Bridge to Nowhere
San Gabriel Mountains (East Fork) · near Azusa · Los Angeles / SoCal
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 10 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,400 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round (great in summer for the water) · River crossings highest in spring
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- Yes
- How the permit works
- National Forest Adventure Pass for parking + free self-issue wilderness permit (Sheep Mountain Wilderness). Multiple river crossings — expect wet feet; dangerous in high spring flow. Route-finding required (no maintained trail in places).
- How hard the permit is to get
- 2 of 5
What is here
- Features
- A 1936 bridge to nowhere · Road washed out in 1938, never rebuilt · Multiple river crossings (get wet) · Bungee jumping off the bridge · Summer swimming holes
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- The East Fork trailhead is in the San Gabriel Mountains near Azusa, off Highway 39. Summer is ideal — the river crossings are safer and the swimming holes are a highlight. Spring's high water makes crossings dangerous. Combine with the San Gabriel Canyon's other recreation. Wear water-ready footwear and expect to get wet.
The guide
The Bridge to Nowhere is one of Southern California's most intriguing hikes — a 10-mile round trip up the wild East Fork of the…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Bridge to Nowhere — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.276, -117.736