Gabrielino Trail
Gabrielino Trail is a United States National Recreation Trail in the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County, California. It runs about 28.5 miles (45.9 km) with roughly 3,500 feet of elevation gain and loss. The western end is at Windsor Avenue in Altadena, and the eastern end is at Chantry Flat, just north of Arcadia. The route passes through three watersheds and is mainly used for hiking.
In 1970, several existing trails were renamed to form this 28.5-mile trail under the National Trails System Act.
Traveling west to east, the trail starts at Chantry Flat, goes through Big Santa Anita Canyon past Sturtevant Falls and Sturtevant Camp, then over Newcomb’s Pass into the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. It follows the river to Devore Campground and then upstream to West Fork Campground. At West Fork Campground, the Gabrielino Trail meets the Silver Moccasin Trail, which leads up Shortcut Canyon toward the San Gabriel High Country. To continue on the Gabrielino, hikers go west to Red Box Saddle near Mount Wilson, the trail’s highest point. From there, it descends the Arroyo Seco through Commodore Switzer Trail Camp, Oakwilde and Gould Mesa Campgrounds, and emerges near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The entire route was opened on August 27, 2018, after portions were closed following the 2009 Station Fire. Reopening was supported by trail groups including the Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association (MWBA) and CORBA.
Water: Potable water is available at Chantry Flat and at Red Box Saddle; otherwise you should boil or filter stream water. Cell phone service is very limited for most of the trail.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 04:58 (CET).