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Switzer Falls is probably one of the most popular areas in the Angeles National Forest.  Melanie and I beat the crowds by hiking on a weekday morning.

Early on Tuesday, Melanie and I drove up Angeles Crest Highway into the forest. We rose above the clouds and stopping briefly on the side of the road to take in the view: a sea of cotton over the valley. You might recall that the last hike Melanie and I did together (hike #5) was along the southern end of the Gabrielino National Recreational Trail, near the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). Unexpectedly, we found ourselves on the northern end of the trail for this hike to Switzer Falls.

It seems that every year, a local newspaper or magazine writes about Switzer Falls, offering it as a fun weekend hike for the whole family. I’ve driven by the trailhead on weekends many times, turned off by cars parked in the small lot, spilling out along the sides of the highway in both directions. In fact, I usually see more cars parked here on a weekend than anywhere else on Angeles Crest Highway. The temptation to see what the fuss is about was great and I asked Melanie if she was up for an early morning weekday hike, a time when I thought most day hikers would be doing other things (like sleeping or working).

We arrived at the trailhead at 7am. The gate at the paved road leading a quarter of a mile down to the picnic area had been opened (even though a sign says it opens at 8am), so we were able to save ourselves a half mile of hiking on the steep road. From the picnic area to the falls, we had the trail to ourselves. I immediately saw the draw to the area that all of those books, newspapers and magazines wrote about: A stream gently spilling through the Arroyo Seco Canyon. Large and ancient oaks provide a shaded canopy for any picnickers who use the tables dotting the area. The trail itself meanders down the canyon, the terrain fairly flat and a little steep. If you kept your eyes open, you can see remnants of a rich human history. Portions of the trail itself tread on short portions of an old automobile road.

About a mile or so into the trek, the trail heads up out of the canyon floor and onto a trail hugging the canyon wall. Anyone who is very fearful of heights should keep their eyes on the trail and not down the side. Even I felt a little off balance walking along a 50-60 foot razor-sharp cliff. I’ve read that this trail is one of the “danger spots” in the Angeles National Forest. When we reached the falls (without incident), I was underwhelmed by the fall, which measured about 20 feet from rock ledge to shallow pool. I would find out later that we visited the “lower falls” of Switzer, passing above the larger falls on the way down. But I do recall seeing the larger falls. Just after the trail climbs onto a ledge, I spotted the Switzer Falls through a chain-linked fence, placed conveniently for safety yet inconveniently for viewing. In my opinion, calling this a “waterfall” is misleading. The slope of a long white granite slab of rock allows the water to slide, not fall, down the canyon. I suppose if I came here after a heaving rain, I might change my mind, but I’ve seen more falling water in a street gutter. It’s no Millard Falls, I can tell you that.

However, I was very pleased by the abundance of nature in the canyon. On the hike, we were able to spot an assortment of invertebrates, including flying click beetles, California bumblebees, darkling beetles, violet dancer damselflies, toe biter water bugs, and even a millipede. Dozens of butterflies drifted through the air, mainly variable checkerspots and California sisters. Western fence lizards sunbathed on rocks washed by rare beams of sunlight that made it through the thick canopy of canyon live oak and white alder. In abundance along the trail were over a dozen types of wildflowers, many in full bloom.  When I come back to do this trail again, I’ll be doing it for the nature, not the falls.

What I learned on the hike:

1. The elevation loss on the way down is deceptive. You learn how deceptive it is while feeling your calves burning on the way up.
2. If you release your pet Koi fish into the river, it will survive. Don’t do it! It was surprising to see a 12-inch Benigoi Koy in the stream near the falls.
3. Weekdays are the way to go: we ran into just two hikers on the whole trek.

Hike #13 Trip GPS Stats:

• Date of hike: June 2nd, 2009
• Location: Switzer Falls in the Angeles National Forest, California
• Length: 5.3 miles (more like 3.7)
• Duration: 1 hour, x minutes
• Average speed: ±2.0 mph
• Altitude at start: 3,243 feet
• Altitude min.max: 2,770/3,243 feet

This map was made with the data my GPS captured on the hike.
For a more detailed trip report map, check this out.

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