Fish Canyon Falls Anniversary Hike - June 21, 2015

One-year anniversary of the New Access Trail through the Quarry

For many years access to one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the San Gabriel Mountains was dreadfully thwarted by a huge quarry operation at the mouth of the canyon. That inextricably changed on June 21, 2014 when the new access trail built by Vulcan Materials opened to the public.

Prior to June 21, 2014, easy access to Fish Canyon was only on select Saturdays when Vulcan Materials shuttled hikers through the quarry. They began the access days in April 2005, and prior to that, easy access was hit and miss, or hikers could climb a horribly grueling trail up and over Van Tassel Ridge.

On the grand opening day last June, I was a part of history as I joined scores of others who hiked the new access trail into Fish Canyon to launch the new era. Read about the 2014 grand opening here. What a long-awaited gift it is that we can now hike to Fish Canyon Falls seven days a week, 365 days a year!

So today I hike to Fish Canyon to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the access trail. I’ve also been hiking to Fish Canyon once a month this year to experience the canyon in the full cycle of the seasons.

I drive the short distance from my home in Azusa and am the first one to pull into the trailhead parking lot.

7:00 AM - Begin hike. I have a full schedule for the day, so my pace is strong. The temperature is pleasant but it’s going to be near 90 today. The canyon is in full shade with the sun starting to land on Van Tassel Ridge. The heavy quarry equipment sits silent. A goal today is to photograph a sample of every plant species in bloom. Almost immediately a giant blazing star is my first subject. Next are the white flowers of mule fat, white sage, California buckwheat, cliff aster, and laurel sumac. Next are the yellows with mustard, golden yarrow (transition to the riparian trail), brittlebush, and deerweed. Then some wild Canterbury bells (purple) and sticky monkeyflower (orange).

7:15 - Cross the bridge into the national forest. The flow of water in the creek is meager. I love the beauty of Fish Canyon and the freshness of the morning. Spring is behind and the weedy grasses are yellowing. The City of Duarte recently received a grant to hire a temporary trail crew to do some maintenance and improvement. Portions of the trail reflect their work. Holly-leaf cherry shrubs are full of green fruit (unripe). A pile of bear scat indicates a meal of cherries. It’s sad that some mature white alders in one section of the creak have died. Their leafless branches are reminiscent of winter. There is not much in bloom. I snap pics of blossoms on elegant clarkia, tree tobacco, oleander, yucca, eupatory, wishbone bush, agave, heartleaf penstemon, dudleya, scarlet larkspur, toyon, and narrow-leafed bedstraw. A lone occurrence of Botta’s clarkia/farewell to spring is fitting as summer arrives today at 12:38 p.m.—the summer solstice.

At the spiral staircase, the trail crew has cut a switchback to bypass it. I’ve enjoyed solitude the whole way. A man and women are not far behind me so I keep a pace to stay ahead.

7:52 - Cross the main creek. It’s bone dry. The trail crew has trimmed back the mule fat on the east side of the creek making passage easier. The presence of graffiti is saddening. The blackberry patch has been suffering damage and deterioration over the last number of months and I don’t why. The rare Dudleya densiflora is in full bloom but I snap a picture only from the trail as I press on to the falls. There is an eerie silence as I approach the falls.

8:02 - Fish Canyon Falls. I’m eight minutes slower than my hike on that historic day one year ago. It always feels kind of strange to be standing here at Fish Canyon Falls in silence. No water falling. No noisy voices. Just the sound of mosquitos and birds. I snap a shot of creek monkey flower (yellow). There is only a small stream of water wetting the face of the 80-foot waterfall. Tadpoles swim around the green pool. I enjoy my aloneness for two minutes before the man and woman arrive. In another ten minutes a dozen more people arrive. I photograph the growing amount of criminal vandalism which is spoiling the beauty of this special place. I don’t linger long since I have a full day in front me.

8:30 - Leave the falls. The canyon is in the sun now and photographing flowers and scenery takes on a different light. I take a side jaunt to visit Darlin’ Donna Falls, as is my custom, but about half way along the two-minute route, a beautiful spider web blocks the path, strung between the leafy foliage of eupatory. A splendid spider sits in the middle of his finely spun web waiting for breakfast. I don’t have the heart to destroy the web nor trample the vegetation to get around it. So I turn back. The stream is flowing nicely so I know that Darlin’ Donna is flowing too.

As I pass Old Cheezer Mine (the location of the matilija/ dudleya interpretive sign), I encounter a line of hikers coming up the trail. And they keep coming…it’s like a long freight train. I ask what the group is and they say they are a Chinese hiking club. They hike every Sunday. There are more than 100 of them today. It’s great to see so many people experiencing the outdoors. But I always wonder how people can enjoy being with such a massive group in a long narrow line. I’m not wired for that kind of outing unless it’s waiting for a coaster ride at an amusement park.

I continue down trail enjoying the sun and the beautiful scenery. As I get near the end, I hear voices down below at the creek bottom. I soon can see a good size group down there and wonder what that is about. As I approach the location where the trail meets the creek, I see a line of hikers emerging. I find out that they had gotten separated from the rest of the Chinese group and took a wrong turn. I don’t know how far they followed the creek, but as they return to the main trial, some of them head back to the trailhead…they have had enough of Fish Canyon for the day.

I cross the bridge from the national forest and follow the year-old access trail through the Vulcan quarry. Others are just beginning their hike. I can tell it’s going be a hot day and am glad I beat the heat.

9:56 - End hike. That’s a pretty short Fish Canyon visit for me. There are 46 cars in the parking lot and it’s about 78 degrees.

Epilog - What a blessing to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the access trail and a new era! In spite of withering vegetation, dead weeds, and meager water flow, this was a most pleasant outing. And what a treat to experience the cycle of the seasons and the natural course of the plant communities.

History in the Making - One Year Ago ACCESS TRAIL GRAND OPENING: On Wednesday, June 18, 2014 the new access trail was dedicated, and Saturday, June 21, the trail opened for public use. Read about the Dedication and my Hike to Fish Canyon Falls on Grand Opening day.

Vandalism - One year ago I wrote that I was somewhat concerned with what may happen to this pristine canyon. The massive quarry operation that guarded the mouth of Fish Canyon was a blessing and a curse. The curse was that it restricted access to this beautiful canyon. The blessing was that it restricted access to this beautiful canyon! The quarry’s presence helped protect the canyon from overuse and abuse. Now one year later, we see despicable elements of our society destroying the beauty of Fish Canyon. These criminal vandals comprise only a fraction of one percent of those who visit the canyon, yet they ruin it for everyone. We as a society somehow need to stand in united resolve and vigilance against the onslaught of senseless destruction. Note: I don’t publish photos of the graffiti because I don’t want to give notoriety to the vandals. Sometimes I digitally remove the graffiti from a photo so as to display the scene without showing tags.

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See Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages (including a link list for my other blog posts for Fish Canyon)

See Plants in Fish Canyon at Dan's Hiking Pages
(including links to various plant resources)

 See Waterfalls of The San Gabriels at Dan's Hiking Pages

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Fish Canyon Falls Hike - May 17, 2015

My goal this year is to hike to nearby Fish Canyon Falls at least once a month to experience the full cycle of the seasons. A strong rain on Thursday and Friday provided a strong incentive for hiking to Fish Canyon Falls this weekend for my May visit. I love hiking after a good rain. Everything is fresh and the aromas are wonderful. When I hiked it on April 19, the canyon was showing the effects of a drought year. Now I’m eager to see what the rain was has done.

I decide to walk to the trailhead from my home in Azusa to add a couple extra miles of steps toward the Walking Challenge at work. After meandering through quiet Sunday morning neighborhoods, I enjoy picking a route across the wide San Gabriel River wash. I arrive at Fish Canyon Road near the junction of the stables. I turn right a walk the final quarter mile to the trailhead. A host of others also have in mind to hike Fish Canyon as the parking lot is nearly full.

8:55 AM - Begin hike. It’s cool and cloudy. The heavy equipment of the Vulcan quarry sits silent. My pace is earnest. I immediately begin to take pictures of flowers. My goal is to photograph a sample of every blooming species I encounter today. As I transition from the fenced corridor to the riparian section, I’m delighted to hear the creek running briskly.

9:12 - Cross the bridge into the national forest. I continue at a moderate pace and shoot flowers as I go. I’m a happy to see several occurrence of Plummer’s mariposa lily in bloom, which I did not see in April. The recent rains have freshened up things nicely. There is a fair amount of foot traffic coming and going, including a large hiking group. The temperature under cloudy skies is quite pleasant but it’s humid.

A family passes me heading down and the lady has two fits full of picked flowers, including an entire dudleya plant. I explain to her that removing material from a national forest is against the law, but she behaves as though she does not understand English. As they walk away the man turns and says to me that she needs the plants for medicine. Oh, ok, it’s perfectly fine to violate federal regulations as long as the actions have medicinal benefits. Makes sense to me. Perhaps a name change is in order: Angeles National Pharmacy. And some dog owners also think that the federal, state, county, and city regulations requiring dogs to be on a leash don’t apply to them.

There’s a traffic jam at the spiral staircase as several groups converge coming and going. I take the side jaunt to Darlin’ Donna Falls and find it to be flowing nicely.

10:32 - Cross the main creek and am happy to see it flowing. In April it was dry. I am delighted find buds on the rare Dudleya densiflora starting to form. As I get near the falls, happy voices are amplified by the sheer canyon walls.

10:50 - Fish Canyon Falls. Wow, the rains really did give it a kick. It’s flowing better than it was on April 19. About 18 people are here enjoying the setting. I relax, take pictures, and chat with various ones. Hikers come and go. I love this place. So many great memories here. The overcast sky makes for great lighting to photograph the falls (full sun causes harsh shadows). The increase in graffiti is sickening. A couple mallard ducks land in the pool. That’s cool! I’ve never seen ducks here. They soon fly away as a young man decides to take a swim in the frigid water.

11:55 - Leave falls. The sun is now peeking through the clouds. I enjoy the beauty of the rugged canyon. After the creek crossing my eye catches some movement on a rock near the creek. It’s a massive bird sitting there. He is still now. I want to see it move more but I don’t want to throw anything at it. As I walk back and forth along the trail, I can see his head rotating to follow me. It has to be an owl. Amazing! I don’t recall ever seeing one in all my years hiking in the San Gabriels. Continue along, I look down and see a small snake slithering across the trail! Cool! I should catch it and offer it to the owl. Oh, I’ll let nature handle itself.

I continue along just relishing this amazing canyon. The weather is perfect. I chat with various ones I meet. There are lots of people on the trail today yet I enjoy spans of solitude. I spot several more species in bloom that I had not seen earlier. While I am looking at a plant, a lady and man I met at the falls arrives and she asks about the spinney fruit things she’s been seeing along the trail. I introduce them to wild cucumber. We walk down the trail together and they seem to be eager learners as I point out various plants. We’re startled to encounter a large snake crossing the trail in front of us. It’s a beautiful goffer snake. We watch in fascination as he slithers up the steep bank and disappears into a hole. What a treat!

1:38 - Arrive at the bridge. I say good-by to Steven and Nyra as I linger here longer. I pick up a phone message and learn of a family emergency. My pace is quick now as I make my way through quarry.

2:03 - End hike. The parking lot is still quite full. My wife pulls up in the car and off we go.

Epilog - What a thoroughly enjoyable hike! Perfect weather, post-rain freshness, beautiful canyon, lovely wildflowers, snakes and birds, flowing creek, majestic waterfall, pleasant conversations, some solitude, great exercise. What a blessing to live so close to such a marvelous natural resource. I dedicate this hike to the memory of my father-in-law, Ed Straub, who passed away the next day.

 Like Fish Canyon Falls Facebook Page

See Fish Canyon Falls Hike Description at Dan's Hiking Pages (including a link list for my other blog posts for Fish Canyon)

See Plants in Fish Canyon at Dan's Hiking Pages
(including links to various plant resources)

 See Waterfalls of The San Gabriels at Dan's Hiking Pages

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