Distance: 10 miles one way
Elevation change: 2600 ft. loss, 1300 ft. gain
Summary: This trip is a long strenuous walk through some of the most scenic parts of the front-range country. The first eight miles are mostly downhill, the last two uphill. One may especially enjoy the descent of Bear Canyon to the middle gorge of the Arroyo Seco via the remnant of the old Tom Sloan Trail, an historic footpath that once joined two of the most popular resorts in the mountains, Mt. Lowe Tavern and Switzer’s Camp. With the demise of the Tavern in 1936, the trail fell into disuse and now much of it is overgrown, but the stretch through Bear Canyon remains passable, although partly washed out. A car shuttle between Eaton Saddle and Switzer Picnic Area, six miles apart on the Angeles Crest highway, is required.
Trailhead Directions: Drive up the Angeles Crest, Highway 10.5 miles from La Canada, to the parking area above Switzer’s Picnic Area, 0.5 mile past the junction of the Angeles Crest and Angeles Forest highway. We will meet at the upper parking area and arrange our car shuttle. We will then drive the other 4 miles up the Angeles Crest to Red Box, and then go right 2 ˝ miles on the Mt. Wilson road to Eaton Saddle.
The Hike: We will walk past the locked gate, following the Mt. Lowe fire road across the face of San Gabriel Peak to Markham Saddle, then on down the road until it reaches the top of Mt. Lowe’s long west ridge, 1.75 miles from the start. Here the road switches back eastward. Leave the road here and proceed down the obvious but unmarked trail on the right (north) side of the ridge to Tom Sloan Saddle, 0.75 mile. From the saddle, follow the old Tom Sloan Trail as it drops northwest down into Bear Canyon. We reach the canyon floor in 0.5 mile, a beautiful spot shaded by big cone spruce.
The foundations we see are all that remain of several old cabins, abandoned after a fire many years ago. Continue down Bear Canyon, following the streamside trail, or boulder-hopping where the trail has been washed out, to Bear Canyon Trail Camp, located on a spruce-shaded bench on the south side of the creek, about two miles from Tom Sloan Saddle. Here is a perfect lunch stop, as it lies about halfway on our trip.
After lunch, we continue down-canyon, partly on trail, partly boulder-hopping. After leaving the trail camp watch for the trail on the left side of the creek. Missing the trail will result in a lot more boulder hopping than most people enjoy. Continue to the junction with the Arroyo Seco, 2 more miles. Turn right (north) up the Arroyo Seco and follow the trail past the delightful pools and cascades of the middle gorge to a difficult-to-spot junction where the trail climbs out of the canyon to the main Arroyo Seco Trail above Switzer Falls. If we reach the foot of Switzer Falls, we’ve gone 0.25 mile too far up the canyon. Our only choice is to back track to the junction.
When we reach the main Arroyo Seco Trail high on the ridge, turn right (north) and follow the well-beaten footpath through Commodore Switzer Trail Camp and on to Switzer Picnic Area. Then we proceed up the terrible hill to the parking area and to the refreshments.
Shorter hikes can be managed by not taking the shuttle and driving down to the lower parking area for Switzer's Picnic area. Here we can explore Commodore Switzer's Trail Camp, or going north toward Red Box, the well shaded trail paralleling Angeles Crest. Return to the upper parking area for refreshments.
Original 1994-10-12 Hike 249 Description
2017-06-27