way point and is really quite unimpressive. It's a small area with benches and lots of bear warnings. We luckily didn't run into any bears like we did in Monrovia. read more

I was there Nov.11-12, 2016. There is still water in the stream. Beware there are black bears in this area. We had to deal with a momma and cub bear all night long at this campsite. I recommend you bring bear mace with you. read more

Upper Winter Creek to Lower Winter Creek (or vise versa) is also known as the Hoegee loop. It's about 5 miles from parking lot and done in either direction. read more

Hoegee's Loop Trail - Hiking Near Me - Sierra Madre, California

See all

Excellent camp and trail (I recommend the upper winter creek trail for the way back - very nice and avoids the fire road climb back up at the end). Be aware, there is very active bear activity at Hoegees lately. We had a bear can and kept nothing smelly in or near tent. All night, bear tried at the can (made a racket) and came sniffing right around tent and table next to tent. Loud noise from inside tent sent it away (casually, not running), but this kept up much of the night. A very curious and determined bear, never aggressive or bumping tent, but sniffing around it was unnerving. Tree tying food here is not enough, imo - get a bear can and know what to do to let them be curious, but non aggressive (no smells in tent, make noise, always let it have an escape route, maybe have bear spray to feel some defense is available if needed). read more

This place was beautiful. Hike was easy. The only problem was parking. Lot was full and we parked along the rode and some jerk parked right behind us boxing us in for hours. Also they weren't even inside the lines, so we thought no one would park behind us. Make sure and leave room or have a way out. read more

This is my new favorite trail! It's a beginner level loop that is mostly in the shade. 5-6 miles. Since it is a loop you can star either way. We chose to walk down the fire road and followed the trail to Hoegee's campground from there. Stay left on the trail after the camp and you won't get lost. There are cute cabins, streams, meadows and shade. As you get towards the end of the loop, there are gorgeous views of the entire valley from above. We finished the trail in two hours at the top of the picnic area near the parking lot. Next time, which there definitely will be many, i might try the trail backwards. I suggest starting early. Loved it! read more

We used to make drunken, LSD fueled late night hikes to this campground. We'd always claim the enclosed campsite with the stone chimney and make a fire that was way to big, then pour Coleman fuel down the chimney directly onto the fire. Good Times! read more

We chose this hike and campground for our first backpacking trip because the hike is fairly easy and the campground is easily accessible. The campground is about a 3 mile hike in from the Chantry Flats picnic area (get in early--the parking lot is full before 7am) and most of it is a very, very gentle incline. The campground is large enough that we had no difficulty finding a spot and was perfect for beginners like us because there were 2 or 3 troops of boyscouts there to help us when we were struggling. There is a (disgusting) pit toilet available for use and we did have to use it because there are no other good spots nearby. Bring your own toilet paper or wipes. Now here is the important part: if you're new or not good at bear bagging, BRING A BEAR CANNISTER. There is a bear locker on site but it is small and was completely full even though the campground was less than half occupied. The boyscouts helped us hang our food using a counterweight system, but even that's not foolproof. There are ropes and paracord remnants hanging from several trees where the bears have brought down hanging food. We had a bear visit our camp for most of the night and try to get into our pots and pans (because they weren't hanging with our food), so be very sure to not have anything smelly in your tent. Other than the bear, though, I thought the trip was a success and would recommend it. read more

An amazing hike for all types. Nature at its best and a beautiful reward at the end of your journey.