○ TIER 1 — SOURCED & RESEARCHED
5.5 miRound Trip
1,400 ftElev. Gain
ModerateDifficulty
2.5-4 hoursEst. Time
2,600 ftHighest Point
Out-and-BackRoute Type
YesDogs
NonePermit

Henninger Flats via Eaton Canyon

๐ŸŒค Trail Weather โ€” Plan Your Hike Updated every 6 hrs ยท Trailhead coords
โœ…
Good Conditions โ€” Solid Day to Hike
66ยฐF, Clear Sky. Wind 4 mph. Standard 10 Essentials apply.
๐ŸŒ™
66ยฐ
Clear Sky
Feels 66ยฐF
๐Ÿ’จ Wind
4 mph E
Gusts to 4 mph
๐Ÿ’ง Humidity
76%
High humidity โ€” pace yourself
๐Ÿ‘ Visibility
6.2 mi
Good visibility
โ˜๏ธ Cloud Cover
0%
Clear โ€” full sun exposure
๐ŸŒ… Sunrise
6:28 am
Ideal start time
๐ŸŒ‡ Sunset
7:15 pm
Off trail by this
Today โ€” 3-Hour Intervals
2 am
๐ŸŒ™
66ยฐ
Feels 65ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ 5/5
5 am
๐ŸŒ™
64ยฐ
Feels 63ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ 5/4
8 am
โ˜€๏ธ
70ยฐ
Feels 69ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ 4/4
11 am
โ˜€๏ธ
81ยฐ
Feels 80ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ 8/6
2 pm
โ˜€๏ธ
86ยฐ
Feels 83ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ 8/8
5 pm
โ˜€๏ธ
82ยฐ
Feels 80ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ 7/7
5-Day Forecast
๐ŸŒ™
Fri, Sep 4
Clear Sky
66ยฐF
feels 66ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ Wind/Gust
4/4 E
๐Ÿ’ง Humidity
76% High humidity โ€” pace yourself
๐Ÿ‘ Visibility
6.2 mi โ€” Good visibility
โ˜๏ธ Clouds
0% Clear โ€” full sun exposure
โœ… Good Conditions โ€” Go Hike
๐ŸŒ™
Today
Clear Sky
66ยฐF
feels 65ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ Wind/Gust
5/5 E
๐Ÿ’ง Humidity
73% Humid โ€” heat feels stronger
๐Ÿ‘ Visibility
6.2 mi โ€” Good visibility
โ˜๏ธ Clouds
0% Clear โ€” full sun exposure
โœ… Good Conditions โ€” Go Hike
๐ŸŒง๏ธ
Sun, Sep 6
Light Rain
70ยฐF
feels 69ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ Wind/Gust
2/3 E
๐Ÿ’ง Humidity
48% Comfortable
๐Ÿ‘ Visibility
6.2 mi โ€” Good visibility
โ˜๏ธ Clouds
55% Mostly cloudy
๐ŸŒง Rain
0.2mm โ€” wet trail likely
๐Ÿฅพ Acceptable โ€” Check Elevation
๐ŸŒ™
Mon, Sep 7
Clear Sky
71ยฐF
feels 72ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ Wind/Gust
2/1 ENE
๐Ÿ’ง Humidity
82% High humidity โ€” pace yourself
๐Ÿ‘ Visibility
6.2 mi โ€” Good visibility
โ˜๏ธ Clouds
0% Clear โ€” full sun exposure
๐ŸŸก Warm & Humid โ€” Extra Water
๐ŸŒ™
Tue, Sep 8
Clear Sky
75ยฐF
feels 74ยฐ
๐Ÿ’จ Wind/Gust
3/3 E
๐Ÿ’ง Humidity
37% Comfortable
๐Ÿ‘ Visibility
6.2 mi โ€” Good visibility
โ˜๏ธ Clouds
2% Clear โ€” full sun exposure
โœ… Good Conditions โ€” Go Hike
Trailhead elevation only. Conditions change at altitude. Check weather.gov before heading out. Sep 5, 12:37 am

A wide smoothly graded fire road climb that tests steady uphill pacing. The destination is a historic mountaintop tree nursery where thousands of experimental pines and cedars overlook the entire LA Basin.

Trail Overview

Henninger Flats surprises people. You expect a viewpoint and you get an active tree nursery at 2,600 feet โ€” rows of young pines, cedars, and native specimens being grown for reforestation projects. It is genuinely interesting. The climb is on paved fire road which means no shade on a hot day. This trail is runnable and many people use it for training. Good year-round hike because of the fire road surface.

This Hike Is For You If…

All fitness levels. Good training hike. Accessible for hikers who struggle with uneven trail surfaces. Year-round option due to low snow exposure.

Skip This Hike If…

Skip in summer after 8am. The fire road is fully exposed and the heat on the return descent is significant.

What to Expect on Trail

Terrain: Paved fire road entire route. No technical sections. Some loose gravel at edges.

Shade: Mostly Exposed

Water: None โ€” Carry All Water. No water on trail. Water at Nature Center before you start.

Views: Good

Crowds: One of the busiest San Gabriel trailheads. Weekday mornings significantly quieter.

Dogs: Yes, dogs are welcome on this trail.

Best Arrival: Before 8am on weekends. One of the busiest trailheads in the San Gabriels.


This is a Tier 1 sourced review. Trail information is based on published sources and research. Andrew has not personally hiked this trail yet. Photos and firsthand sensory detail will be added when upgraded to Tier 2.

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5.5 miRound Trip
1400 ftElev. Gain
ModerateDifficulty
2.5-4 hoursEst. Time
2600 ftHighest Point
Out-and-BackRoute Type
YesDogs
NonePermit

Trailhead & Logistics

Address: Eaton Canyon Natural Area, Altadena Drive, Pasadena, CA 91107
Parking: Free paved lot at Eaton Canyon Nature Center. No Adventure Pass required. Fills on weekends โ€” arrive before 8am.
Bathroom: Flush Toilets
Cell Service: Good
Best Arrival: Before 8am on weekends. One of the busiest trailheads in the San Gabriels.

Trail Reality Check

Henninger Flats surprises people. You expect a viewpoint and you get an active tree nursery at 2,600 feet โ€” rows of young pines, cedars, and native specimens being grown for reforestation projects. It is genuinely interesting. The climb is on paved fire road which means no shade on a hot day. This trail is runnable and many people use it for training. Good year-round hike because of the fire road surface.

Terrain: Paved fire road entire route. No technical sections. Some loose gravel at edges.
Shade: Mostly Exposed
Water: None โ€” Carry All Water โ€” No water on trail. Water at Nature Center before you start.
Views: Good
Crowds: Very Busy โ€” One of the busiest San Gabriel trailheads. Weekday mornings significantly quieter.
Who should do this: All fitness levels. Good training hike. Accessible for hikers who struggle with uneven trail surfaces. Year-round option due to low snow exposure.
Who should skip this: Skip in summer after 8am. The fire road is fully exposed and the heat on the return descent is significant.