Inspiration Point via Eaton Canyon

Met some girl here, should of gotten her number lol. Be prepared for a long journey, i didnt finish, i accidentally stumbled on it trying to find the bull cull trail!

Harder of the hikes, 9 mile round trip. Nice and easy up echo mountain, but once you take the next trail up to inspiration point, it gets hard! But overall worth the effort. Beautiful scenery. Don’t go on a cool/​colder day if you have arthritis or joint pain issues. It was freezing at the top. I made the mistake of going on a cooler day as suggested on Unilocal… But 3″ degrees with wind gusts at the top was not coolio!
⁵⁄₅ for nature!

I’ve been wanting to do this hike for a few years now but being 40 miles away, it wasn’t always high on my list. It was a great, and pretty mellow hike!
Parking is slightly chaotic. There is an authority in the lot to keep an eye on things but there is a constant in-​and-​out traffic flow. We arrived at about 11am and went to the end of the lot (close to the entrance of the hike), turned around and were lucky enough to catch someone leaving their spot. But just be careful, it is a little cramped in the lot.
From what my step-​counter calculated, it was about a 4-​mile roundtrip walk to the waterfall and back to the parking and very little incline involved. We had/​chose to cross the river on more than one occasion but there were more than enough rocks to step on so we weren’t getting our feet wet. This hike was a blast and the waterfall was awesome! I was thinking that maybe the waterfall would be a dribble this time of year because of SoCal’s lack of rain but it was a beautiful waterfall.
If you’re facing the waterfall there is a little area to the right of it in which you can climb up and pose with the waterfall about 10 – 12 feet above the water. It was a fun little climb and people were nice enough to wait their turns to pose with the waterfall.
For how many people we ran into on the actual trail, there was a surprisingly small batch of people hanging out at the waterfall and I was really happy about that. Nature isn’t the same if it’s overrun with people.
Highly recommend to SoCal locals and anyone else interested in a small getaway.

Intermediate Level Hike. The altitude goes way up and the incline can be pretty steep, so be prepared to tackle this hike with strong lungs and determination. One of my friends had a hard time, probably because the incline was harder than she/​we expected it to be. But she did manage to sum up the courage and strength to finish it! Way to go! :)
I will say to be careful if you’re looking for «inspiration point». This is NOT THE DIRECT HIKE for INSPIRATION POINT. Instead, this one goes to Henniger Flat which is a camping/​picnic area for hikers, bikers, and outdoor enthusiasts. Inspiration Point via CASTLE Canyon is the Unilocal hike you want to look up. Just a piece of advice! You can travel another 5 – 10 miles to get to inspiration point if you want though — it’s more northwest going further into the mountains.
Nonetheless, this hike is still challenging as it is beautiful. The very top of the trail has this gorgeous 180 degree view of Altadena. Definitely recommend coming here if you want to soak in the sun and grab some gnarly instagram worthy pictures. I’ll post mine in a bit. Just going from the entrance to the top of the hill and back is probably about 5 – 6 miles roundtrip. Definitely no joke!
My friends and I also continued to go further down the mountain to traverse through the stream and find the waterfall. However, because California is in a sever drought, the water wasn’t that high and we never made it to the waterfall because there were too many kids, dogs, and unwanted people on that trail. The bottom half of this trail is probably another mile to 1.5 miles roundtrip.
There’s A LOT of people that hike this trail nonetheless, so if you want to escape from people into the peace and quiet of nature, this isn’t the best hike for you. Like I said before, there were A LOT of kids and families trying to find the waterfall which made this hike unappealing for me. If it was just the waterfall portion to the hike, I’d give it 3 stars MAX. Luckily, the kids and families don’t do the sharp incline so it was way more enjoyable!
Overall, we hiked about 7.5−8 miles that day, but we were definitely ready for the 10 mile hike to inspiration point. However, I still enjoyed my time here! :) Parking seemed pretty easy, but it can be confusing. There’s street parking in the residential areas, but just be careful of the signs that have time restrictions. We found parking pretty easily around the curb and walked away with no ticket. SCORE!

I really enjoy this little hike. It’s pretty easy, but hikers beware as they are closing off some of the path as soon as aug 1^st, 2014. You can read more about it in this article here.

I went on this hike thinking it was the 10 mile hike that leads to Inspiration Point but it wasn’t. This one leads to Henninger Flat, which is a nice little camp/​picnic area. From Henninger, you can continue hiking to Inspiration Point which would make it an 14 – 18 mile round trip (not quite sure). The view of this hike was very pretty and breathtaking.
My friends and I hiked all the way up to the top and then down to the «waterfall». There was no real waterfall since it is a dry season but there is a small stream that little kids can splash around in. Overall, we hiked about 8 miles and it was a great workout because of all the inclines (about 1800′ elevation). This hike definitely prepped us for the real hike to inspiration point via Cobb Estate/​Castle Canyon.

Important Note: Many of the reviews here are NOT for the Eaton Canyon to Inspiration Point hike, but rather for the lower Eaton Canyon walk to the falls. This is NOT an easy hike, nor is it for beginners! Once you reach upper Eaton Canyon, you will probably see few hikers along this route. A busy weekend may find a dozen people along the Idlehour trail path. It is an excellent loop trip for seasoned hikers who are in shape, and can carry plenty of gear. I do this hike with my girl, and we take two cars. Park one at the top of Lake Avenue, and take the other to the upper gate at Eaton Canyon. Head up the road to Henninger Flats, and continue past for a mile on the Mt Wilson Toll Rd, until you get to the Idlehour trailhead. From there, you have a slight climb on the Idlehour trail, then a descent into upper Eaton Canyon, and the Idlehour Trail Camp. It is a wonderful place to rest, and refill your water bottle on a warm day.(Filter it!). After some up canyon easy walking, the trail crosses the stream, and begins the first set of switchbacks up and over a small rise in the middle of the canyon. After a short descent, you cross the stream again, and begin the final two mile grunt up to Inspiration Point. If you have time, you should visit the Mt. Lowe trail camp (¼ mile out of your way) It has pit toilets, fire rings, and picnic tables for an enjoyable afternoon rest. You’ll appreciate the rest at this point. There is also water up the slope behind the camp, coming from a 100 year-​old water tank that once supplied the Alpine Tavern lodge with its water. As always use a filter. After a nice rest, head back up to the Inspiration Point pavillion for some great views of Los Angeles (best on a clear Winter day, or Summer Night). You can now descend on the Castle Canyon trail (short and steep), the am Merril Trail (longer but less steep), or the Mt Lowe Road (Longest but easy on the knees). On your way down, you will pass by Echo Mountain. If you haven’t been, make sure to stop to see the ruins. The trail down from Echo is usually crowded, but offers pleasant views as you descend.

An easy hike with the bonus of a waterfall at the end.
We like to bring our dog here. She loves it. You’ll see a lot of people with their dogs. Be sure to bring some water and poopie bags. A lot of jerks don’t care to clean up after their dogs, so you’ll see and smell their irresponsibility at the beginning of the trail.
The people are friendly. Sometimes a little too friendly, but I don’t mind that so much.
It gets uncomfortably packed during the weekends in the summer. You’ll see younger teens being rowdy and families with all their screaming kids. Try not to throw rocks at them. It’s not nice.
You’ll see some graffiti here and there. Wtf is the point in tagging up a rock. It doesn’t make it yours.
Anyways, I digress. Inspiration Point is a nice place to start off your hike. It’s not challenging and it’s mostly shady along the way.

Me and a close friend hiked from Altadena to Idlehour Trail Camp and camped overnight there. Beautiful area, and the camp was completely vacant, which was nice. We encountered a few people on the hike to Henninger Flats, all of whom were really pleasant. What a great spot!

A great place to get a nice light hike in.

It’s an easy hike for beginners, good for kids, for smaller dogs (keep in kind hikers usually have big dogs), and it’s free. Parking gets packed fast and if you get there around 7 am, you’re able to park outside. I believe they open up at 9 am. The water fall is nice and during summer the water pool goes above your knees but not close to your hips (I’m average at 5’5).

This is my shortcut to Eaton Canyon waterfall. My dogs and I do this hike about 3 times a month. Its a nice short hike and perfect for getting out in nature. This area is very dog friendly and there is usually a good amount of water in the river.
Some tips:
Bring water. Just because you are going to a waterfall does not mean you should drink the water. Bottled water is your friend.
Bring sensible shoes. Tennis shoes are often seen here but their slick soles can cause quite a few twisted ankles or wet feet (slipping while crossing the river)
Don’t go off trail. There is a lot of poison oak and other unpleasantries in the bushes. Plus its hard on the natural vegetation etc.
If you are bringing dogs please keep them on leash and bring water and poop bags.

Beautiful trail, plenty of shade, streams to cross, rocks to climb… good work out, but easy enough of a trail that all levels of expertise can enjoy. I brought my dog Chaplin, and he had fun too… so much fun he’s been passed out all afternoon! Yes!
Only downer was that there were just too many people.
I’d like this place a lot more if it weren’t so crowded.
Then again, we did go on the first hot day this year, on a Saturday, around noon…
Also, we saw two different types of snakes and ran for our lives through a swarm of Japanese beetles. OH MY LANTA!

Many variations available for this hike but the main point is to visit Eaton Canyon, Idlehour Campground and Inspiration Point.
My club started at Cobb Estate rather than Pinecrest but I like the idea of starting at Pinecrest (the lowest point on the trail) we then hiked up Sam Merrill to Echo Mountain, then Castle Canyon to Inspiration Point then back down to the Castle Canyon Campground, back up to the Mt. Wilson Toll Road down to Henninger Flats still following the Toll road down to the bridge (just next to Pinecrest) then we followed the trail back toward Cobb estate that traverses onto some streets in the neighborhoods and in the back of peoples yards in Altadena, finally arriving at our cars. 18 miles and over 4000 gain/loss…it is an all day hike to be done by people ready for some roller coastering of hills and plenty of endurance.

Very nice hike. Must try.

Went hiking here last week with a couple of buds. It is a good easy hike with lots of trees and shaded areas, not too steep a trail, streams with rocks to step on and practice your balance, culminating in a surprise waterfall at the end. If you want to get a head start on the weekend, I suggest waking up and heading here early for it gets a bit crowded by 9:30 or 10 during the weekend. This is also an ideal hike if you just want to get away for a few hours to relax your mind and reflect. Remember to bring water and a few energy bars.

Eaton is the cutest hike I’ve been to, and I’ve been to quite a few chubby-​cheek-​pinching ones. I was actually a bit disappointed at how easy the trail was, but once we hit the creek, it became exciting. The hike itself is not strenuous at all, but it is not completely flat and paved that you will be kept bored and ass, flat. Crossing the creek and climbing boulders provides fun obstacle courses. Those were a blast, and every so often we sang the Spider-​Man song. Oh yea.
My friend and I got there at about 7:30AM because we were worried about the children and large crowds everyone on Unilocal warns about. We spent about 1.5 hours getting to the waterfall (got lost, but I’ll get to that later), about a half-​hour at the waterfall pretending to be in Nalgene commercials and taking pictures and secretly laughing at the guy who fell in the water, and about another half-​hour back (we ran the trail). It was relatively empty when we arrived but on our way back saw bigger crowds, dogs, and children. If you hate people like I do, start early.
So, yes, we got lost. Notes: There’s a fork in the road when you start the trail. Follow the left trail. When you eventually get to the bridge, make sure you, again, stay on the left trail that takes you under. We stayed on the right and had to find our way back down which was fun but not really.
Word of caution: Take your time at the creek, especially if you’re there with running shoes or anything that is not hiking boots. Rocks everywhere. You will hurt your ankle, like I did.
To dog owners: Please be responsible and pick up their shit.
To polluters: Please be responsible and pick up your shit.
To everyone else: Happy hiking!

Idlehour Trail is as good as a hike gets in LA County. It is, frankly, quiet relief after the crowds and «improvements» along the local fire roads. A bit of poison oak in a few wet, shady spots. When you get to Mt. Lowe (the 4-​way trail junction where the old tavern used to be), you also can go north to hike up Mt. Lowe itself and Mt. San Gabriel. Someday (when the days are long), I plan to walk past Lowe to the Mt. Wilson Rd, over to Mt. Wilson, then down the fire road to Eaton Cyn.
I bet you can get away with 3 litres if it’s not too hot; you probably can refill at the creek if you’re running low (and the creek isn’t). You can always get water at Henninger Flats; look for a sort of raised spigot by one of the larger green residential buildings on the east side of the fire road.
The Idlehour Trail is narrow and broken in spots, with potentially long slides into the canyon if you misstep. I’d go with a friend if you’re not an experienced hiker. You also don’t want to be caught there after dark, even with a headlamp: the trail isn’t always clear or easy.

Great info! I’ll try it one day.

The trailhead for this hike is located at the beginning of the Mt. Wilson Toll Road, which has been officially closed since 2005. It’s currently under construction and should be open again this summer. In the meantime, there are several ways you can get to the Mt. Wilson Toll Road. The main entrance is on Pinecrest Drive, but I’m not sure if the gate is open during weekends. It was open on Friday because the construction crew was there. If that gate is closed, you can access the Toll Road through Eaton Canyon Park, which is what I ended up doing because I didn’t want to get stopped by the construction workers. There’s an entrance into Eaton Canyon Park at the intersection of Midwick Drive and Altadena which is convenient. Near this entrance is a horse trail in the park that leads to the road. I think there might be a signpost pointing the way towards Henniger Flats, which is where you want to go. However, I didn’t find the signpost and eventually found a different trail that connected with the road. The horse trail is probably the quicker way up, but you’d probably have to dodge large piles of horse crap too. My route took me near the bridge portion of the toll road.
Once you get on the Mt. Wilson Toll Road, you hike up the road until you reach Henninger Flats, about 2.5 miles from the start. There are picnic tables and stoves and restroom facilities here, but I think the facilities are closed until construction of the Toll Road is completed. I saw two deer here, which was really cool. They didn’t like having their pictures taken, so they would kind of hop away when I got too close. Yeah, they hopped; it was pretty weird, but I guess that’s how they get around quickly on the steep slopes.
Continue past Henninger Flats on the Mt. Wilson Toll Road. You’ll pass the visitor center and a tree nursery on your left. After about 1.5 miles past Henninger Flats, you’ll come across Idlehour Trial which branches off to the left of the Toll Road. There are many branches off the Toll Road around Henninger Flats, so it can get confusing to find the right trail. Unfortunately, the signpost leading to Idlehour Trail is not labed «Idlehour Trail.» Instead, it has an picture of a bird on it telling you to pack all your trash. There is also a small wooden bridge or walkway shortly after the sign. And then there is another sign past the wooden bridge. I’ve uploaded a picture of the entrance to Idlehour Trail, so you won’t miss it or go down the wrong trail.
Idlehour Trail descends into Eaton Canyon down to a creek and campsite in about 1.5 miles. There are some great views of Eaton Canyon on the way down, and later when you climb out the other side. At the campsite, there are stoves and lots of large rocks to sit on. If you have a means to purify the water from the creek, this would be a good place to refill your water bottles. I carried all my water for this hike, and I ended up drinking about 3 to 4 liters during a cool weather hike mostly in the 50’s and 60’s.
Continue on Idlehour Trail for about 3 miles across two streams and up the other side of Eaton Canyon to the Mt. Lowe fire road. Go left on the road for about 0.3 miles to Inspiration Point. There’s supposed to be a great view from Inspiration Point, but clouds rolled in to completely block my view. There are fixed tubes here that are aligned so that when you look through the tubes, you’re looking at a landmark. Supposedly, you can see Catalina, the Rose Bowl, Hollywood, and. .. an ostrich farm??? I’m going to do this hike again on a clear day, and that ostrich farm better be still there.
From Inspiration Point, you can make a 2 mile roundtrip detour to Panorama Point, if you have the time and energy, by continuing down the road. Its suppose to have a great view of the LA basin.
From Inspiration Point, take an unmarked trail down through Castle Canyon to Echo Mountain, about 2 miles. There’s a lot of historical stuff here, but it was starting to get dark and I wanted to get off the mountain before I ran out of light. There is one cool thing here that I missed that I wished I had tried. An echophone that you can shout in. The next time I do this hike, I’ll find that echophone and test it out.
From Echo Mountain, you can take the Sam Merrill Trail down to Lake Ave in about 2.6 miles. Be careful you go down the right trail here. To get to the Sam Merril Trail from the ruins, you have to double back a little bit and then take the trail leading down. From what I’ve read, the Sam Merrill Trail is very well maintained. I ended up taking another trail down by accident which started at the end of the ruins. It was overgrown with brush and in pretty poor shape in lots of places, but it works and gets you down at the corner of Pleasantville Dr and Rubio Vista Rd.
If you’ve arranged for a car shuttle, you can drive 2 – 3 miles to where you started. Or just walk back.
14 miles/​4100 ft elevation gain