Fall Canyon Road - #FallCanyonRoad

Socal - Los Angeles County - Tujunga NickNames: #FallCanyonRoad

The trailhead is near the junction of Big Tujunga Road
and Angeles Forest Hwy. Go up Angeles Crest Hwy (2)
from La Canada, turn left onto Angeles Forest Hwy at
Clear Creek, and turn left on Big Tujunga Road. The
trailhead is a fire road gate about 1/2 mile down on the
right. There is room for two or three cars.
Fall Canyon is a 13 mile fire road to the Mt. Gleason
Road. There is only one junction along the way, so
make sure you have the time and stamina for it.

9 Review(s)Login

• Trail UpdateFall Canyon-Conditions are pretty much the same now as they were when DS did his review last June. We rode this on 2/24. It was really cold in the shade and warm in the sun. We went out about 5.6 miles then went back. Great ride.
  old gringo a 54 year old Cross-Country Rider from Chatsworth

  Posted:02/26/2007

• Trail UpdateEpic Ride!!-I haven't been on this road in at least ten years so when the decision was made to ride it, I was stoked. Now I remember why I havent been back in a while. This ride is brutal. The first two miles down to the bottom of the canyon was nice. The roads in ok condition. At the bottom was a complete mess though. The rains of the past year or so tore through here and wiped out the bottom of the cyn. After some recon and boulder hopping two large creeks, we found the concrete bridge to access the climb. The first couple hundred yards of the climb are the worst. Some slides and loose rocks make it a short walker. After that, the road conditions get better. No major road problems to report. The ride up to Mt. Gleason and back took a total of about 5 hrs. with a few stops to take in the vista's.
  This is a great ride if you want to spend some time in the saddle and get away from the crowds. Bring lots of water.
  
  Dirtshark a 43 year old Cross-Country Rider

  Posted:06/01/2006

• Trail UpdateDude, Where's My Bike?-Check the Mountain Biking Message Board for more on this Dirt-Biking topic.
  Big Ben a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Raleigh MT20 and a Honda XR250R from Hollywood

  Posted:11/30/2004

• Trail UpdateDude, What?!-First off, Lazarus is right. Whether or not there are any signs, it is your responsibility to know where it is legal to ride, and where it is not. Fall Canyon road is definitely closed to motorized traffic. Furthermore, what are you even thinking about taking your motorcycle on hiking trails!!! No trail, not Fall Canyon, and certainly not PCT (duh), are open to motorized travel. They are HIKING TRAILS, hello! They are barely even open to mountain bikes, do not even think about taking a dirt bike on trails.

  One more time -- Most fireroads in the Angeles are closed to motorized traffic (NO DIRTBIKES). There are a couple that are open. Hiking trails are NEVER open to motorized traffic. Anywhere. Be a responsible rider, know the rules. Don't be clueless, and then go posting about it for all to see.

  Finally, here is the webpage for the Angeles Forest, which tells you which fireroads are open for motorized use, and which ones are closed (most of 'em). Remember, there does NOT need to be a sign stating a road is closed. YOU NEED TO KNOW THE RULES, AND WHETHER OR NOT A ROAD IS CLOSED BEFORE YOU EVEN CONSIDER RIDING THERE.

  http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/conditions/conditions-road.shtml

  
  Pilot a 32 year old Racer riding a Spider from Chatsworth URL: Angeles Forest Road Conditions and Closures

  Posted:11/25/2004

• Trail UpdateFall Canyon-The holey sign on the gate was blank, Laz. Thanks for the compliment.
  Big Ben a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Raleigh MT20, Honda XR250R from Hollywood

  Posted:11/24/2004

• Trail UpdateCLOSED TO MOTORIZED-Fall Canyon is closed to motorized access! Freakin genius, aint'cha?
  Lazarus Long

  Posted:11/24/2004

• Trail UpdateFall Canyon To Snowy 3n17-I took my XR250R on Fall Canyon Rd. (3n27) from Big T Cyn. to 3n17. At the bottom of the canyon, in the overgrown mess where the stream crosses what used to be the road, I had to move some big fallen trees to get my XR across. Anyone who has been there knows what I'm talking about; there's a concrete bridge remnant over to the right of the boulder-filled stream course area, but no way to get to it, or up onto it, on the bike. Thirty minutes of huffin and heavin cleared the way. I thought about riding up Fall Creek Trail, but it looked pretty steep and narrow from my vantage point coming down into the canyon, so I stayed on the fire road. That road is not maintained and it shows. Rock slides that completely covered the road, yucca stumps, runoff ravines that wanted a piece of my tires. I think I hit 4th gear once. The frigid wind was my only companion. At about mile 7, the road condition improved, at mile 10 I started seeing snow on the road, and when I reached the junction of 3n17, I was in a full-on snowstorm! Everything was white, and my tracks were the only ones there. I had wanted to take 3n17 over to Magic Mtn, eat some lunch, take some pictures, but it was just too cold. I grew up in Maine, so I'm no stranger to cold weather, but I moved to SoCal to get away from it, so back down the fire road I went. The creek crossing was easier the second time around, and I passed a black Jeep on the road about halfway between the bottom and Big T. Cyn Rd. And the gate at the top was locked. Go figure. I'll try this road again in the spring; I worked too hard on those trees to just do the ride one time!
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: 27 miles Elevation change: 2500-3000 ft
  Truck Trail=100%
  Big Ben a 35 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Raleigh MT20, Honda XR250R from Hollywood

  Posted:11/24/2004

• Trail UpdateFall Creek Canyon-My dad and I took Fall Creek Canyon down to Big Tujunga Canyon from Mt. Gleason. The trail is pretty sandy, but the sand makes it somewhat challenging and exciting. We thought it would be an all downhill ride, but in the middle there were some steep climbs and descents around bends and ridges in the hot sun. We basically wondered our way through bushes near the creek area, b/c no trail was visible, and the climb from the creek to Big Tujunga Canyon was pretty much impossible for us to climb. The first seven miles were perfect and we loved the soundless trail. It is a great, not common ride, but was a little too much for us at the end. Don't try this ride if you are an intermediate or below, but otherwise go for it.
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: about 17 miles Elevation change: -4000 with some steep 400 ft. climbs
  Singletrack=5% Dirt Road=45% Paved Path=5% Truck Trail=45%
  Steven K. a 16 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Mongoose XR100 from Canyon Country, CA

  Posted:08/04/2003

• Trail UpdateFall Canyon-Fall Canyon Road gets very little traffic of any kind. The
  road is eroded in parts, and frequently sandy, making
  travel slow and more exhausting than you might expect.
  Fall Canyon starts with a steep, almost 2 mile descent
  into Fall Creek. At the creek, the fire road almost
  disappears in some brush. This is the only junction on
  the trail, with Fall Creek Trail branching off to the east.
  Fall Canyon then begins a winding, 10 mile long uphill
  to Mt. Gleason Road. There are a few small descents,
  but the trail is climbing for most of the distance. There
  are very few level sections, and no way to bail out
  except to turn around.
  Fall Canyon ends on Mt. Gleason Road, at the point
  where the road splits to access a prison camp. By
  staying on the left branch, you can climb to the top of
  6500' Mt. Gleason.
  To make a loop of this route, continue west on the Mt.
  Gleason Road to access Mendenhall Ridge Road.
  Descend this fire road to Indian Ben Saddle, then stay
  left for a 1/4 mile climb. Another fire road enters from
  the left at this point, so descend on it about a mile to the
  junction of Trail Canyon Trail and Condor Trail. Take
  Condor trail back to Big Tujunga Road, then climb
  about 4 miles to the car. The total loop is over 35
  miles.
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: 35 miles Elevation change: 5000+ feet
  Singletrack=30% Dirt Road=50% Paved Path=20%
  LCS a 33 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Cannondale from Los Angeles

  Posted:05/03/2002