Beautiful hike takes you along a narrow trail to a two-tier waterfall.
While it's not as populated as Eaton Canyon Falls, Monrovia Canyon Falls is one of the more popular waterfall hikes in Southern California.
Every time that I've visited the park, I've found the parking to be a challenge. Many actually park outside of the park, south of Oakglade Drive. It will add a half mile to your hike, but is the lesser of two evils when trying to find a spot within the park.
The trail head is somewhat hidden, on the left as you pass the ranger station. You'll begin on a slight incline and find that the first part of the hike is actually the most difficult.
The incline will eventually level out and the path becomes rather narrow. You'll find that you'll have to yield to hikers coming from the other direction (or vice versa). On this part of the trail, the trail is above steep drop-offs, so please use caution here.
My favorite part of the trail is shown below, where a tree has formed a natural archway over the path.
The trail will begin to descend and the sound of water will get much louder as you cross over your first small stream.
You'll continue along and see several dams with much smaller waterfalls flowing over them. Eventually the trail will open up to a large space that is almost entirely shaded by trees. This feels like a good place to take a pitstop, but you're so close that it's probably worth venturing on.
After another small incline, you'll cross the water once more and make it to the two-tier, 30 foot waterfall. The trail dumps you to the right of the falls, so to get to the more spacious left side, you'll have to cross the base of the falls.
If you can get here before the crowds, its a serene little setting. Not so loud that you can't hear the person next to you, but audible enough to create a relaxing setting.
Once you've had your fill, you can return the way you came. About a half mile in on the way back, you can take a junction to the left that will allow you to hike a different route along the pavement back to your vehicle.
Know Before You Go
Parking is very limited here and if you park within the park, there is a small parking fee.
This hike can get very crowded, so it is recommended to arrive early if you want your photos to be clear of several people at the base of the falls.
Water flow is contingent on the recent rainfall, so best to visit in the winter months.
The early parts of the trail can be narrow with steep drop-offs - you may want to watch your children carefully.
Resources
Video
The video below shows an overview of the hike to Monrovia Canyon Falls.
Location
About 10 minutes off of the 210 freeway. Once you've exited in Monrovia or Duarte, you'll pass through several neighborhoods to get to the trail. On the way, you'll take Canyon Blvd, which passes the Bird Box House! Often best to park south of the intersection to enter the park.
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