Trail Stats
Mileage (r.t.)	2.4
Trailhead	840'
Ridge road	1880'
El. gain	1040'
Gain per mi.	866'

A hike you will see most often cited in my log is Garcia Trail. This great little trail starts at the fire station on Sierra Madre Avenue between Azusa and Glendora and climbs 1,040 feet in 1.2 miles! Once you arrive at the Glendora Ridge Motorway, a dirt service road that runs along the ridge, you can hike east to several summits with splendid views of Azusa, Glendora, and the valleys beyond. And there are great views up the San Gabriel Canyon and to the back ranges beyond.

Garcia Trail is steep, climbing some 866 vertical feet per mile. But the trail is well traveled and makes a nice workout hike (popular with students and staff from nearby Azusa Pacific University). A typical trail in the San Gabriels gains 400 to 600 vertical feet per mile, so Garcia Trail not only gives the legs and lungs a workout, but it also provides a reference mark in evaluating other trails.

The heavy storms of 2004 and 2005 caused significant rutting and erosion on the trail, creating poor footing in many places. But a couple years of use and some ad hoc trail maintenance has helped the trail to be in reasonable condition. A full-scale trail restoration project is certainly due.

5-13-04 - Looking south from about a third of the way up the trail on an early evening hike (Taken with a Sprint Camera phone). View Photo of Dan, Philip, and Drew.

Garcia Trail History

Dan's slide show

Aerial photos

Topo Map

Trail Notes Archive


Season: All Year

As a general rule in the San Gabriels, the front range is best hiked in the cooler months, and the back range is best in the warmer months. Garcia Trail and Azusa Peak sit in the front range. The best season to hike Garcia Trail is roughly November through May. However, it's doable in the summer if you go at the crack of dawn while the day is still cool. This hike can be miserable on a hot summer day. Early in the summer the "June Gloom" (marine layer, coastal fog) can make nice walking conditions but also can greatly obscure your views.

Getting to the Trailhead:

As of 7-10-06, a portion of Sierra Madre Avenue is closed. The following description reflects a detour route:
From the I-210 Foothill Freeway, heading east, exit at Citrus Ave in Azusa. Go north (toward the mountains) on Citrus passed APU and Citrus College and turn right on Foothill Blvd. Drive 0.5 to Barranca Avenue and turn left (north). Drive 0.5 to Barranca Avenue and turn left (north). Drive about a mile to Sierra Madre Avenue and turn left (west). You many pass several "Road Closed" signs as you drive 0.5 mile to the Azusa boundary, just short of the L.A. County Fire Station #97 - 18453 Sierra Madre Ave. The road is closed beyond this point. Park on the north side of the street in front of the houses. Walk up the driveway of the fire station. Garcia Trail starts at the north end of the grass area.
If you are coming from the I-210 Foothill Freeway west bound, exit Grand Avenue in Glendora. Drive north on Grand to Sierra Madre. Turn left (west) and drive about 1.5 miles to the fire station. See Trail Notes below for more detailed clousre informaiton. View Map Below

Trail Description:

From the fire station, walk across the grass area adjacent to the station to begin the trail at the north end, marked by a deteriorating sign. The trail climbs steeply, staying primarily on or about the ascending/descending ridge. There's not much shade in route but the chaparral is thick and mature. Some of what you'll see is laurel sumac, toyon, canyon live oak, tree tobacco, California buckwheat, wild cucumber, dodder (witch's hair), poison oak, coastal sage, white sage, black sage, whipple yucca, shortpod mustard, deer weed, monkeyflower, and horehound. In the spring and early summer you are treated to an array of blooming wildflowers.

At about three quarters of a mile the trail crosses over to the west slope and makes its final pitch to the top ridge. This is the section that can be seen clearly from the city below. In this section, there are a several places where erosion has narrowed the trail, so watch your step.

Azusa Peak (2081') - Looking north from Monrovia Nursery in Azusa. The nursery land has been sold and will be turned into 1,250 new home. We shall miss this views. See zoomed in view with labels. Photo January 2005

At 1.2 miles you reach the ridge and the Glendora Ridge Motorway, a dirt service road closed to public vehicular traffic. From here you have several options. One is to turn around and head back. A popular trip is to veer right (east), and take the informal path up the slope to Azusa Peak (2081'), about 0.2 more miles. Enjoy the views of Azusa, Glendora, and the San Gabriel Valley beyond. It's also a nice night-hike destination with a delightful display of city lights below (however, the deteriorating trail conditions makes hiking at night more difficult and risky). And this is a popular spot to watch the 4th of July fireworks shot off from Citrus College, about 1.5 miles away.

Leaving the peak you can return the way you came. Or you can proceed down the path on the east slope. Once you reach the road you can turn left and follow the road across the north slope of Azusa Peak back to top of Garcia Trail. Or you can follow the road east and hike for about 4 miles to Glendora Mountain Road.

View large image Photo June 30, 2007

Transforming Views: One of the delights of hiking Garcia Trail has been the hundreds of areas of nursery plants gracing the undulating terrain at the base of the hillside. Monrovia Nursery has occupied this land for more than 50 years, growing and shipping millions of plants. But in 2004 the property was sold and will become Rosedale, a master-planned development with 1,250 homes, 32 acres of parks, a new school, fire station, community center, promenade, and a transit square to accommodate the Metro Gold Line. As of January 2005, much of the plants in the upper section of the nursery had been removed. By January 2006, the nursery operation is gone and the grading is well underway. As of June 2006, the grading is yielding streets and plots, and the water tank foundation is beginning to take shape. By June 2007 some streets are paved and some houses are nearly complete. See construction closures note below. View the Monrovia Nursery press releases. View Dan's slide show

Glendora Ridge Motorway going west from where Garcia Trail meets the ridge, descends to its western terminus at Hilltop Drive in Azusa. For many years the public could walk past the gate to enter or exit the service road, providing a popular recreational path for pedestrians and cyclists. This west-end access is now closed to the public. Razor wire on the locked gate and fences says in the harshest terms that citizens can no longer use that route.

Hike Log Garcia Trail / Azusa Peak 9-21-06 8:15 am A: Trail Head (840') 8:26 B: Razor ridge 8:37 C: Ridge switch back 8:46 D: Ridge view 8:55 E: Ridge (1880') Glendora Ridge Motorway (green) 9:03/9:26 X: Azusa Peak (2081') 9:31/9:46 E: Ridge (1880') Glendora Ridge Motorway 9:52 D: Ridge view 9:57 C: Ridge switch back 10:09 B: Razor ridge 10:21 A: Trail Head (840')   Trail Stats A to E 1.2 miles 1040' gain 866' per mile A to X 1.4 miles 1240' gain 886' per mile View Topo Map

Garcia Trail is within minutes of the I-210 Freeway in Azusa (2 miles east of where the I-605 intersects the I-210 in Duarte and Irwindale).

Trail Notes:

• View large image Photo June 30, 2007

  Cross on Azusa Peak - 2-12-07: On the Presidents' Day Holiday, Monday, February 12, 2007, a large wooden cross was erected on the top of Azusa Peak. It was marked with "BBB, Braves Baseball" and had the signatures of players and their jersey numbers. It was built with 4x10 timbers and stands approximately 15 feet tall. At the crossbar is a metal plate with the inscription: "Mat 16:24 He must deny himself, take up his cross & follow me."

• Closure Notice - Update 7-10-06: Sierra Madre Avenue is now closed west of the Garcia Trail trailhead. The closure is in conjunction with the construction of the Monrovia Nursery housing development, named "Rosedale." The project entails the rerouting of Sierra Madre Blvd., curving to the south and back. You can still access Garcia Trail by driving north on Barranca Avenue to Sierra Madre Avenue, turn left (west), drive past the closure signs (still open for local traffic assessing the houses in that area), and drive 0.5 mile to the Azusa boundary where the signs forbids you to drive further. Park in front of the house and proceed up the trail as usual.
       A front-page article in the San Gabriel Valley Tribute (7-9-06) stated that the road will be closed for six months. The map caption with the article stated it will be closed for nine months (I'll resist the temptation to make any remarks about shoddy journalism). A previous sign at the trail listed the following contact information: Azusa Land Partners' project coordinator, Regina Fielder, at (949) 729-1202.
       As part of the project, the fire station will be moved a short distance away and a new trailhead for Garcia Trail will be built, including a parking lot. Early in 2006, the construction caused a couple slight detours on the trail. At the beginning of the hike, the trail has been shifted over about 20 feet to the right. And about 5 minutes up the trail, a switchback has disappeared and fenced off, forcing a temporary path straight up the slope, about 15 feet. From this point you can see the massive amount of work below to carve a huge cavity for the water tank. Both detours are a little steep and slippery, so watch your step. Steps carved out of the dirt help. The grading on the housing project is well underway.

• See Trail Notes Archive for more notes...

Garcia Trail Links on Dan's Hiking Pages:

Garcia Trail History

Dan's slide show

Aerial photos

Topo Map

Trail Notes Archive


Garcia Trail Links:

• Azusa Pacific University — Around Campus - Lists Garcia Trail among other recreational opportunities in the San Gabriels.

• Garcia Trail Maintenance - A photo and paragraph describing some trail mantainance activites of some APU students lead by Professor Ed Lulofs.

• Jim Hayes Photography - Professional photographer Jim Hayes from Glendora has posted some fine photos of his hikes up Garcia Trial and Rubio Canyon.

• Greeting the day between city and sky - L.A. Times article about Garcia Trail by Jon Wallace, president of Azusa Pacific University.

Last Hiked: August 5, 2007