My second time doing the stairs here is how I found them…read more Number of stairs- 9 Sycamore Glen to Redwood Dr.-this staircase is not in Fleming's Secret Stairs book, Walk #1, though they could have easily been part of the route. 60 steps Elmwood Dr. to Redwood Dr. 98 steps Redwood Dr. to Tamarac Dr. 81 steps up then 19 steps down Tamarac Dr. to Glenullen Dr. 86 steps Glenullen Dr. to Cherry Dr. 99 steps Cheviotdale Pl. to Capinero Dr. 44 steps La Loma to Cheviotdale Pl. 54 steps Cheviotdale Pl. to Cherry Dr. 43 steps La Loma to Evergreen-this staircase... Hope it helps It's around two miles.

I decided to give the Secret Stairs a visit after a tip from Yelp! There is just something charming…read moreabout a neighborhood network of stairs. The stairs serves well as an easy hike or an exercise spot for those who love stair climbing. One thing I did not expect is that the stairs go up and down. Rather than take you higher and higher, some of the stairs just takes you across hills which for me is disappointing. Also, I did not find the houses along the trail particularly scenic. They are probably nice for Pasadena but definitely a far cry from what you see in nearby Arcadia, San Marino, La Canada, etc. Overall, I consider the Secret Stairs a local attraction. It's a worth a visit if you live less than 20 minutes away and its a fun neighborhood novelty but it's definitely not worth your time if you don't live in the area. Parking: I parked on the street on Elmwood which is the beginning of the trail, but I don't highly recommend it. It's not a particularly well maintained street and it is super narrow and steep without proper curbs/sidewalks. There is also a sign that says 'Tow Away on Red Flag Days'. Refer to the affixes picture. If I returned, I would either park on the street prior to Elmwood or just skip to a different segment.

(From 2022) Was here last year and had the day off highly…read morerecommended place for a walk/hike and water I'm commonly the "person" (one of them) witnessed at the top of the waterfall most of the images during my trip this last time were shared on various "check ins" here One thing I noticed is that this time there wasn't as many face masks on the ground so it appears that the volunteers are doing an excellent job at removing all of the random trash

Eaton Canyon is a popular destination, especially in the spring when wildflowers bloom…read more Not much water right now. Go after a rain and you will see a wonderful waterfall.

Excellent hiking trail in Pasadena area. Well maintaoned. We went early and avoided all the crowds…read morethat we ran into at the end of our 2 hours in and out.

A super lowkey trail that's perfect if you just want to get some easy steps in. Keep in mind that…read moreit's not very shaded so wear sun protection accordingly!

Brookside Park, Pasadena, CA., was hosting another vendors filled event a few months ago. This was…read moreanother Community event I learned via my professor from taking a technology course at PCC this 2024 year. The Pasadena City came up with this event honoring the victims of a hate crime that did take place some time ago. Vendors were friendly to talk to and generously shared a lot of their business swags with us attendees. This was a complimentary event as well as parking. My professor's booth called 'Peace Over Violence,' was handing out this super cute Brown Peace Bear, and it was my lucky day, I got one. I named her after Amazon tablet, 'Alexa.' What a great cause I supported this was!!!!

Spanning over 6 acres of land, Brookside Park is a wonderful place for day trips & family…read moregatherings. It's home to Jackie Robinson Baseball Stadium, has two softball diamonds, a multi-purpose field for flag football & soccer, a small stage with seating, an aquatic center, numerous picnic tables, and three play areas. At the center of the park is the Rose Bowl. The Gamble House is at the South end and the Brookside Gold Course is to the north. Kid Space Museum is also located here. Music Festivals such as Cruel World, other big events, and the monthly Rose Bowl Flea Market also take place. Another main attraction is the 3.3-mile loop trail that goes around the Rose Bowl & Gold Course. Occasionally, I'll come here for an early morning run and I'm here once a year to participate in Pasadena Human's annual fund raiser - the Wiggle Waggle Walk. The park is spacious and there is plenty of room for vendor booths, demonstration areas, and doggie costume contests. Participants have the option of walking the 3.3-mile loop or the one-mile route around the multi-purpose field. The park is nicely maintained as are the restrooms and parking is plentiful.

THE RESERVOIR IS FULL OF WATER =============================…read more Eight inches of rain in November of 2025 has really filled up the Devil's Gate Dam Reservoir. It's really nice walking or riding bikes over the dam and seeing the pretty scenery. You can access the roads and trails via the intersection of Oak Grove Drive and Berkshire or the multiple access points on the east side of the dam.

Devils Gate Dam is one of those places that feels straight out of an urban legend. Getting there…read morewas half the fun - a little hike, a little adventure, and then boom... you're face to face with this massive rock formation that legit looks like the devil's face carved into stone. Creepy but awesome. The tunnel itself? Yeah, definitely has that "horror movie" vibe. Dark, echoey, and unsettling enough to give you chills -- in a good way. I was honestly surprised it didn't smell musty or gross inside, which made exploring it even better.

A little bit of everything for people, dogs, horses etc. my favorite part was the horse ranch…read more There's fly fishing though the pond appears empty and archery too. Scenery was nice, dry basin overall. Had a good time walking around with dogs and people alike.

The trailhead is located at the north end of the San Pasqual Stables parking lot. The Lower Arroyo…read moreis also a tourist attraction and park that's good for kids and dogs. Walking, hiking and jogging are the most common recreational activities in the Lower Arroyo. Connecting many miles of equestrian trails, the Lower Arroyo trails are permitted for mixed use by foot traffic of humans, horses and dogs. No bicycles or motor vehicles are permitted in the area.

he grassy open areas, shady tree-lined paths, and landscaped garden spaces make it feel peaceful…read moreand scenic--even on busier days. It's clean and family-friendly, with plenty of room for kids to run around and for dogs to stretch their legs (on leash). The walking loops are great for a casual stroll or a longer walk, and there's a nice mix of open lawn and shaded areas to relax. Be aware that it can get packed on weekends--especially midday--so if you're looking for a quieter visit, heading over earlier or on a weekday helps. Overall, it's exactly what you want from a neighborhood park: pleasant, clean, and easy to spend a couple of hours in.

The city recently remodels the play structure! It's much bigger and the kids love it…read more Also, this place is ideal place to take photos (family, engagements, kids, etc.) It does get crowded at times, especially during the weekend. They also have open fields where you can play catch or have a picnic. They have some pave roads where kids can bike, scooter or rollerskate. They also have tennis courts on the side of the park and they also have lessons for those who were interested. Unfortunately, they recently implemented charging non residents during the weekends. I don't support this charge since public parks should be for everyone. Whether or not you are living in the city. Other than that come to visit during the weekdays when it's free!

Love this neighborhood park. Nice place to meet up with friends, have a picnic or go on a walk. The…read moregazebo's need to be better maintained. There's spider webs under every table and lots of leftover trash from parties but we've always found parking. Just warning it's next to a baseball field so you're risking a fly ball by parking on that side rather than next to the playground

Arroyo Park is a lovely park in South Pasadena. We went for our friends' baby shower and took over…read moreone of the gazebos, and it was a pleasant, relaxing venue for a big group that included several small children. Parking seems like it could be annoying, but we got lucky with a spot right by the party. The gazebo area was nice and spacious, with tables and benches and plenty of room for kids to toddle around. My only complaint is there were a lot of greedy bees coming after our tacos, but no one got stung. The playground was great. Our three-year-old had a blast, as did his little friends. We don't live in the neighborhood, but if we did, we'd get a lot of use out of this park.

This place is the jackpot if you like birding and bridges!! Bare with me bc I'm about to share a…read morebutt load of pics! I think this hike may have been the most pics I've ever taken in one sitting (well over 350 - but I'm not sharing that many ok lol)!! This is a very easy hike - it can be as long or as short as you want it to be. We did about 6 miles. And it's almost completely flat - AllTrails says 160 feet but my AllTrails recording logged 230 feet - either way it's minimal. There are some optional stairs that have neat views as well. A lot of the trail is rocky and bumpy, and there was a ton of mud bc of all the rain - but still easy. And there's a little trail construction going on but it's easy to maneuver around. It's also a very busy trail. We arrived right before 8am and there was a moderate crowd - not too bad. But by 9am it was pretty packed. Luckily the trail is very wide so it's easy to keep your distance and not feel like you have someone on your heels constantly. There are some really great features on this hike - all sorts of surprises in all sorts of nooks and crannies! There's a huge archery range - who knew?? It's well marked so it easy to stay out of the way and safe. There weren't any archers when we started but tons had assembled when we were leaving! I'll be coming back to watch them next time bc it's such a neat range! There's a "casting pond" which was so totally random and I'd never seen or heard of anything like it before!! It's a huge, shallow "pond" of sorts, with these rings scattered around - I'm guessing it's for people to practice their casting techniques for fishing. The water was super clean too! And the birding - omg don't get me started on the birding wow!! I'm an avid birder and this place was heaven for me! I even managed to catch one of my life-list birds here!! Huge day for me (my fellow birders will understand lol)!! A female Red Shafted Northern Flicker!! Not to mention the Yellow Rumped Warbler, California Scrub Jays, tons of Lesser Goldfinches, Mallards, and House Finches, and even an Oak Titmouse!! It was a smorgasbord of birdies!! Totally unexpected for such an "urban" hike. And then there's the bridges...soooo many bridges concentrated in one area - like 5-6 bridges!! And they're all beautiful - especially with the mountainous backdrops! You can even walk under most of them. The most famous is the Colorado Street Bridge - aka "Suicide Bridge" - kinda cryptic but everyone seems to call it that so you desensitize. You can also walk on this one, which I highly recommend bc it's a true beauty, from above and below. There are numerous trail options along this huge route - looks like it links up to the rose bowl loop too. It's easy to find and has a dirt parking lot - it definitely filled up fast (was full by 10am) but again, it was a Saturday morning. I'll definitely be back anytime I'm needing to do some serious birding!

I've been on a little running kick in 2021 and on a search for more interesting routes near my…read morehouse, I discovered the Lower Arroyo Seco. I've always preferred running on a trail versus cement, so I was so happy to find a soft trail to run on that's not too far from home. I've been twice now and it appears that the trail is an out and back, although there are some river crossings (I think that's what you would consider them) so perhaps you can veer off and make things a little more interesting. I love looking up at the Colorado Street Bridge and getting a change of scenery--Pasadena really is a special place. While you're definitely out in nature, you're also spending a lot of time looking at a wire link fence and the cement river bed. Still, I like that this place is flat (running in the mountain trails near Pasadena seems, well, challenging) and I actually like that there are a fair number of people around since I've grown increasingly fearful of snakes and wildlife as I've gotten older. I've only come on weekdays so it's really not too busy, but do be sure to bring and wear your mask as you will see other people there. There's a parking lot onsite but also a few entries from the street (Arroyo) if you're on foot. I've always run here from my house so I haven't tried the parking situation, but this is a pretty quiet neighborhood and it seems like you could park on the street and walk down if the parking lot was full (although, you might just want to opt for some other sort of excursion if it's that packed during COVID times).

I've lived in LA for years and somehow never realized you could kayak the river until a friend…read moresuggested trying LA River Kayak Safari. We booked a weekend morning tour, and it ended up being one of the most unexpectedly fun things I've done in the city. I was a little nervous at first since I'm not super experienced with kayaking, but the guides were patient and gave clear instructions before we got on the water. Once we started, it felt calm and surprisingly peaceful. We even spotted birds and fish along the way, which I definitely didn't expect in Los Angeles. The whole experience felt safe, well-organized, and relaxed. It's such a cool way to see a different side of the city. I'd absolutely do it again.

This is the only place in Southern California, except for the Kern River and it's not worth it…read more When I was in College, during the Summer I worked as a White Water Rapid Class V Instructor on the North Fork of the American River. If you look that up or really want to raft, take a drive up to Northern California for some excitement- you are able to do Class III, Class IV, or Class V, including an overnight rafting trip. It's not exactly like "A River Wild," but it can be if you're not experienced. I grew up river rafting with my Daddy all the time and have been on more than 300 trips in my lifetime. It's one of my favorite activities, but it's boring and lame in SoCal.