The Bridge to Nowhere hike has reopened. But is it actually safe to go?
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I was concerned when I arrived Tuesday to the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead about the conditions I’d find in the canyon.
Last September, the Bridge fire broke out near the trailhead and burned 56,030 acres, destroying 81 structures, flattening campgrounds and scorching many miles of beloved trails.
The area, which sits a short drive northeast of Azusa, had been closed since the fire started Sept. 8 and was expected to remain so through at least May 22, 2026, per the closure order that officials renewed just three weeks ago.
Then, last Friday, officials terminated that closure order “to once again allow the public to access and enjoy their public lands.”
“We understand how important these areas are for recreation, connection, and well-being,” Angeles National Forest spokeswoman Keila Vizcarra told me in an emailed statement.
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That means every trail in the Bridge fire burn scar has reopened to the public, including the Bridge to Nowhere hike and, one of my personal favorites, the Mt. Baden-Powell hike. (You can see a full list here.)
Poking around with my trekking poles last week, I tried to understand this shift in mindset by officials. I asked and have yet to receive an answer regarding their reasoning.
So I was left to ponder a couple of things. First, a closure order usually stays in place for months, if not years, to allow the land to heal and because post-fire hazards need to be remediated before the public returns, a point forest service officials have stressed many times.
After the Bobcat fire in 2020, the popular Big Santa Anita Canyon area remained closed for four years, reopening after volunteer trail crews spent hundreds of hours repairing the damage to trails from the fire and subsequent flooding. And the Eaton fire closure order is expected to remain in place at least through 2026, maybe even 2027.
Second, I asked Justin Seastrand, forest recreation manager at Angeles National Forest, at a May 22 news conference about the status of the Bridge fire closure order. Many in the hiking community were angry that the order had closed the trails leading to Mt. Baldy, and I wanted to know whether hope was on the horizon.
Seastrand told me that two of the three trails to the top of Mt. Baldy would reopen soon (which they did), but Bear Canyon (sometimes called Old Mt. Baldy Trail) would remain closed. “Most of the remaining trails that were in that original closure are going to stay closed another year,” Seastrand said, adding that doing closures on a year-to-year basis was “standard practice.”
Also, I asked him to clarify whether he had any specific updates on the the East Fork of the San Gabriel River area, including the Bridge to Nowhere trail. Before the Bridge fire, it was one of the most popular swimming areas in the region, visited (and trashed) by thousands.
“That’s going to stay closed again for another year, and possibly longer, because that entire watershed is burned,” Seastrand told me at the May 22 news conference. “That trail is one of the primary dangers I mentioned of being in a canyon bottom subject to flooding and possible debris flows.”
Seastrand said the forest service has several science partners that help the agency monitor watershed response, and “sometimes it recovers quicker than others, but that watershed was severely, severely burned.”
So what gives?
I’m not the only one with questions. A concerned reader emailed me Friday (thank you!) about the sudden termination of the order. Also, on Reddit, the online hiking community quickly spun, somewhat understandably given the lack of clarity from local officials, into conspiracy theories regarding the termination.
“This has the smell of politics attached to it and may be connected to this discussion of selling off public lands. Probably more details will be coming out over the next couple of months,” one Reddit user wrote. (For context on the proposed public land sale, see our Must Read below.)
“Trying to be a bit more optimistic... Maybe they don’t have the staff to enforce these closures? I know I’m reaching here... but like I said, I’m trying to be positive,” another user replied, referencing the Trump administration’s firing of thousands of U.S. Forest Service workers, including in our local Southern California forests.
When I learned the Bridge fire closure order was terminated, my first concern was about trail safety. A wildfire can, and often does, destroy chaparral that grows along steep hillsides. The roots of the manzanita and other trees and shrubs provide stability to steep canyon walls. Given the flooding following the Bridge fire, what types of conditions would hikers face when taking the Bridge to Nowhere trail?
I asked Vizcarra in my email request about whether crews completed any repairs on the 9.5-mile trek to the iconic bridge or any of the other trails in the Bridge fire closure area before the area reopened.
“No restoration work has been completed on the San Gabriel River Trail leading into the Sheep Mountain Wilderness,” Vizcarra said in an email. “Trail maintenance in the Angeles National Forest is largely dependent on dedicated volunteers, and given the vast number of trail miles, not all can be regularly maintained. It may take considerable time for some trails to be fully restored. That said, the Forest Service does not close trails solely due to lack of maintenance, as such closures often lead to off-trail hiking and increased safety risks. Visitors should always exercise caution and be prepared for rugged conditions when exploring public lands.”
During my visit Tuesday, I was relieved as I drove along East Fork Road to see several dumpsters and trash cans that hopefully visitors will use when they come to swim and play in the river. In recent years, volunteer groups have repeatedly removed hundreds of pounds of trash from the East Fork area after visitors on busy weekends left it polluted.
Right before the trailhead, I paused at a stoplight, which controls traffic while workers perform construction in the area. Plan accordingly. A sign cautions visitors to expect delays.
I arrived and had been parked two minutes before someone pulled up next to me, asked whether this was the Bridge to Nowhere trailhead and told me they’d gotten lost and hiked in the wrong area (but had fun, nonetheless).
Starting out, I quickly noticed the first of many landslides. They’re not terribly challenging to navigate, at least for now. I spoke to several hikers who made it the 4.75 miles to the bridge, and although they had a great time, they noted the trail looked a lot different because of all the landslides.
This made me wonder: Although the trail is passable now, what will those landslides — which have blasted away parts of the trail — look like after thousands of people clomp over them on their way to the bridge? How will those landslides and surrounding trail fare after the next winter rains wash away more dirt and dead plants?
Just over half a mile in, I arrived at a restroom that a location scout for a horror film would have been delighted to discover. Its floor was caked in mud, and graffiti surrounded an accidentally ironic sign that read, “Please keep restroom clean.”
Soon, I arrived at wooden railroad ties that previously served as steps down the path. I am petitioning we rename them the Stairs to Somewhere, because they currently lead down into a ditch where you shouldn’t go. Instead, the trail now jags around them.
Continuing forward, I observed a healthy-looking canyon surrounded by hillsides and mountains that were varying levels of bare. There were leafy green pines and walnut trees near the river and blackened (possibly dead) manzanita and other chaparral up on the mountains.
Overall, I found the trail itself fairly easy to follow as long as I looked at the map I downloaded on my hiking app, comparing the route that it recommended with the official East Fork Trail. I missed a turn a few times, but I faced the same problem the first time I hiked to the Bridge to Nowhere in 2020.
Also, on that trek, I didn’t feel particularly safe in a few spots. I remember navigating a narrow, sandy path high above the canyon floor that felt unstable as I rushed over it. It was one reason — the biggest being the crowds — that I avoided the area, hiking at less crowded parts of the river.
Every hike carries risk. Whenever you enter the backcountry, which includes the Bridge to Nowhere hike, it’s good to remember the hiking adage YOYO, or you’re on your own.
That said, the Bridge to Nowhere hike carries with it some specific risks that I plan to consider when visiting. If your hiking app or map suggests you do something that doesn’t feel safe, reconsider. If your friend thinks you should ford the river, pause and think about it. People have drowned here.
Also, I wouldn’t hike here if the forecast called for rain, as the bare hillsides could be unstable and cause debris flows. And unless a local trail crew adopts this hike and maintains it, it’s important to remember that new hazards could pop up after a wind or rainstorm.
When I mentally put my concerns aside, I did have a fabulous time hiking this trail, and although I remain worried about the long-term effects of thousands of people visiting a trail with several landslides, I found it to be a beautiful and peaceful place as I hiked past pine and walnut trees and small bursts of wildflowers and buckwheat.
On my way out, I texted my friend, excited to return, but I will do so with some caution.
3 things to do
1. Bike, skate or scoot to Pride in Culver City
Culver City Pride will host a 5(ish)-mile bike ride at 4 p.m. from Syd Kronenthal Park in Culver City to the annual Pride festival. Cyclists, skaters and anyone else traveling on wheels can participate and are encouraged to wear rainbow colors. Don’t have a bike? Metro Bike Share will host a 1.4-mile, one-way bike ride to the park, and participants can rent wheels from the agency’s program. Culver City Pride requires helmets for all participants. Riders should also bring sunscreen and a refillable water bottle. Register for the ride at eventbrite.com.
2. Learn about local ecology at Elephant Hill
Coyotl + Macehualli and a group of scientists will host a guided ecological walk from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday through Elephant Hill in El Sereno. The event is the launch for long-term, community-led research focused on how to be good stewards of the land and what data are needed to do so. Participants will learn about local birds, insects and plants from scientists, along with field methods in gathering data. Guests should wear sturdy shoes and bring walking sticks, as the group will traverse uneven land. Learn more and register at eventbrite.com.
3. Celebrate the last of Pride season with L.A. County Parks
L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation will host the final week of its Pride Outside events Thursday through Sunday at public spaces across the region. Each event is about two hours and features entertainment, giveaways and information from local nonprofit groups. San Gabriel River Park will host its event from 9 a.m. to noon. Guests can take nature walks and make buttons, among other activities. Vasquez Rocks will have its Pride event from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday and offer s’mores and more. Learn more at the department’s Instagram page.
The must-read
Last week, news broke that Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) had proposed selling up to 3.3 million acres in public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, aiming to allow the land to be developed for affordable housing. Environmental and outdoors advocates were skeptical, fearing it could open public land to a litany of harmful uses. Proponents said the U.S. is protecting way too much land, and the concept would help rural communities. But the proposal was put on ice on Monday after the “Senate parliamentarian — who advises the government body on interpreting procedural rules — determined the proposal didn’t pass muster under the the Byrd Rule, which prevents the inclusion of provisions that are extraneous to the budget in a reconciliation bill,” wrote Times staff writer Lila Seidman. Whether the proposal will be brought back in a different iteration remains to be seen.
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
Facing a significant budget cut, the L.A. County Department of Parks and Recreation is scaling back operations and hours at multiple locations. The county parks department will close six of its regional parks — Castaic Lake, Frank G. Bonelli (already temporarily closed because of a high-voltage transformer failure on May 5), Kenneth Hahn, Peter F. Schabarum, Santa Fe Dam and Whittier Narrows — on Mondays and Tuesdays. It also will shorten the summer pool season and end much of the popular Parks After Dark programming. If you’d like to help the parks in this challenging time, you can volunteer at your favorite park or donate to the parks foundation. You can learn more here.
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
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