Hiking Bridge to Nowhere in So Cal (with a dog)

Sounds like a movie title, but Bridge to Nowhere is a hike in Southern California. One of the best hikes at best according to many articles! And I can see why. The hike is a long one, 10 miles round trip. For the most part it follows along the stream crossing through the water many times throughout the hike. The other parts are up on rocks to go around the stream or through more of a dirt area with vegetation. The hike ends in an amazing bridge literally what is in the middle of no where.

Difficulty

I would call this hike moderate. It’s more the pure length in time that makes it harder. While not one part is overly difficult, you are still hiking for 5 hours. I went in June and I’d recommend shoulder seasons as winter can make the stream too hard to pass and summer can make it too hot.

The stream was actually moving much more swiftly than it seems like it should. If you are walking across and pick one foot up the stream whisks it away and you quickly have to plant it so you can move your next foot. Even my dog, who is a great swimmer, had some difficulty with it and got swept up against a log at one point. We had to hold him by the collar and very carefully move ourselves across without slipping.

The next harder part is the rocks. You sometimes have to go up around the stream on rocks. Nothing too strenuous. No more so then large stair steppers. There are some fairly daunting cliff edges right next to these areas which made me a little nervous but they are over quick enough that I don’t dwell long on it. If you try to go down from the bridge to the watering hole that is talked about in some articles, this is where it gets a little too scary for me as you have to cling onto a rock wall with a steep steep edge. Didn’t phase many people but was not for me. I opted to not do this.

Finally, as I said, it is just a long hike. The last 2 miles or so leading to the bridge are all exposed in the sun and it’s when it’s getting a little later in the day then you have to turn back and the 2 miles again are in the sun. This was my least favorite part of the hike as it reminded me more of the desert and less of a forest. Overall though no super steep climbs and it wasn’t too bad.

I will say it can be easy to get lost. While I don’t think there is any ‘one’ path, there is a better path and well a bad path. If you find the hike getting overly difficult, you probably got on a bad path and should go back. Most of the time I could get off a bad route by crossing the stream or by going up and around the stream. I found that we took a great and easy hike on the way out, but on the way back we seemed to keep taking the more difficult path. This is as we were getting more tired and kind of restless to be back. Just stay along the stream and you really can’t get lost per say though.

Beauty

The vegetation really is something! We called this one tree looking thing the “Q-tips”. You may be able to see why. The forested part by the stream was my favorite. Reminded me a lot of hiking back in Oregon even though it was only an hour away. The pools of water were just stunning, and yes you can stop and go swimming in them!!! Nothing beats a natural swimming hole on a hot day. The water is chilly but sooo worth it.

The hikes turn around spot is the famous ‘Bridge to Nowhere’. The bridge was built and abandoned with any semblance of a road long washed away. Today, people bungee jump off of the bridge. Looked like a lot of fun! It was a perfect photo op spot and a great place to grab lunch. I was truly blown away by the beauty on this hike. It so far has been my favorite hike in California by a mile!

Hiking with your dog

I have a 2 year old golden retriever and pretty much a requirement for me is to be able to take my dog on a hike. A bonus is if I can take my dog off leash. Hiking is one of the few things I can do that my dog can do with me. That being said, not many trails allow dogs. This one does.

This hike was great in many ways for my dog but in other ways completely horrible. My dog is a very energetic dog and was running laps around us the first 7 miles. He was off leash and had an absolute blast. I could not hide the smile off my face because I just knew I was making my dogs entire week. It was a great mix of swimming and running around. We got up early so we didn’t run into too many people. I leashed him whenever we got to a steep area. My dog seems to like to walk straight up a cliff and stand on the very edge and look straight down. Scared me so bad! Think he does it on purpose to freak me out!

It wasn’t until mile 7 and 8 that he slowed down. By mile 9 we seemed to keep taking a wrong turn and backtracking. He really slowed and I started to get worried. We reached some rocks and instead of romping down them with no concern in the world like he did the rest of the hike, he just paused and whined. Very unlike him and I knew at this point we really needed to get him home. We had to cross the stream a few more times and at this point he didn’t want to swim. He looked slightly lame trying to walk on the rocks.

We finally got back to the car and he took a nap and I thought that was that. He was tired but I didn’t realize quite how sore he would be. He wouldn’t even stand up for 3 days. My boyfriend literally had to carry him to the grass to pee and I brought him food and water to his bedside. His paws were all tore up, he didn’t even want to walk on them. They were bleeding a little and I bandaged them the whole week before they got better. He made a full recovery but still hated to see my baby in pain and sore.

A few things I learned. It’s a long hike. My dog runs 4 miles with me every morning and he spends hours upon hours sprinting on the beach. I wasn’t concerned, but what I realized is that the terrain did an extra number on him. He is a little bit of a city dog and didn’t see much rocks or difficult ground which made his paw pads prime targets. He also was off leash and doing twice our distance. He has a fit bit and it said he did 15 miles and his fit bit normally low balls what his real mileage was. It normally says 2 miles on my morning run while my Apple Watch says 4.

I am quite sad the hike was so strenuous on him that last mile or two. Before this point all I could think is what an awesome hike, I can’t wait to do it again. Unfortunately next time I think I’d leave him at home or build up his tolerance to rough terrain. Also, only bring a dog small that is easy enough to hold the entire hike or one big enough like my dog to do it himself.

Bridge to Nowhere overall I would give a 9/10 because I absolutely loved it. The only thing I would say is if it could be 8 miles and take out the last mile or so to the bridge it would be perfect. Especially with a dog, a few less miles would have really saved his paws. Still my favorite hike in So Cal though!!

You will need an adventure pass to park here. You can just stop on your way. I suggest getting a yearly pass so you don’t have to always stop on your way. If you accidentally pass the last gas station and have to turn around it can add up to a half hour on your trip. Day passes are $5 and yearly are $30.

The address

Trailhead address: Camp Bonita Road, San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, Azusa, CA 91702