Falling for the San Gabriels in Shady Cooper Canyon Pools

Southern Californians must regard Mt. Waterman in the Angeles National Forest as a place better suited for skiing than hiking. How else to explain why slopes that are so crowded in winter are empty in summer?

The deep, woodsy canyons just north of Mt. Waterman and Kratka Ridge are a delight: impressive forests of tall incense cedar, Jeffrey pine and sugar pine. Cooper Canyon Falls, though most impressive in spring, is still nice in summer, spilling quietly into an alder-shaded pool.

The canyon and its falls take their names from brothers Ike and Tom Cooper, avid hunters from San Gabriel who tracked deer and bear in this rugged canyon. (Nearby Buckhorn Campground got its name from hunters who nailed buck antlers to a tree to mark one of their favorite encampments in the late 1800s and early 1900s.)

After 1915, when the Forest Service banned most hunting in the San Gabriel Mountains, game trails became hiking trails. Hunters’ camps became public campgrounds.

Today, Buckhorn Campground remains one of the most pleasant in Angeles National Forest. A three-mile, family-friendly hike starts at Buckhorn Campground and travels along Burkhart Trail to Cooper Canyon Falls.

From the falls, there’s a nice stretch of Pacific Crest Trail for those looking to extend their hike a couple of miles.

(Burkhart Trail actually extends 8.5 miles north to Punchbowl Trail, which takes hikers 3.5 miles farther to Devil’s Punchbowl. It’s a wonderful, challenging excursion, but this column will stick to the shorter, easier hike.)

Directions to trail head: From Interstate 210 in La Canada Flintridge, take California 2 (Angeles Crest Highway) 34 miles northeast to the signed turnoff for Buckhorn Campground. Turn left and follow the camp road about a mile to its end, where you’ll find a parking area. If you’re not spending the night at the campground here, you’ll need a National Forest Adventure Pass to park. It’s available for $5 at several locations; call one of the Forest Service numbers listed in the map box.

The hike: From the north end of the parking lot, join unsigned Burkhart Trail as it heads north, down into Cooper Canyon above Buckhorn Creek. You may see happy campers enjoying small waterfalls and swimming holes along the creek.

Towering conifers, bold rock outcroppings, steep canyon walls--is this Sequoia National Park? The San Gabriels surely resemble the southern Sierra along this stretch of the trail.

After 1.25 miles the path reaches the bottom of Cooper Canyon and veers east, soon arriving at a signed junction with Pacific Crest Trail. A left onto PCT will take you 1.25 miles along the creek to the Cooper Canyon campground (and to Canada, if you keep trekking about 2,000 miles).

A more popular option is to bear right and proceed east a tenth of a mile to Cooper Canyon Falls. Reach the falls by carefully descending a short, steep footpath down to the creek.

*

For more of John McKinney’s hiking tips and trails, visit https://www.thetrailmaster.com.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Burkhart, Pacific Crest Trails

WHERE: Angeles National Forest.

DISTANCE: From Buckhorn Campground to Cooper Canyon Falls is 3 miles round trip with 800-foot elevation loss; to Cooper Canyon campground is 5 miles round trip.

TERRAIN: Pine and cedar forest.

HIGHLIGHTS: A lovely walk in the woods by a creek and small waterfall.

DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: Easy to moderate.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Angeles National Forest, tel. (626) 574-5200l Chilao Visitor Center, tel. (626) 335-1251.