Out for a Ride? Try San Gabriel Canyon

A popular, paved bike/hiking trail that runs 38.6 miles from Azusa to Long Beach is the San Gabriel River Trail.

In places, the trail is speckled (at various times) with fall color, including sycamore, alder, oak and – right now – brilliant red poison oak. While poison oak isn’t something you want to touch, it is beautiful to the eye.

Color spotter Steve Shinn scores a First Report on this route. On Saturday, he rode a 7-mile section of the trail, starting from one of the trail’s parking lots, 14 miles from Azusa, off I-210.

The path Steve took traveled up a gentle grade with “lots of ripe, native Hollyleaf Cherries, some deer, many kinds of birds (Steve saw a Kingfisher working the river), lots of Sister butterflies and others.”

To park, you must have an Adventure Pass on your windshield. Take plenty of water along, as there is no drinking water, just fish, in the river.

San Gabriel River Trail (610′ to 0′) – Patchy (10-50%) – Poison oak are peaking.