Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

High above Pasadena in the San Gabriel Mountains -- a waterfall and pool fit for a king.

Easy trail hiking, then moderate boulder hopping, and finally some strenuous, knee-deep wading will take you deep into the sublime hideaway of the Royal Gorge, a narrow, rock-walled section of the Arroyo Seco canyon that has repelled trail builders for well over a century. There you'll come upon a small waterfall and a deep, dark, swimmable pool -- a "Royal Pool" or "King's Bathtub," if you will.

Begin hiking at a parking area and trailhead at mile 26.4 on Angeles Crest Highway (2 miles north of Interstate 210). Step around the locked gate and descend 1 mile on a paved service road to reach the Gabrielino Trail, just upstream from Gould Mesa Campground. Follow the Gabrielino Trail upstream (north) along the Arroyo Seco stream past Oakwilde Trail Camp (3.6 miles) and to the point where the Gabrielino Trail leaves Arroyo Seco itself and starts going up a tributary called Long Canyon (4.7 miles). Abandon the trail at this point and start boulder hopping up the main stream to the right -- this is Royal Gorge. (Note: Forget about forging ahead to the waterfall and pool if the first couple of creek crossings are difficult. That would indicate the water level is too high for safe passage. High water will likely occur during and after one or more of the winter storms to come this year.)

Sponsored
Sponsored

After plodding upstream around several horseshoe bends, you enter (at about 6.0 miles) a section of the gorge where the sheer walls pinch in tight. Clamber over some boulders and wade through a couple of pools to reach the Royal Pool ahead. The pool is fed by water sliding about 8 feet down a 45-degree incline and then cascading 10 feet almost vertically. The rock-bound pool measures about 50 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 10 feet deep at the middle.

Don't try climbing around the falls to reach the continuation of the gorge above the falls. The rock of the San Gabriel Mountains is aged, and particularly around here it's literally falling apart.

It is possible to approach the upper lip of the falls from the upstream side (about a 90-minute walk and boulder hop from Switzer Picnic Area), but there's no easy or safe way to descend into the pool itself from there.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Jazz jam at a private party

A couple of accidental crashes at California English
Next Article

Issa aide collaborates with Ukrainians

Carlsbad's Tracy Slepcevic, Warrior Mom, and her ties to RFK, Jr.

Easy trail hiking, then moderate boulder hopping, and finally some strenuous, knee-deep wading will take you deep into the sublime hideaway of the Royal Gorge, a narrow, rock-walled section of the Arroyo Seco canyon that has repelled trail builders for well over a century. There you'll come upon a small waterfall and a deep, dark, swimmable pool -- a "Royal Pool" or "King's Bathtub," if you will.

Begin hiking at a parking area and trailhead at mile 26.4 on Angeles Crest Highway (2 miles north of Interstate 210). Step around the locked gate and descend 1 mile on a paved service road to reach the Gabrielino Trail, just upstream from Gould Mesa Campground. Follow the Gabrielino Trail upstream (north) along the Arroyo Seco stream past Oakwilde Trail Camp (3.6 miles) and to the point where the Gabrielino Trail leaves Arroyo Seco itself and starts going up a tributary called Long Canyon (4.7 miles). Abandon the trail at this point and start boulder hopping up the main stream to the right -- this is Royal Gorge. (Note: Forget about forging ahead to the waterfall and pool if the first couple of creek crossings are difficult. That would indicate the water level is too high for safe passage. High water will likely occur during and after one or more of the winter storms to come this year.)

Sponsored
Sponsored

After plodding upstream around several horseshoe bends, you enter (at about 6.0 miles) a section of the gorge where the sheer walls pinch in tight. Clamber over some boulders and wade through a couple of pools to reach the Royal Pool ahead. The pool is fed by water sliding about 8 feet down a 45-degree incline and then cascading 10 feet almost vertically. The rock-bound pool measures about 50 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 10 feet deep at the middle.

Don't try climbing around the falls to reach the continuation of the gorge above the falls. The rock of the San Gabriel Mountains is aged, and particularly around here it's literally falling apart.

It is possible to approach the upper lip of the falls from the upstream side (about a 90-minute walk and boulder hop from Switzer Picnic Area), but there's no easy or safe way to descend into the pool itself from there.

This article contains information about a publicly owned recreation or wilderness area. Trails and pathways are not necessarily marked. Conditions can change rapidly. Hikers should be properly equipped and have safety and navigational skills. The Reader and Jerry Schad assume no responsibility for any adverse experience.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Successor to Lillian Hellman and Carson McCullers

Crossword puzzles need headline
Next Article

Tuna within 3-day range Back in the Counts

Mind the rockfish regulations
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader