San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
Managed by United States Forest Service
377 acres4.3 mi of trail
Altadena Crest TrailLower Sam Merrill TrailChaney TrailOld Echo Mountain Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Zane Grey Estate · Photo: Nathan Simmons · CC BY-SA 3.0B+Outdoors
Outdoors in Altadena
Altadena has 14 miles of mapped trails, 1.7 for every square mile of land
11% of Altadena’s land is conserved, about 612 acres. The biggest trail networks: San Gabriel Mountains National Monument (4.3 mi), Rubio Canyon (1.7 mi), The Cobb Estate (1.2 mi). 136 acres are parks and preserves, 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns · #351 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
11%
612 acres · of 8.5 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
1.7 per sq mi of land
Park land
136 ac
3.3 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
74%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
6.2 mi
3.5 mi lanes
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Altadena?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Altadena have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Altadena is ahead of 71% of U.S. towns, #351 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
B+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Altadena’s overall grade.
Conserved land11% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.7 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (14 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4APark land3.3 acres of park per 1,000 residents (136 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13C−Parks close to home74% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 71%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 59%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, with 4.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Rubio Canyon
Managed by Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy
40 acres1.7 mi of trail
Gooseberry MotorwayLone Tree TrailRubio Canyon Preserve TrailCamp Huntington Trail+1
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
The Cobb Estate
Managed by United States Forest Service
39 acres1.2 mi of trail
Altadena Crest TrailLower Sam Merrill Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
Angeles National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
382 acres0.5 mi of trail
Altadena Crest TrailChaney Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Charles S. Farnsworth Park
Managed by County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
15 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
All 14 parks & preserves
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument377 acres · 4.3 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsRubio Canyon40 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy
The Cobb Estate39 acres · 1.2 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsAngeles National Forest382 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Charles S. Farnsworth Park15 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMillard Canyon Open Space13 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy
Charles White Park6 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
MRCA Open Space3 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
Casa Del Caballero1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · County of Los Angeles
Loma Alta Park13 acres · LA County DPR
DirectionsLA County Open Space7 acres · County of Los Angeles
Eaton Canyon Natural Area and Nature Center6 acres · County of Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation
DirectionsMount Lowe Park2 acres
Andrea Wilson Triangle1 acres · Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy
Who protects it
612 conserved acres
11% of Altadena’s land. Who manages Altadena’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service347 ac
County120 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits113 ac
Regional agency38 ac
National Forest · 347 acPrivate Historic or Cultural · 58 acLocal Recreation Area · 58 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 55 acLocal Park · 47 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 19 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Angeles National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 261 | Open |
| Angeles Other National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 86 | Open |
| Mountain View Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Land trusts & nonprofits | 58 | Open |
| Altadena Golf Course Local Recreation Area | County | 58 | Restricted |
| Rubio Canyon Open Space Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 39 | Open |
| Cold Creek Valley Preserve Local Conservation Area | Regional agency | 36 | Open |
| Loma Alta Park Local Park | County | 20 | Open |
| Farnsworth Park Local Park | County | 15 | Open |
| Millard Canyon Open Space Private Recreation or Education | Land trusts & nonprofits | 14 | Open |
| Unnamed site - Los Angeles, County of Local Other or Unknown | County | 7 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
6 places to go in Altadena
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Public pools in Altadena
Country Club Swimming Pool
DirectionsPlaygrounds in Altadena
5 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
14 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.2 miHorses · 6.5 miUnpaved · 6.3 mi
Altadena Crest Trail4.9 mi
Lower Sam Merrill Trail1.1 mi
Chaney Trail0.7 mi
Gooseberry Motorway0.6 mi
Millard Canyon Crest Trail0.6 mi
Rubio Canyon Preserve Trail0.5 mi
Lone Tree Trail0.4 mi
Altadena Crest Trail Connector0.4 mi
Old Echo Mountain Trail0.3 mi
Rubio Canyon0.3 mi
4 more trails
Mount Lowe Motorway
0.3 miCamp Huntington Trail
0.3 miEcho Glenn Drive Connector
0.2 miLone Tree Pavilion Trail
0.1 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
6.2 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
3.5 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
2.7 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
12Basketball
6Tennis
5Pickleball
3Baseball
2Equestrian
1Football
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →13 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Pacific Electric Railway Company Substation No. 8Building · listed 1977
About itKeyes BungalowBuilding · listed 1978
About itChristmas Tree LaneSite · listed 1990
About itMount Lowe RailwaySite · listed 1993
About itWoodbury-Story HouseBuilding · listed 1993
About itFarnsworth, Gen. Charles S., County ParkDistrict · listed 1997
About itCrank HouseBuilding · listed 1997
About itScripps HallBuilding · listed 1999
About itZane Grey EstateDistrict · listed 2002
About itAndrew McNally HouseBuilding · listed 2007
About itCase Study House No. 20Building · listed 2013
About itVilla CarlottaBuilding · listed 2014
About it1 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Altadena: April to June
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 67 | 67 | 70 | 74 | 77 | 83 | 89 | 91 | 88 | 80 | 73 | 66 |
| Rain (in) | 4.6 | 5.5 | 3.1 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 3.1 |
August is the driest month (under 0.1 in) and the warmest (highs of 91 °F). 5.5 inches fall in February, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 91 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Altadena →
Next door
Altadena and its neighbors
Altadena has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altadena | 11% | 1.7 | 3 | 74% | B+ |
| Pasadena | 14% | 1.7 | 10 | 87% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Altadena
Where can I hike in Altadena?
The longest trail networks: San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, 4.3 miles; Rubio Canyon, 1.7 miles; The Cobb Estate, 1.2 miles; Angeles National Forest, 0.5 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Altadena is conserved land?
11% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Altadena’s trails?
San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Rubio Canyon don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Altadena?
6.2 miles of bike routes are on the map: 3.5 of painted or protected lanes and 2.7 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Altadena?
26,739 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Altadena or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 136 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Altadena have?
Ahead of 71% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #351 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Altadena neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →