Parts of the old asphalt roadway can still be found along the East Fork Trail which leads to the bridge, and there are still a number of concrete slabs which formed the foundations of destroyed bridges to the west of the Bridge to Nowhere. The sign along the trail 30 feet east of the John Seals Bridge[2] which announces the start of the Sheep Mountain Wilderness is resting on the old roadbed.
East Fork Trail
The bridge is only accessible via a 10-mile round-trip hike. Despite its popularity, the frequency with which the trails get washed out means rough trail in places. The trail following the riverbed crosses the East Fork six times between the bridge and the trailhead.[1] Generally, one follows the usually dry river up its course, with several (dry) stream crossings before the ascent to the level of the bridge.
The maintenance of the East Fork Trail which leads to the Bridge To Nowhere is the responsibility of the San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders[3] volunteer organization which works under the supervision of the United States Forest Service. Typically trail repairs and maintenance are performed by the Trailbuilders during the winter months when snow within the Crystal Lake Recreation Area makes trail working at higher elevations in the San Gabriel Mountains difficult and at times hazardous.
In addition to steps being carved out of rock faces to improve hiking safety, trail definition being improved through removing growth and rocks along the trail, and other typical trail work, the Trailbuilders also built the John Seals Bridge[4] across Laurel Gulch, utilizing helicopters, horses, mules, and many human volunteers to establish concrete footings and assemble a solid wooden crossing to ensure safe passage across the gulch.
In May 2015 there was a major rock fall[5] approximately 1.56 miles inward along the trail at 34°15′26″N117°45′03″W / 34.25733°N 117.75089°W / 34.25733; -117.75089 at 2271 feet altitude which posed a significant safety hazard to climb over. Additionally there was a cornice overhang remaining that is poised to come down and there was more friable San Gabriel granite to the right of the calving which is poised to come down. The United States Forest Service was looking at the problem with the San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders to determine what can be done about the hazard. Safe passage through 50 meters of trail covered by the rock fall required crossing the river two additional times during a few months of the year; the riverbed is dry the rest of the year.[6] As of July 2022 the official website still showed 2010 as the last worked date of the trail.
Bungee jumping
The bridge is a private inholding within the Angeles National Forest. Bungee jumping is provided by a private company.[7] Jumpers typically meet at the main parking area for Heaton Flats Campground early in the morning, collecting at the Forest Service gate and then walking to the East Fork Trail trailhead where jumpers begin the hike generally as a group. After individuals jump from the bridge, people hike back either alone or in pairs or in groups, some times doing so after dark.
Safety issues
There have been a large number of fatalities[8] along the East Fork of the San Gabriel River due in part to the swift water of the San Gabriel River which can rise significantly and without warning when heavy rainfall to the Northeast of the region introduces flash flood waters to the river. Crossing the river to and from the Bridge to Nowhere can be dangerous and even individuals crossing in groups have experienced fatalities.
Trail repair and reporting
Currently the San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders have repair and maintenance responsibility for the East Fork Trail from the Heaton Flats Campground,[9] through the Sheep Mountain Wilderness, up to the foot of the bridge's leased land. Significant problems with the hiking trail which need to be addressed (dead trees blocking the trail, rock falls, extensive erosion) may be reported to the Trail Repairs web site,[10] or they may be reported to the United States Forest Service by telephoning the San Gabriel River Ranger District.[11]
The San Gabriel Mountains are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert, with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east. The range lies in, and is surrounded by, the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests, with the San Andreas Fault as its northern border.
The Wind River Range is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW–SE for approximately 100 mi (160 km). The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and includes Gannett Peak, which at 13,802 ft (4,207 m), is the highest peak in Wyoming; and also Fremont Peak at 13,750 ft (4,191 m), the third highest peak in Wyoming. There are more than 40 other named peaks in excess of 12,999 ft (3,962 m). With the exception of the Grand Teton in the Teton Range, the next 19 highest peaks in Wyoming after Gannett are also in the Winds.
East Fork Road, located in the San Gabriel Mountains above the city of Azusa, California, is a road that gives access from State Route 39 into East Fork and other small townships, including Camp Williams, and Julius Klein Conservation Fire Camp 19, a minor offender prisoner housing complex where "LACO fire personnel provide training, which prepares inmates to safely conduct wild land firefighting operations."
The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
The San Gabriel River is a mostly urban waterway flowing 58 miles (93 km) southward through Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California in the United States. It is the central of three major rivers draining the Greater Los Angeles Area, the others being the Los Angeles River and Santa Ana River. The river's watershed stretches from the rugged San Gabriel Mountains to the heavily developed San Gabriel Valley and a significant part of the Los Angeles coastal plain, emptying into the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Long Beach and Seal Beach.
The Sipsey Wilderness lies within Bankhead National Forest around the Sipsey Fork of the Black Warrior River in northwestern Alabama, United States. Designated in 1975 and expanded in 1988, 24,922-acre (10,086 ha) Sipsey is the largest and most frequently visited Wilderness area in Alabama and contains dozens of waterfalls. It was also the first designated wilderness area east of the Mississippi River.
The Cirque of the Towers is located in the Wind River Range Wyoming, U.S., part of which is in the Bridger Wilderness in Bridger-Teton National Forest, while the remainder is in the Popo Agie Wilderness in Shoshone National Forest. Located in the southern section of the Wind River Range, the cirque is a very popular destination for technical rock climbers. Climber Orrin Bonney gave the area its current name in 1941 after his survey of the cirque. Prior to this, few if any visitors had ventured into the cirque due to the remote location. The cirque is an almost circular hole or valley carved by a glacier that retreated over 8,000 years ago. As is true with the rest of the Winds, the mountains are composed almost entirely of granite. The Continental Divide spans the crest of the main peaks.
The Crystal Lake Recreation Area is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California, administered by the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument of the United States Forest Service. The Recreation Area consists of a small lake, an open-air amphitheater, a large public campground containing approximately 120 camp sites grouped into "loops," and a group campground called Deer Flats which consists of approximately 25 camp sites. The Recreation Area contains a United States Forest Service visitor center and a cafe which is open to the public from dawn to dusk except for Tuesdays when the cafe is closed. Within the Recreation Area are 16 hiking and nature trails which are well-maintained by volunteers who work under the direction of the Forest Service. The Recreation Area is located approximately 26 miles (42 km) north on Hwy. 39 heading out of Azusa, California at the headwaters of the north fork of the San Gabriel River at an elevation approximately 5,539 feet above sea level. Crystal Lake is the only naturally occurring lake in the San Gabriel Mountains.
The Weminuche Wilderness is a wilderness area in southwest Colorado managed by the United States Forest Service as part of the San Juan National Forest on the west side of the Continental Divide and the Rio Grande National Forest on the east side of the divide. The Weminuche Wilderness was designated by Congress in 1975, and expanded by the Colorado Wilderness Acts of 1980 and 1993. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of the town of Silverton, 17 miles (27 km) northeast of Durango, and 8 miles (13 km) west of South Fork. At 499,771 acres (2,022.50 km2), it is the largest wilderness area in the state of Colorado. Elevation in the wilderness ranges from 7,700 feet (2,300 m) along the Animas River to 14,093 feet (4,296 m) at the summit of Windom Peak.
Sheep Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area of 41,883 acres (169 km2) within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and managed by the Angeles National Forest. It is within Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County, southern California.
The Salmon River is a 33.5-mile (53.9 km) river in the Cascade Range in the U.S. state of Oregon that drains part of southwestern Mount Hood. The entire length of the river is a protected National Wild and Scenic River. Several portions are in protected wilderness. It is affluent to the Sandy River, a tributary of the Columbia River.
The Gabrielino Trail is a United States National Recreation Trail that runs through the Angeles National Forest with trailheads at Windsor Avenue in Altadena, California on the west end and Chantry Flat, just north of Arcadia, California, on the east. It passes through three major watersheds and has an elevation gain/loss of 3,500 ft (1,100 m).
The Foothills Trail is a 76-mile (122 km) National Recreation Trail in South and North Carolina, United States, for recreational hiking and backpacking. It extends from Table Rock State Park to Oconee State Park. It passes through the Andrew Pickens Ranger District of the Sumter National Forest, Ellicott Rock Wilderness, Whitewater Falls, and Lake Jocassee.
Gila Wilderness was designated the world's first wilderness area on June 3, 1924. Along with Aldo Leopold Wilderness and Blue Range Wilderness, the 558,014 acre wilderness is part of New Mexico's Gila National Forest. The wilderness is approximately 27 miles (43 km) from north to south and 39 miles (63 km) east to west. U.S. Wilderness Areas do not allow motorized or mechanized vehicles, including bicycles. Camping, hunting, and fishing are allowed with proper permit, but no roads, buildings, logging, or mining are permitted. Wilderness areas within National Forests and Bureau of Land Management areas allow hunting in season.
The San Gabriel Wilderness is a wilderness area created in 1968 of more than 36,118 acres (150 km2) within the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
The San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders (SGMTBs) is a 501(c)3 non-profit volunteer organization which performs hiking and nature trail building and maintenance within the Los Angeles Gateway District of the United States Forest Service which maintains the Angeles National Forest within the San Gabriel Mountains.
Eagle Creek is a tributary, 41 miles (66 km) long, of the Powder River in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. Beginning at Eagle Lake in the Wallowa Mountains, the creek flows generally southwest and then southeast to meet the river near the small city of Richland. The creek's headwaters are in the Eagle Cap Wilderness within the Wallowa–Whitman National Forest. The upper 28.9 miles (46.5 km) of the creek, from Eagle Lake to the national forest boundary at Skull Creek, are part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
The San Gabriel Complex Fire was a wildfire that burned in 2016 in the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was the combination of two separate wildfires: the Reservoir Fire and the Fish Fire, both of which ignited on June 20.
The East Fork is the largest headwater of the San Gabriel River in Los Angeles County, California. It originates at the crest of the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest, at the confluence of the Prairie Fork and Vincent Gulch near Mount Baden-Powell. It then flows south and west for 17 miles (27 km) to San Gabriel Reservoir, where it joins with the West Fork San Gabriel River. Although the East Fork is colloquially considered a separate river, the U.S. Geological Survey officially lists the East Fork as the upper part of the main stem San Gabriel River, a fact is shown by topographical maps of the area.
Seven Sisters, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a "Mountain Treasure".
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