Trail Stats
Mileage (r.t.)	3.8
Trailhead	680'
Forest Boundry	2080'
El. gain	1400'
Gain per mi.	737'

This trail is the fruit of an ill-conceived and misguided plan. The trail, dedicated in 1999, was an attempt to provide an alternate route to Fish Canyon Falls to avoid the problems of access though the quarry, which sits in mouth of the canyon. The hike to the falls going through the quarry is a pleasant 5-miles round trip with only 900 feet of elevation gain. But the hike to and from the falls using the Van Tassel Ridge route is 8.5 miles with 3,200 feet of elevation gain — absolutely ridiculous! If you want to hike to the falls, the only sensible way to hike Fish Canyon is through the quarry, so you'll need to make arrangements with Vulcan Materials. See my Fish Canyon page.

This present hike takes you on an out-and-back adventure up Van Tassel Ridge. The first 1.4 miles of the trail is narrow, steep, eroded and rugged in places, and overgrown with mustard, thistle, sage, and more. The trail is poorly (if ever) maintained. It's simply a bad trail (See hike report below - 5-1-03). The top part of the "trail" is mostly dozer-cut swaths up the slopes and ridges, some steep.

4-10-05 - Looking southwest toward the trail I just came up. What trail? Exacty! The San Gabriel River and Azusa are in the background. Large photo

But in spite of all its bad qualities, the trail does offer a doable route up Van Tassel Ridge, which would not be achievable any other way except climbing the quarry haul road (which is private property and off limits to the public). On a clear day, you are treated with splendid views out over Azusa, Duarte, and the east end of the San Gabriel Valley.

Season: November - May

Most of this trail is without shade and on south-facing slopes, so it can be grueling on a hot day. The winter and early spring are the best times to hike Van Tassel Ridge, when the brush is green and soft and less brutal. In the spring after a good rain, the blooming flowers can be quite nice. But watch out for ticks and snakes. I like hiking the trail at daybreak or at the end of the day.

Getting to the Trailhead:

From the I-210 Foothill Freeway, traveling west: exit at Irwindale Avenue in Irwindale. Turn right (north) and go .2 mile. Turn left (west) on Foothill Blvd. and go .7 mile to Encanto Parkway. Turn right (north).

From the I-210 Foothill Freeway, traveling east (or the I-605 traveling north): Exit Mt. Olive Avenue in Duarte. Turn right (east) on Huntington Drive and go .6 mile to Encanto Parkway. Turn left (north).

Drive north on Encanto Parkway. At 1.3 miles you'll pass the entrance to Encanto Equestrian Center (marked with a yellow sign), a dirt road going off to the left. In another .2 mile there will be a dirt parking on the left side of the road. Park here. No Forest Adventure Pass is needed since this hike begins outside the forest boundary. See street map

Trail Description:

Note: long pants recommended. From the parking lot, follow the trail signs at the north end of the parking lot. In a couple minutes you'll pass the official trailhead with an information board and a sign-in box. Continue north along the base of the mountain and in a few minutes you'll pass some horse facilities on the right. The trail then makes a sharp left, heading steeply up the slope. You than turn back toward the south and follow as it winds and switchbacks its way up the mountainside. The sheer steepness of the slope offers some striking views directly down into the quarry, the trailhead, and the residential area to the south. After 1.3 miles you reach the ridge to the west of Diamond Head. There is a trail which heads off to the right (east), but it dead-ends in thick brush in less than a 100 yards.

As you continue straight then down to the left into a little saddle, you enter what I call the jungle. It's a pleasant contrast from the brushy chaparral you just hiked. The trail gently descends through the "jungle" and contours along the west flank of Diamond Head, then ascends to the right (east). Watch out for the several threatening occurrences of poison oak. After 10 or 12 minutes from the Diamond Head junction, you arrive at a fence that runs north and south along side a quarry haul road. Follow the fence north (see picture on right, looking north). In a few minutes the fence ends and a wide bulldozer swath heads west up the slope. Follow that route. In a few minutes there will be a sign on the left indicating the trail proceeds straight ahead. In about 50 yards more is the location where the establish trail is supposed to veer to the left. However, in the Winter 2004/2005, Vulcan re-bulldozed the break, obliterating the junction to the actual trail. You have two options. You can continue up the steep dozer-road, which will take you all the way to the forest boundary fence (this is the route Schad describes — See Links below). Or you can climb over the berm to an old road heading west toward the ridge. In about 3 minutes you'll reach a flat area on the ridge with views down into Van Tassel Canyon. On the right (north end of the flat area) is where the trail continues — marked by a sign — heading along the west slope. When I hiked it on 4-23-05, it was quite a bit over grown, obviously untouched by any maintenance since mid summer 2004 when it was in decent shape.

Follow the single-track trail as it contours along and in about five or six minutes you'll press through some brush and reach the ridge and an old fire break. To the right (south) takes you steeply down to the flat area from which you just came. Turn left (north) and follow the old firebreak, and in about a minute you'll rejoin the dozer-road. Keep following it steeply up the ridge and in a quarter mile you'll reach a fence marking the boundary of the Angeles National Forest (1.9 miles from the beginning of your hike). Enjoy the views and rugged scenery of the front range and beyond (photo looking southeast into rock quarry and Azusa). Return the way you came.

Alternate route - If you want extend your adventure, you can continue on the trail past the boundary fense and zigzag down into fish canyon. I do not recommend this route as a way to reach Fish Canyon Falls, but if you are into adventure, you may find it interesting. Soon after you pass through the fence heading north on the ridge, the trail veers to the right and begins its steep descent, east. There are many switchbacks in route. In April 2005, the canyon slope was lush and green, almost jungle-like (fern, honeysuckle, scrub oak, laurel sumac, sage, poison oak). It does not look like there has been any trail maintenance in at least a year. I had to trim back a lot of poison oak to safely proceed. Several times in route the trail intersects the ascending/descending ridge and offers some striking views south toward the quarry). After descending 1,000 feet, you reach the Fish Canyon Trail. Now if you are glutton for punishment, you can return the way you came. Or if you turn left (north), you can hike 1.9 miles to Fish Canyon Falls (see my trail description). Or, turn right (south) and in a few minutes you'll reach the bridge which marks the beginning of the Fish Canyon Trail. If you have made arrangements with Vulcan Materials, you can pass through the quarry and back to the trailhead (.7 mile). Or trespass at your own risk.

5-1-03 - Looking south on Van Tassel Ridge from the boundry of Azusa and the Angeles National Forest (2080')

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Hike report: Van Tassel Ridge - May 1, 2003

My daughter and I hiked from the Fish Canyon trailhead to the boundary of Azusa and the Angeles National Forest on Van Tassel Ridge (1.9 miles one way, 1400' gain).

It took two hours for the climb. My 12-year old daughter was with me up to about 1.6 miles (1800') (1 hour and 37 minutes to this point). Without her, I could have done the total climb to the boundary in 1.5 hours or less.

The dominant word for the trail that came through my mind while hiking was "ridiculous." Actually, if one is an adventurer who wants to explore this prominent high point overlooking nearby foothill communities, the trail provides access. To me, the hike was an interesting adventure in scouting out this ridge which I see every day from our home in Azusa. The views and sense of conquering this 2000-foot ridge summit was worth bushwhacking through mustard and thistle and scrambling up a poorly designed and maintained trail. As a four-mile up-and-back hike, the trek was a worthwhile way to spend an early evening in the spring.

However, to use this trail as an access to Fish Canyon Falls is absurd. I hiked to the falls in February 1997 while it was a pleasant 5-mile round trip with easy access through the quarry. Really nice outing. But as an 8 1/2 mile, 3200-foot-elevation-gain hike, it is absolutely ridiculous.

Thank you trailbuilders for giving us an adventurous way to explore Van Tassel Ridge. Shame on Vulcan Materials for denying access to a beautiful waterfalls to all but the diehard hikers who are willing to endure the absurd.

Hike Log Fish Canyon Trail / Van Tassel Ridge 5-1-03 4:10 pm A: Trailhead (680') 5:20 B: Summit fork Near "Diamond Head" (1570' 1.3 mi.) 5:32 C: Quarry fence 5:47 D: Ridge Van T canyon view 6:03 E: ANF Boundry (fence) (2080' 1.9 mi.) 6:17/:25 D: Ridge Van T canyon view 6:32 C: Quarry fence 5:20 B: Summit fork Near "Diamond Head" (1570' 1.3 mi.) 7:20 pm A: Trailhead (680')

Don't think that the smile was always on her face as we bushwhacked our way up this rediculous trail.

5-1-03 - Looking south at Diamond Head from a steep dozer cut which supposedly is a "trail." The dotted line shows the approximate route of the trail from B to C, traversing the jungle-like area (this "jungle" is pretty withered and arid by mid to late summer).      Note: This section would be quarried to the bone if Vulcan Materials is granted their desired to expand their operation. See SaveVanTassel.com for lots of pictures and helpful information.

Trail Notes - Van Tassel Ridge via Fish Creek Trailhead:

• Long pants are highly recommended.
• Trail Condition Update - 4-10-05: I hiked from the trailhead as far the quarry fence. At the trailhead a paper-laminated sign read: "Warning Trail In Poor Condition Due to Heavy Rain. Not Recommended for Use." Actually, I found that the trail was no worse than its normally bad condition. There was lots of brush invading the trail, particularly the mustard. At about a half hour, the trail splits. I mistakenly went left when I should have gone right. After a couple minutes, the route to the left turned out to be no trail at all. I ended up thrashing through the brush, climbing steeply up the slope until I finally rejoined the main trail a few minutes later. When the trail reaches the crest (below Diamond Head, at 1.3 miles) it descends into the jungle area. Here the invading plants consist of lupine, black sage, coastal sage, monkey flower, horehound, laurel sumac and more. There are several places where poison oak threatens -- one place where it practically covers the trail. I trimmed it back last August (2004), but it has grown back with a vengeance. In route, I brushed several ticks off my paints. Saw a snake (about 2 feet long, brownish and rust colored stripes running the length of its body). Pleasant weather, lots of blooming flowers, and clear views of the valley.
• Trail Update 8-14-04 - It does not look like any trail maitainace has been done in at least a year or more. Parts of the trail are degrading significantly and brush is invading. The trail is still narrow, steep, and poorly designed.
• On 5-1-03, still lots of flowers in bloom (mustard, thistle, lupin, sun flowers, etc.)
• This trail is more unpleasant later on in summer when everything is brown, including the sky.
• At the summit fork, a side trail breaks off to the east toward Diamond Head. On 5-1-03 I started to follow this spur trail but was stopped by heavy brush after a minute. On 8-14-04 I tried again, this time with some clippers. I was able to press forward another 30 feet, but it became obvious that this route is not in passable condition. I stopped at the location of a large pack rat nest.
• The trailhead, just north of the parking area has sign-in book and nice information board. Unfortunately it's covered with a heavy mesh wire making it hard to read.
• From the summit fork to the quarry fence, the trail drops east into a little saddle and around the east flank of Diamond Head. In May, it's jungle-like and pretty, a pleasent contrast from the rest of trail. However, by August its pretty withered and arid and ceases to be pleasent. Watch for poison oak. Thistle painful, too.
• Robinson and others cite this trail as starting from Duarte, when in actuallity, it is within the Azusa city limits. Look at a map.
• Upper Ridge - At 1.9 miles up Van Tassel Ridge from the trailhead, the trail passes through the fence marking the border of the Angeles National Forest (2080'), then starts its descent into the Fish Canyon. On 8-14-04, Albert and I explored further up the ridge looking for an alternate route to Mount Bliss. The brush — primarily buckwheat, chemise, sage, and some scrub oak — is thick and scratchy. It was obvious that others had gone that way, but there had not been enough traffic to make the route easily passable. After about two-tenths of a mile we achieved the highpoint on the ridge labeled 2364' on the topo map. The vantage point offered some nice views down into Van Tassel Canyon. However, to forge up the ridge further would take considerable effort, thrashing through the unforgiving chaparral. And from that point we could see that there was not a clear route to climb the steep pitch to the high point labeled 3136'.

Related link on Dan's Hiking Pages:

• Fish Canyon Falls - an out-and-back via the canyon trail.

Van Tassel Ridge / Fish Canyon Trail Links:

• Fish Canyon Falls - See my Fish Canyon Falls page for a hike description.

• Trail Guide and Background - Tom Chester has assembled the most thorough information for this trail.

• Links for Fish Canyon Hike - More from Tom Chester. It's all here.

• Duarte to Fish Canyon, Fish Canyon Falls - from Matt Barry's Blog. Nice description and photos of his hike on 1-11-04.

• SaveVanTassel.com - Visit this site published by a grassroots organization that is seeking to prevent Vulcan Materials from expanding their quarry operation. The expansion would create more nasty scares as it destroys more of our precious mountainside. Lots of pictures and helpful information.

Books:

• Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels - by John Robinson. Hike 49: "Duarte to Fish Canyon, Fish Canyon Falls." Trail descriptions with historical background. In his 7th Edition (Sept. 1998), Robinson adds the route going up over Van Tassel Ridge to the falls: 8.5 miles round trip, 3,200 feet elevation gain. This is a horrible trail and should not have been included in this trail guide. Also in the 7th Edition, he (or an editor) mistakenly sets the season as "All year" whereas previous editions have the season as November through May. This is a bad mistake. You don't want to go up the Van Tassel Ridge route in the hot season. It would be terribly punishing! In the 8th Edition (April 2005), with Doug Christiansen, they promote the Duarte Family Wilderness Day in April as the primary option for hiking to Fish Canyon Falls. They also include the description for the Van Tassel Ridge route, but rightly call it "tortuous" and "definitely not recommended." Unfortunately, they did not correct season error, "All year," mistakenly brought over from the 7th Edition

• Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County - by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press: Berkley) - Area B-9, Trip 3: "Fish Canyon Falls." Good trail description using Van Tassel Ridge to access the falls trail. He places the round trip distance to the falls at 8.8 miles with 3,100 feet elevation gain. He describes the hike over Van Tassel Ridge as a "devilish climb," however, I believe that that option is horrible and should not be included a in responsible trail guide as primary route to the falls.

Last Hiked: April 10, 2005