| Eaton Canyon | |
|---|---|
 Eaton Canyon with toll road bridge in background | |
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| Nearest city | Pasadena, California |
| Coordinates | 34°12′18″N118°05′17″W / 34.205°N 118.088°W /34.205; -118.088 |
Eaton Canyon is a major canyon beginning at the Eaton Saddle near Mount Markham andSan Gabriel Peak in theSan Gabriel Mountains in theAngeles National Forest, United States. Its drainage flows into theRio Hondo river and then into theLos Angeles River.[1] It is named after Judge Benjamin S. Eaton, who lived in theFair Oaks Ranch House in 1865 not far from Eaton Creek.[2]
The most well-known portion of the canyon is the Eaton Canyon Nature Center inPasadena, California. The trailhead of theMount Wilson Toll Road is in the canyon.[3][4]
The canyon has been part of the homelands of theTongva for thousands of years. The village ofPuntitavjatngna relied on the freshwater of the canyon to thrive, housing about 500 to 1,500 dwellings.[5]
Spanish settlers arrived in the area in the late eighteenth century and referred to the canyon as "El Precipicio" because of its steep gorges, the canyon falls under several governmental jurisdictions.[2]
Benjamin Eaton was hired byDon Benito Wilson to bring water to theFair Oaks Ranch, building a house on the property in 1865.[6]
In August 1877, naturalistJohn Muir set out from Pasadena for an expedition into the San Gabriels. He writes: "On the first day of my excursion I went only as far as the mouth of Eaton Canyon, because the heat was oppressive, and a pair of new shoes were chafing my feet to such an extent that walking began to be painful."[7][8][9]
In October 1993, theKinneloa Fire, begun accidentally on the slopes above Eaton Canyon, burned much of the area as well as more than a hundred homes in neighboring Altadena andKinneloa Mesa as part of a rash of late October wildfires driven bySanta Ana winds in Southern California. One man died of complications from smoke inhalation and dozens were injured.[10][11] After briefly serving as the incident command post for the fire, the Eaton Canyon Nature Center was destroyed.[12][13][14] It was rebuilt in 1998.
In 2022, a 1 acre (0.40 ha) property overlooking the canyon was returned to the Tongva tribe via theTongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy, which marked the first time the tribe had land inLos Angeles County in nearly 200 years.[15]
In 2025, theEaton Fire consumed the Eaton Canyon Nature Center and burned much of the canyon.[16]
TheEaton Canyon Natural Area Park is located where the mountain stream debouches into the foothill wash at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains. The park is administered by theLos Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The county administers the lower two-thirds of the area below the toll road bridge. Most of the 190 acres (0.8 km2) that comprises the natural area lie on the northern boundaries of the oldRancho San Pascual andRancho Santa Anita on land designated for theSouthern Pacific Railroad. Once the railroad gave up the land, it was opened for homesteading.[2]
Within the park sits theEaton Canyon Nature Center, a facility that features information displays, exhibits, and collections about the local flora and fauna in the valley. The center was rebuilt in 1998 after the 1993 fire destroyed the previous facility.[17][18] The center was burned down again during theEaton Fire in January 2025.[1] The staff was unable to evacuate the reptiles in their care and lost several valuable items.[19]
Pasadena and parts of Altadena receive about 40% of their water from local sources.[2] The upper third is controlled by the Water Department of theCity of Pasadena.[17][18]
The falls are where the Eaton Creek has a fifty-foot drop and are located north of the bridge in the part of the canyon administered by the US Forest Service.[20]John Muir once described the waterfall as "a charming little thing, with a low, sweet voice, singing like a bird, as it pours from a notch in a short ledge, some thirty or forty feet into a round mirror-pool."[21]
Several waterfalls also exist above Eaton Fall, which are more secluded. Until 1979, there was a tunnel which allowed access, but this has been dynamited and filled in. While the upper falls were accessible decades ago, there are no longer any maintained trails. People have been injured and killed trying to make these climbs via unofficial trails.[22][23][24]
In 2011, a man fell to his death on the hike to the falls. Another man fell to his death one week later. In 2013, two hikers attempted to climb to the second waterfall, but decided against it mid-climb. As they were coming down, they both lost their footing and fell. One hiker fell to her death, and the other was airlifted to a hospital.[25][26]
On June 27, 2014, the US Forest Service announced plans to close the trail to the upper falls. The trail to the upper falls was closed off on August 1, 2014. Violators caught trespassing the off-limits area will face a fine of up to $5,000 or six months in jail. Members of the Coalition of American Canyoneers would like access to the area that is closed.[27][28][22]
TheEaton Canyon Golf Course is a regulation 9-holecourse featuring narrowfairways and rolling terrain. It is administered by theLos Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation[29] and has been open since 1962.[30]
It was originally planned as an eighteen-hole facility and was designed by famedgolf course architect,William Francis Bell (known as Billy Bell Jr., son of famed golf course designer,William Park Bell). Opening day ceremonies included a golf outing with dignitaries and local golf professionals, including 1961 PGA Champion,Jerry Barber.[30]
The Mount Wilson Toll Road (1891–1936) is a historicroadway which ascendedMount Wilson via a vehicular passable road from the base of the foothills inAltadena. It was accessible fromPasadena via Santa Anita Avenue which drove right to the front porch of the toll house. The road is still accessible from Pinecrest Drive, just off Altadena Drive in Altadena. Access was blocked after a 2005 landslide destroyed 50 yards of the road, but the road has since been rebuilt and reopened.
Mount Wilson had always been active with human passage starting from the days of the local Indians. It wasBenjamin Davis Wilson who established a proper trail to the summit of Mt. Wilson fromSierra Madre through theSanta Anita Canyon. The Mt. Wilson Toll Road toHenninger Flats is controlled by the Forester and Fire Warden of theLos Angeles County Fire Department.
Emerging from the foothills and flowing south, the Eaton Creek becomes the Eaton Wash, whose drainage flows into theRio Hondo river and then into theLos Angeles River. The wash is one of the Altadena streams that helps to feed to Raymond Basin. Rubio, Las Flores and others all flow to the east eventually to join the Rio Hondo. Millard Canyon on the west flows to theArroyo Seco. Eaton Wash is one of the two major streams that channels storm water in Pasadena; the other is the Arroyo Seco on the western side of the city.[31]
On its way to the Rio Hondo, the Eaton Wash is joined by the combined drainages from Pasadena Glen and Hastings Canyons. These channels have all been modified by flood control dams near the base of the mountains, and both have been confined to manmade channels or storm drains in their lower reaches. Typically the Eaton Wash and Arroyo Seco carry very little water. Peak discharges are typically less than 1,000 ft3/s (30 m3/s) for Arroyo Seco and less than 500 ft3/s (15 m3/s) for Eaton Wash.
Eaton Wash Reservoir and theEaton Wash Dam were built in 1937 (88 years ago) (1937) and are controlled by theLos Angeles County Department of Public Works. The dam is arock fill, 63 feet (19 m) in height, and is 1,545 ft (471 m) in length. Normal storage for the reservoir is 721 acre-feet (889,000 m3). It has a surface area of 54 acres (22 ha) and drains an area of 9.47 square miles (24.5 km2). Its primary usage is forflood control and debris storage.[32][33][34]
chapter 11
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(includes map of entire canyon)
Places adjacent to Eaton Canyon | |
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| CA Department of Water Resources |  | |
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| LA Department of Public Works | ||
| LA Department of Water and Power |
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| US Army Corps of Engineers | ||
| Other |
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