Today's adventure is a hike in the San Gabriel mountains to

Fish Canyon Falls!

So we drove out the 210 freeway to Irwindale, CA. We drove north through Irwindale to the small town of Duarte right there at the foot of the mountains. We found the Fish Canyon trailhead right next to the Encanto equestrian center near the mouth of Fish canyon. Unfortunately for us the mining company, Vulcan materials, who are mining at the actual mouth of the Canyon had blocked off the old original trail that went directly up the canyon bottom and had diverted the trail to climb WAY up and over Van Tassel ridge before dropping back down into the canyon. It made the hike quite a bit harder, but the views from the ridge were actually pretty darn nice.

Sign at the Fish Canyon trailhead

Climbing up and over the ridge

Blooming Lupin and Black Sage

Overlooking Fish Canyon from Van Tassel ridge

From the ridge we dropped WAY back down into the lush green canyon bottom. We found a bunch of old ruins from the people that used to live up there back in the early 20th century. We kept hiking up the canyon. It was really quite beautiful... the stream, the cliffs, the wildflowers, little waterfalls and pools here and there, and the lush greenery contrasted with cacti and chapparal. Then all of a sudden we came around a hard bend in the canyon and there it was... Fish Canyon Falls!

Poison Oak along the trail... remember 'leaves of 3 let it be'

Bull Thistle flower

Virgins Bower aka the "Fluff balls"

A sign with some history of the canyon

More history...

One more sign about the history

A staircase hiding in the lush greenery

Prickly Pear cacti flower

We made it to the falls!

Fish canyon falls is a beautiful 5 tier 100+ foot tall waterfall!! (Ignore the reports of it being 4 tiers and 80ft... I've been to the top and there is a 5th tier that you cannot see from the bottom of the falls.) We hung out by the falls all day, enjoying the beauty, swimming in the pools, and jumping off the rocks into the water! ...Eventually the time came and we had to make the hike out. It was so nice and peaceful there by the falls it was hard to leave. But we had to go. We headed back down the canyon passed all the old ruins. Climbed back up and over Van Tassel ridge and back down to the trailhead by the equestrian center. Putting an end to yet another spectacular adventure!