Being new to Pasadena, I was looking for an easy hike on a warm day. So I found Eaton Canyon on google. Close and easy to get to. When we pulled into a full parking lot, I should have had a clue. We had to park in over flow, The trail was a wide dirt road, and packed with people coming and going. I'll cut to the waterfall, packed with people,graffiti marring the wilderness. We chowed down our lunch and got out of there. I'll never go back, it's just like the zoo only with people.
A nice place for a hike as long or as short as you would like. Also a museum with interesting exhibits. a getaway close to the city.
If you are looking for somewhere to have a nice morning hike in the San Gabriel mountains, this place is as good as any. It has a small visitor center and restroom facilities and maps to the trails. It is only a short hike to waterfalls so it is an ideal location to hike with children.
Nice day spot for families and children. If you like the real outdoors I wouldn't recommend. Crowded and lots of kids. To escape the crowds you need at least a 10 to 12 mile hike destination.
Great place to start off for a long hike or a short flat stroll with the kids. There is a lot of variety in the trails. The visitor center has great displays of native animals, some live some stiffed, as well as rocks and plants. The gift shop has a very good collection of books on related subjects too.
Never the same place twice...easy free parking in lot. It is a longer walk on flat trail before you finally start to climb and make your way up to Henninger Flat, about an hour. Once you get there and beyond the scenery gets better as you get into the mountains & valleys.
I actually went there Sept 2010 (not Jan 2013). It is wonderful place to hike. The hike involves some walking over rocks, so your feet might get wet. Nice waterfall at the end.
Typical western canyon with a little stream. A skimpy waterfall at the end. Does not compare well with Zion. Another canyon to the west, Millard Canyon, at the end of Chaney Trail Road, is much more pleasant. It offers a great view of the San Gabriel valley on the road in. Worth the time... say 3 hours.
This is a great place to learn about nature, and also to experience it. It's great for walkers and hikers of all skill levels. Pretty sure it's in Altadena, not Pasadena.
We visited Eaton Canyon Natural Area hoping to see and learn about vegetation native to the LA area. We had little time, so weren't able to hike far from the nature center. No staff were around the nature center during our mid-week mid-afternoon visit to give us guidance or answer questions. The indoor displays were not very insightful, brochures were not very helpful and the self-guiding interpretive trails were poorly marked. However, there were plenty of signs telling us what we could not do (Thank you LA County!). At least the admission and parking were free. Bottom line...it was free and easy to find, but not good value for our time, education-wise. It could be much better! The area seems to be popular with local visitors. We'd probably have enjoyed our visit more with more time to hike and explore or if we'd found someone knowledgeable to speak with. Unfortunately, our short-term visit felt like a waste of time. Hard to say if our experience was the norm for short-term visits from out-of-town or a result of bad timing.