2 min
Overview
Hermit Falls is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Southern California – a beautiful trail takes the hiker through the lower reaches of Santa Anita Canyon to the top of 30-foot tall Hermit Falls, where you can reliably find cliff-jumpers, swimmers, (and unfortunately, taggers) on warm weekends throughout the year. The trail itself is right next to our very popular and highly-recommended Santa Anita Canyon loop and for experienced and energetic hikers it’s easy to combine both routes into one trip – or at the very least visit both Hermit and nearby Sturtevant Falls for a wonderful day hiking experience. This route begins at the often crowded and more-often overcrowded Chantry Flats parking area. If you are hiking this on a weekend be sure to get here as early as possible to avoid having to add miles of hiking along the road to your trip. The nearby Adams’ Pack Station offers some spillover parking in a private lot, but there’s an additional cost ($10 at the time of writing). Once you’ve secured your parking spot and displayed your Adventure Pass, head down into Santa Anita Canyon along the same road you’d take to get to Sturtevant Falls. You’ll walk on the descending paved road for about 0.2 miles before a sign at a switchback in the road marks the junction with the Hermit Falls Trail. You can also use this as a slightly longer descent toward Sturtevant Falls. It will add a bit of distance to your overall hike but the scenery is significantly nicer – not to mention less crowded. After the first quarter mile, the trail hangs a sharp switchback, providing you with lovely views looking north in Santa Anita Canyon. The trail slowly descends along three more switchbacks through a surprisingly lush landscape of oaks, black sage, and California sagebrush. In the cooler, shadier sections of the trail, you’re also likely to find large swaths of ferns growing along the canyon walls – a sight most people would expect to see when hiking in Southern California. In the sunnier portions, keep your eye out for white
Trail Stats
4.5 km
198 m
673 m
461 m
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