Switzer Falls
Angeles National Forest (near La Cañada Flintridge) · near La Cañada Flintridge / Pasadena · Los Angeles / SoCal
Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Temperature
- ~65–72°F (summer)
- Cost
- FREE · Angeles National Forest Adventure Pass ($5/day or $30/year) required for parking
- Season
- Year–round · Best May–October · Early season may have higher, faster water
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Safety
- Stream crossings make trail wet from the start — water shoes or trail runners that can get wet are essential. Slippery granite near the falls and pool. Arrive early on summer weekends — the parking lot fills by 9am and the pool area gets crowded by midday.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Nickname
- LA's Best-Kept Swimming Hole
- Type
- swimming-hole
- Temp
- cool
- Clothing optional
- No
- Directions
- Gabrielino Trail trailhead off Angeles Crest Hwy (Hwy 2), approximately 10 miles from La Cañada. Switzer Picnic Area parking (Adventure Pass required). 3.7-mile round trip on Gabrielino Trail. Expect 8–10 stream crossings (get your feet wet — there's no way around it).
- Pools
- 50-foot Switzer Falls drops into a shaded pool · Multiple small cascades and pools along Arroyo Seco Creek on the approach trail · Flat granite slabs for sunbathing throughout
- Intl tip
- The Angeles Crest Highway (Highway 2) above La Cañada is one of the finest mountain drives accessible from LA — the road climbs from the San Gabriel Valley floor to 7,000 feet in Mt. Wilson before descending toward the Mojave. Switzer Falls is the first major swimming hole trailhead on the way up. Combine with a drive to Mt. Wilson Observatory (free grounds access) for a complete Angeles National Forest day.
The guide
Switzer Falls sits in Angeles National Forest 30 minutes from downtown Los Angeles — one of the most accessible genuine wildern…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Switzer Falls — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.2376, -118.1534