It's an enjoyable trail, or more like a neighborhood stroll to get your exercise in. It's not a…read moresuper charming park, but it's accessible if you're looking to have a quick workout. It is mostly paved walkways and a sandy road, for you to walk through. The trail itself is about 3.3 miles long, but honestly...only the first mile and a quarter is worth the walk. It is very dry or desert-like in the middle. There's not much to see in between that stretch. And your foot and knees will hurt walking on the paved walkways. There's also many cracks and raises along the path, so may be challenging for anyone with mobility or may need wheelchair access. Street parking mostly and as of the time of this post, the sidewalk entrance is closed, so just walk through the grass.

An easy 3.3 mile out and back trail in the city of Duarte. The trail is popular to bikers and dog…read morewalkers. I noticed all dogs are on leash, which is very good. The trail is separated from the busy street so its safe to walk around and enjoy the park. Lots of shaded walk way. Nice view of the mountains as well. Family friendly.

What's up: First time here! I didn't know about this place, but our group picked this place to have…read morea hiking event on this beautiful Saturday. Parking: Street parking on Cloverleaf Dr. We got there around 8 am and there were plenty of spots along the road to park. Environment: There are a handful of trails to choose from. The one that we went on had a bit of a steep incline and decline, but it led us to have nice views of the surrounding area. Since it rained recently, everything was so green and pretty! Our route eventually led us to the fire road which we then followed to exit at Highland Pl. We followed the streets back to where we originally parked on Cloverleaf Dr. There are no restrooms along the trail. Yay/Nay/Meh: Yay. This was a nice hiking location and it wasn't too far from the city. You'll get nice views when you get to the top but there wasn't much shade along the trail.

Monrovia Hillside Preserve provides 1,416 acres and 4.5 miles of trails for the community, per the…read moreCity of Monrovia's website here: https://www.cityofmonrovia.org/your-government/recreation/wilderness-preserve However, the City's website is woefully outdated since the Sleepy Hollow entrance has been blocked off and marked with "No Trespassing" signs. In addition, two other entrances are surrounded by "Residents Only" parking signs. The Ridgeside entrance is not marked at all and is only accessible via an easement at 873 Ridgeside Drive (stay on the pavement). I definitely get the vibe that the locals did not really support this preserve, unlike other Foothill neighborhoods such as Glendale and La Cañada that take great pride in preserving the beauty of their natural wildnerness areas. In addition, the Preserve is pockmarked by parcels of private lands. You will be walking along a trail and all of a sudden there's a sign advising you that you may not proceed because you will be on private land. Very disconcerting. Worst of all is the complete take-over of non-native plants. An invasive plant/native plan restoration program seems to be absolutely nonexistent here. This is all the sadder because the Preserve is home to a federally-endangered flowering plant. Lots of invasives, unfriendly neighbors and challenging parking are big problems; however, the land and views are stunning. Monrovia has a gem here but does not know what to do with it.

I ride this trail several times a year. Don't like to start at the dam, as I don't care to pay for…read moreparking. Generally I will begin in El Monte and head for the beach, but sometimes ride up to the dam from there and then down to the beach. The trail itself is well maintained, clear of debris and even graffiti. There is very little shade, but several spots to stop for water. When it's warm at the beach, you can expect a headwind as you turn back inland. Great numbers of egrets, herons, geese, and some picturesque riparian areas. Mostly it's long and smooth and free time of traffic.

I'm a runner that has been up and down various parts of the LA River Bike Path.... one day I…read moredecided to do a loop from various overpasses along the LA River to mix things up from my usual out-and-back routes. On my loop back, I happened upon the San Gabriel River Trail (connected via the Rio Hondo). Aside from realizing I was horribly lost (who does that running along a river?!), my time spent running along the concrete paths and by the small but quaint parks and various homes or factories was pretty serene. There is a ton less graffiti along this path that the nearby fork heading to the LA River... which honestly can be a little boring at times, although it gives you an idea that the path is relatively safe during the daytime. Watch out for cyclists... even if you are running against the flow of traffic (left side so you can see who is coming towards you) they will usually get pretty annoyed or yell at you, though I have no idea why since there's a lack of "no runners allowed" signs.

Great quick hike up to "sunset bench" ... a little less than 3 miles round trip (2.67 miles)…read more Entrance as others have mentioned is tricky to spot. Go up private looking drives with a few mailboxes out front. Brick pavers and a beautiful mid century modern home on the right is the entrance area.

Well maintained trail, it's a short hike with a steep uphill climb for a good part of it…read more It was a clear day so you can see all the way to DTLA! There's plenty of deer around so don't bother them and keep your distance. Parking on the street, be mindful of the neighborhood steet signs as the entrance to the trail is very suburban.

This is the trail if you're looking for a crazy non stop incline. The entire trail is a 11 mile…read moreround trip. There are some parts that are gravelly. Be very careful to avoid injury. Should wear hiking shoes with traction. There's no shade so make sure you bring a hat and wear lots of sunscreen. Insect spray and net are high recommended. You will see army of Gnats flying everywhere. You will hit 3500+ elevation and it's a great trail for if you want to build that leg muscle and burn more calories. Pretty straight forward trail just one way up you will see a split when you're near the top. Make sure you make a right and a quick left if you're going towards mount bliss. Parking: I usually park at Encanto Park and walk towards the trail, about half a mile down.

Great hike since the beginning straight to business I would recommend to try this hike bring lots…read moreof water

This is such a cool center. Went here for their water day…read moreand it was a great event for my 4 year old. She had fun with all the water activities they provided. They had it organized well for a small crowd. They have a lot of services and information available for the community. Definitely gonna keep checking in for future events. Definitely want to check out a biking event soon.

We participated in the SGV Lovebirds bicycle ride from this community center to Whittier Narrows…read morerecreation area. You had an option to bring your own bicycle or borrow a free El Monte electric bicycle. The ride was 17 miles roundtrip along the river bike path. We had a great time and it was well organized.

I write this review exactly 25 years to the day from hiking it. I had to make sure it was perfect…read more No, actually, I am just checking my journals and discovered on April 12, 2000, I hiked the trail. My journal says something worth sharing: "Went to Monrovia Canyon Park and hiked the Ben Overturff Trail*.  There was a little waterfall. Took pic.  There was also a little rattlesnake, a baby that I almost stepped on.  Turns out baby rattlesnakes are more deadly because it's like venom concentrate.  I could tell it was a baby snake because it had a rattle." Point is, watch out for rattlesnakes, especially the babies.

Maybe more of a 3.5 than 4 stars…read more Location- I like that it isn't too far to get to (at least for me)...conveniently located near the 210 & 605 fwys Parking- $6 fee; rangers don't open the gate until 7 am on weekends but you can park down in the residential area for free and walk a little less than a mile to access the trail and start it earlier *btw this is the same entrance you use to do the Monrovia falls hike We parked near the Trask Scout Reservation sign (see attached pic) and there is a paved road with a sign that says authorized vehicles only...we took that steep road up and passed the dam and got to the trailhead about a mile later. You can pick either of two trails at this point (see attached pic). The one to the left which we took has little stone columns to pass through and is a narrow somewhat steep trail that you stay on for about 2 miles until you reach an area with other trails connecting and we opted to go right and it had an arrow with the word bathroom and that led us back down to complete the loop on the wider fire access type of road so we did the loop clockwise and it took us back down to the trailhead (I used the All Trails app). You then take the same road down past the dam to the parking lot Distance- 6.7 miles RT Elevation gain- about 1,600 ft Duration- between 2-3 hrs Difficulty- moderate

I've been on this trail a few times and really enjoy it. Only issue is there are some homeless…read morewalking around occasionally but they don't really bother you, although I would still be careful. Bring sunscreen and a nice bike and ride all the way to the Santa Fe Dam. Would recommend! Easy bike trail.

We've ridden our bicycles a few times here starting off from the Gold Line Duarte station. The…read moreroute is in good condition but what I do not like is the homeless trashy encampments that are an eyesore to what should be a nice clean safe environment. Another issue is there are hardly any places to pull over nearby that you can relax and eat, drink, or enjoy the cities business districts. They also lack signs at the cross streets you go under informing you where you are at, the cities could do better.