I pretty much came here just for the exercise. This area of the San Gabriel River is in back of…read moreBellflower City Caruthers Park in between Cerritos and Downey. Today was like no other, a quite, peaceful environment where I jog up and down the angles of the sides of the riverbed. However, there is more. You can see families and freinds biking down the cement trail or riverbed area. You see joggers quite a bit as well as walkers. Right next to the riverbed is the Cauthers skate park and the apparent horse trail. I saw many skaters having thier fun on the ramps and curves and I indeed saw one horse with a guy wearing a sombrero. There is a little stream at the center of the riverbed with dry concrete at the left and right of it. I can imagine this area is much more wet when rains and storms come in, well duh. Beware, if yousee the water rising you, maybe you should leave. East of this riverbed you can see golfers at the course having fun. Sometimes, I can just stand or sit there and relax with the sound of the water and freeway and ponder deep thoughts. I wish I could exercise here more often, but my next visit may not be for a while.

A 38 mile trail to the Pacific (Seal Beach) begins at the West Fork in the San Gabriel Mountains…read more According to Wikipedia, 19 cities are actually located on this river. Do people even remember that LA is in a river basin? I've read about people complaining that our local rivers aren't real because they're incased in cement but LA used to fear flash floods more than earthquakes before the control channels were built. The peace of mind created lead to a housing boom that paved over the local agricultural and dairy industries. In high school we used to run this all the way to the ocean. Most entrances to the river are now fenced off but I used to walk this path. (It smelled because of fertilizer and pollution.) On one side were Christmas tree lots and greenhouses next to high power electrical transmission towers. Sometimes there are stables instead. Including its tributary Coyote Creek, this is the geographical boundary between Los Angeles and Orange Counties. It would have been nice if the flood prevention dams didn't kill off grassland and marshes. The riverbed is (naturally) normally dry and usually low but that drought-look is depressing. There is often graffiti. Under riverbed bridges where roads overlap I've found personal effects of the homeless but not the people.

First of all not sure why but my directions showed I arrived at my destination just past the last…read morehouse on the right. So I parked. Unfortunately, I was approx. 2.5 miles too soon. Luckily it was a wide fire trail but it was pretty intense!!! Keep driving until the fire road ends. There is parking and a bathroom as well. It's been recently maintained with what looks like fresh gravel. No 4x4 needed. On my way up I was appalled at the graffiti! It's disturbing that punks can't respect nature and also pollute our water. Once you are on the trailhead it's a steady incline on a very narrow trail. But it's pretty well kept and it isn't overgrown much. I only took the path up to the Stone House camp, which stupidly there is no actual "stone house" also not really a camp I could find unless the camp marker was slightly off? But I don't recommend this trail one bit. The beginning of the trail is cleared and easy to hike down. But once you get to the creek it's hell from there on in and back out. The trail literally ends at the creek. I had to cross the creek a few times repeatedly. There are huge boulders and a lot of loose rocks. There are also a lot of downed trees, and don't get me started on the gnats! Plus tons of fire ants, regular house ants, and tons of spiders and spider webs! I had repellent on and the gnats were all over me 10 fold! It was hell trying to swat them away while climbing boulders, climbing over & under trees, and crossing the creek multiple times. The creek was roaring like crazy in places and a tad scary to be honest. In one crossing I lost my balance on a slimy rock and ended up in the creek. I finally decided to turn around, and nearly fell off a section of rocks that must have been part of a landslide, because when I started putting my body weight on them they tumbled down and I ended up cutting my leg on a sharp boulder. Trying to make my way out I regretted ever venturing into this mess. My advice stay on the main trail! I never did make it to the stream crossing, so maybe next time. It's all sun and it's extremely warm so bring lots of water. I did 7.25 miles and drank all my 2L water bladder. Watch out for small snakes that look like long lizards without legs. The one I saw was when I was walking back down towards my car on the fire road. There were a few homeless up there, in their cars with a forest adventure pass. I think they stay there during the day until the trail closes. So be careful.

This location was easy to get to for a quick snow trip. You are able to park on most sides of the…read moreroad but just be careful taking off because alot of the people zoom through the two way highway. Came up on a whim early morning to enjoy the fresh snow. The drive is not too far from riverside so we love going up here spring our winter.

Love it! It's a lot of climbing over rocks but it's great exercise. The best part of everything is…read morereaching the falls and eating a good sandwich. I do notice that many people leave their trash behind in this particular trail. PLEASE TAKE YOUR TRASH! You'll definitely get a good nap after getting home.

Amazing hike that can be very difficult at times especially the waterfall bolder route. But once…read moreyou get there there is a cave and waterfall and peacefulness.

Such a great workout and a great hike for all levels…read more We tend to go right after work around 6ish, and it can get a bit busy, but the overall hike takes us at least an hour, depending on what trail we do. A few of our favorites are the Peter's Canyon Trail, Ridge View Trail, Scout Trail, and the Mountains to Sea Trail. Some can be a bit challenging due to the hills, but after a while you will get used ot it and will see progress, as I did. Great location to get your heart rate moving and to work out in nature. Bring lots of water and comfortable shoes with grip for the steep hills. Also, don't forget to pay for a parking permit to avoid getting a ticket.

My favorite trail for a quick hike…read more I like going early before everyone is there and before it gets too warm. Definitely a safe place to go alone if needed. There's always someone on the trail. Lots of animals see also.. I've ran into coyotes, snakes, birds, roadrunners ... Would definitely recommend for beginner hikers

Great place to hike and enjoy nature. Been here many times and never get enough. There's tons of…read moresnow on the ground and by the water fall at the moment.

Only saw one person get a ticket but that's bc they were blocking a driveway. Lots of people park…read morealong the side of the row and it didn't look like anyone had parking permits. This is a fantastic intro hike it's about 1 mile to the falls and you can make it longer by parking farther down the mountain or hike up farther the trail to go above the falls. Saw a rattlesnake but it wasn't fast or aggressive just watch your step. Lots of foot traffic so it feels very safe. Overall one of my favorite beginner friendly hikes.

Came out from OC as we heard great things about this hike and the hot springs we could get into…read more They do charge $10 per person for parking depending on how many people are in your car. The hike down is beautiful with wide desert views. Just remember: going back up is a workout. Bring plenty of water and be ready for sun. The hot springs themselves are awesome--several warm pools and the cold creek right next to them. It can get busy, but still really relaxing. Overall, a great adventure spot if you're up for a tougher hike. Would definitely go again.

Clean, beautifully maintained. There's a fire pit by each camp site, and except for the ones for…read morebig groups, lots of space for privacy. The hike back from the hot springs is no joke, especially on a hot day if it gets to 80s. It is nonstop uphill for about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your speed. Still gorgeous.

I'm just going to review this place because I only come here for spartan races…read more You would think coming here in January would be really really cold. To be honest it is not. Usually it's pretty warm. When the obstacles force us to run in the lake, the water always feels refreshing. This place can a hold a lot of people especially for such a big even such as spartan race. Navigating here is pretty easy. I seen people go boating, or even canoes. I like coming here, i have good memories here. I haven't come here other than spartan race, but I would visit here to visit. It's very scenic.

Love this place. I come here all the time when visiting Perris. Lots of parking and trails…read more i guess it can be busy on weekends but never experienced the crowd. Great place for family picnics, camping and hiking. Totally recommend it.

This is such a gorgeous pocket of nature to get away from life for a while! There's so many places…read moreto go explore, people are really respectful for the most part so there's not trash on the trails, even people who bring their kids don't let them run around screaming like in some places. Nature is very much respected. It's also absolutely gorgeous! There's little Creeks, tiny waterfalls, the nature preserve itself is stunning, they have an area set up just for little birds to come visit that is beyond adorable, the birds you can come up to you! Well at least they did with us. I've also been to several weddings here, it's a really nice venue. Especially if people put lights up and have a dusk wedding OMG Parking is free, cheaper than therapy, wonderful break from the rat race. This is by far my favorite place in Orange County to just unplug.

Amazing hikes with the whole family…read more Very fun and chill hikes that cross a nice little steam in several areas.

This review is for Ladder Canyon & Painted Canyon Trail which was a ~4.4 miles round trip that took…read more~2.5 hours to complete. Ladder Canyon & Painted Canyon Trail was a popular and crowded hike near Mecca, California. Trail was flat and sandy while you're at the bottom of the canyons. Started the loop clockwise; look for the ladder on your left. Requires a little bit of rock scrambling at this part and some ladders to get to the slot canyons. Trail becomes a bit more rocky with a slight incline towards the top of the canyons. Furthermore, there was a rope and ladder near the end of the loop. Overall, this was unique trail with stunning views throughout the hike! Required to drive on a well maintained dirt road for ~4.6 miles. Low clearance cars could make it; go slow and dodge the bigger bumps as you get closer to the parking. No restroom at the trailhead! Short video of the hike for those interested! https://youtu.be/7HECQHARzvs

I went there on April 6, 2025. There's 7 cars at parking area. I ran into 6 hikers while I was on…read morethe trail. It's quiet and really enjoyed the nature. Gloves and hiking boots are game changers. Last 2 miles are very rocky and sandy, so it's hard to walk. I forgot my sunscreen and sunglasses.