How to Find Devil's Gulch Falls aka Secret Waterfall along the San Gabriel River via Bridge to Nowhere Trail {Part 2}

Is that the longest post title ever or what!?! Haha. This secret water fall is secret for a reason...it is VERY well hidden. Since it is still fairly unknown, there is not a true trail leading to it, there is wild brush but little trash at the falls with random items along the way.

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

• Adventure Pass required for parking.
• Vault toilets at lot, below at trail head and along the road before the lot. Bring your own TP.
• Weather and water levels vary. Wear layers.
• Your feet WILL get wet. Plan accordingly.
• Beware of POISON OAK exposure at final river crossing up to falls.
• Hike is about 8 + miles round trip.
• You will pass miners, their work area and camps.
• First half of trail follows Bridge to Nowhere trail--there will be small hills, bouldering and river crossings.

This account assumes you are at least somewhat familiar with the Bridge to Nowhere trail as you will be following it for the first half of this hike. The first marker to be aware of is entering Sheep Mountain. You will cross the wooden bridge and see the sign. Continue to follow the trail along the river. You will travel over rock face, use caution--always use caution. Then the trail will narrow and cross what looks like a former rock slide are with small gravel. You will come down a hill and cross over an open area with gravel, rocks and sharp, pointed yucca plants. 


 


Eventually you will reach a point where you MUST cross the river, regardless if you are heading to the Bridge to Nowhere or not. Normally you would cross over to the *left* side of the river, then *back* across to the right, sort of like a U-turn to avoid a large rock face that enters the rivers edge. (it is on your right as you make this crossing)


In this case, STAY on the LEFT side of the river--do NOT cross back over here. Follow along up the river, from the left side. It will sort of feel like a trail because of flat ground with small rocks.  You will stay on the left side most of  the time while crossing back and forth.

First crossing back to the right
side of the river.

The first time you cross back to the right will be because the 'trail' dead ends into the river and you have no other option but to cross over. Trekking poles or a large stick may be good as you are crossing the river to help with stability. For the most part, we were able to keep our feet and shoes fairly dry with a few toe splashes, by rock hopping. If we had to step into the water, we looked for the most shallow spots, hopped quickly across and toughed it out. 

When you have no idea where you are going, it can feel like forever, but don't worry, it will be quick and easy on the return. The next major marker to be aware of is a large ditch/rock quarry/active mining area on the LEFT side of the river. 

Active mining area.
Ditch/rock quarry

We stayed along the left side but at this point, we crossed back over to give the miner his space. There were also tools on the right side but he was working on the left so we left him alone and gave a wide berth. You should see extremely large piles of big rocks. He is digging ditches and moving rocks, had a wheelbarrow, and other tools. He has been there probably a few years. Last summer (2017) when we passed, he had a ditch the size of a room and we passed by on the left. He has rearranged so many rocks and expanded his work area significantly since then, at the time of this writing.



Another marker that may be helpful is coming upon lime/light green colored rocks face. This is also located on the left side of the river. This will help break up the confusion and affirm you are on the right track and have NOT passed up the tributary yet. You will climb on this a little to continue traveling along the left side of the river. Eventually you will pass slightly red rock. 




The next significant marker is an abandoned camp or mining area on the right side of the river. You will need to cross over at this point to the right. This time had way more cast offs and materials than last summer (2017). There were clothes and shoes spread out all over and some still in bags. There were tarps but also signs of previous mining attempts, long, large tubes all along the right side of the river. The atmosphere may feel a little eery and you realize you are very alone on this road less traveled.


 
 At this abandoned area you should see a very, unusable swing. It may have barbed wire wrapped around it--I do not recommend using it. Keep moving forward up river. 

Some points along the left side will feel open, airy and the ground will be flat. At  other points, you WILL be stomping through brush, tree branches, over rocks, fallen trees, avoiding getting stabbed by yucca plants--keep going. Maneuver however you need to continue moving up along the river. You can travel up the center of the river when it is shallow, if you like. Some areas are deeper and the water moves more rapidly with unstable river floor of rocks and small boulders. 

Can't see in this pic but that is where
the water flows down/over from and into
the San Gabriel River.

When you finally reach the tributary streaming into the river, you will probably be on the right side of the river OR in the river itself. Its a tricky spot and can easily be missed. Right where the stream is flowing into the river is a bit of a deep and potentially unstable spot to step with rapid flowing water. We chose to cross a couple feet past it, where it was shallow and you could see the river bed. It is well hidden with brush and it makes you doubt it is anything more than a random trickle of water.
THIS IS IT! It's what you have been searching for. Yay. We entered on the right of the tributary. It is uphill (sort of) but not too hard. Use caution because now your shoes are wet and rocks will be slippery. It is over grown so also be aware of poison oak. I did not notice any poison oak on this trip but we were very aware of it last summer. Some boulders you need to climb up, will be waist high. There will also be inclines of gravel. 

The falls begins to come into view.

The pictures can not do it justice!
Devil's Gulch Falls

Enjoy a serene moment taking in the view. During the summer, we got in and stood under the falls. This time we did not get in at all and simply took selfies from the shore. Enjoy a quiet and serene lunch listening to the falls. It's breathtakingly beautiful. 

Eventually you will head back down and out. Keep an eye to the left on your way down to catch sight of old ruins and the remains of a road or foundation {I don't know which}.

We traveled down the center of the river for awhile. We came upon a weekend gold miner and he advised us of a 'trail' along the 'right' side of the river, which is now on our left as we are travelling *down river*. We ended up staying on that side most of the way since we did not have to stay aware looking for the hidden tributary. We crossed back over at the point where we initially crossed and separated from the original BtN trail, to rejoin the trail.

These graffiti arrows are not noticeable when you descend this gravely part of the trail after sheep mountain. They work as good markers to be aware of to get back onto the trail, up above the river. When/if you come across these, they are on your left or right in front of you. The trail is just to the left of this picture and easy to miss. It heads back up above this rock face. 





I hope you enjoyed this trail and find the secret falls. In case you are more of an auditory person...I also made a VIDEO! lol It is a scrappy video that I initially planned on using for my own personal notes. Please keep your expectations LOW. I made this on the fly. It may or may not be helpful but I hope it is.

Let me know if this helped and if you have any more questions, I'll try to answer them.

See you on the trails. 

Devil's gulch Falls, San Gabriel River, along Bridge to Nowhere Trail {PART 1}

The only reason I will rise before dawn...
for a great hike!
This was the moody sky as we drove up the mountain.

In part one of this 2 part post, I will review the trail as usual. In Part 2 I will share tips and markers to find this gorgeous hidden and little known waterfall! So be sure to check back, because you don't want to miss part two-I guarantee it!

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

• Adventure Pass required for parking. Pay attention to signs and postings.
• Lot gets packed, plan accordingly.
• Vault toilet at lot, down at trail head and along the road before the lot. Often out of TP, bring your own.
• Canyon can be cool and shady (depending on season) or extremely hot in full sun. Dress in layers and check expected weather.
• Trail can be rocky, dusty, dry and have gravel.
• Be aware of sudden rock slides.
• Hike/trail is unmarked and about 8 miles round trip.

Nature's bridge! Try to keep your balance for
dry shoes and feet.

This hike follows along the Bridge to Nowhere trail, past Sheep Mountain bridge until you hit the river. We hit the trail fairly early, around 8 or 8:30am. GPS started tweaking and took us up the backside of the mountain that we had never driven before. It was a chilly start to the day and I was almost under dressed but warmed up soon enough. 

This time of year, during California winter, temps may be low and today was no different. Water levels will vary depending on rain and weather conditions.

The first half of the trail, as stated, follows along the Bridge to Nowhere trail until you get back down to the river. From the river, you do NOT go back up to the mountain ridge to the bridge. You stay along the river. Stay tuned for part two which will have more detailed directions and information.

Winter in California.

Follow the woody path to adventure.

 Water didn't appear too much higher than in times past and definitely not as high as this same time last year. Last season we had a very wet winter, which our drought stricken state poorly needed. So far, weather conditions have returned to "normal" with very little rain.

We were able to make most of the river crossing with dry feet except maybe a toe splash here an there.

This hike, however, will eventually require you to step into the water to access the hidden falls. No getting around it. Also, the nature of the trek requires many river crossings. No point in wasting time trying to find a spot with enough rocks to stay dry when you can just as easily step pin on most sure footing. Much of the river was very shallow but there are parts that require care and caution as it's moving and deeper. Trekking poles or a stick would be helpful.

Southern California mountains boast native plants acclimated to our dry conditions, succulents and drought tolerant foliage. Trails tend to look like what you might expect to see during a traditional autumn day. Warm hues of red and orange line the dusty brown trails with pops of green through out.

This time, on our way back, we saw actually caught sight of a Big Horn Sheep. This was a first. The animal was at the top of a cliff digging for something and causing a rainfall and rockslide of small boulders, and rocks! It was fascinating to witness but we were so glad that we happen to be on the opposite side of the river as they pounded down into the water and ground.

Careful with those yuccas--those spikes hurt!

The waterfall is hidden within a small grotto and can be tricky to locate. The main point is to stay along the river and and to the left. Although, in order to really find the entrance, you have to be on the right or walking in the river to see the tributary pouring in from the left. If you stay to the right of the river the entire time, you may miss it if you are not watching to the left.

Isn't she a beauty?
The pic doesn't do her justice and I couldn't fit
the full falls in the frame.

The water falls in two streams along a deep, green, moss covered rock face. It's absolutely gorgeous. When I hiked to this fall last summer, there was very noticeable poison oak. I bathed myself down with Tecnu Wash when I got home and immediately washed my clothing to be on the safe side. It can also be used as a preventive if you wipe down with it before contact. Since it was so noticeable we were able to easily avoid it. This time, I did not see any and there's a risk I may have come in contact with it unknowingly. Always pay attention and know what it looks like.

Gold 'miner' camp.

The San Gabriel River is home to many gold panners. Some have been searching for gold for years and some are weekend warriors hoping to suddenly strike it rich. I have never had an negative interaction with either but always be aware of surroundings and be safe, as with any hiking excursion.

Clear Blue skies ahead of us as we end our hike. 

Since this trail requires hiking further up the river into lesser known and unmarked area, you will see active panners and their camps, tools, gear and remnants of camps. Technically, it is illegal to dig around the area and along the river but that does not stop them from doing so.

We came across a few camps and the atmosphere can feel a little sketchy. Use wisdom and caution. We let the panners have their space, kept our distance and kept on moving.

In my next post, I will have {scrappy} video clips and pix of what to look for as you attempt to find this hidden gem.

See you out on the trails!