Discover Azusa: Canyon, cycling routes, and history

Azusa is located at the gateway to canyons and forests. For trip planning, the city offers a range of highlights: cultural history, landscapes, and cycling routes.

Canyon landscapes and views

Azusa Wilderness Park is located at the gateway to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and offers views of the San Gabriel River and the canyon. The San Gabriel Canyon Gateway Center includes Interpretive Gardens covering 0.75 acres, as well as a Memorial Grove. The Hilda Solis River Outlook adds to the landscape attractions with a native plant garden in front of the building.

Architecture and local history

The Durrell House is a Colonial Craftsman-style home built in 1923. The Azusa Historical Society maintains and operates it. The Old Schoolhouse brings together architectural history and an important part of the city's history: the restored building has a permanent location on Historic Row in Veteran's Freedom Park. It is one of the few surviving single-story, wood-frame schoolhouses in the San Gabriel Valley.

In the early 1900s, the Old Schoolhouse was used to segregate Mexican students for English and so-called “Americanization” classes. It also served as a polling place where residents of Mexican descent were allowed to cast their votes only there. The Azusa Historical Museum moved to Veteran's Freedom Park, then called Civic Center Park, and opened to the public there in 1991. The Azusa Civic Center is also historically significant because of its longstanding connection to the city's development in the 20th century. The former El Encanto Restaurant was built in the 1920s as accommodation for the San Gabriel Canyon forest ranger.

Walks and cycling routes

The Hilda Solis River Outlook is the starting point for a walk of about one mile, or two miles round trip. The route follows North Old San Gabriel Canyon Road along the San Gabriel River. The Mountain Bike Azusa Canyon route offers a different scale: it runs for about eight miles along West Fork Road, which is closed to traffic, to Cogswell Dam. The full route is about 63 to 65 miles long and has approximately 4,000 feet of elevation gain.

There are several places to refill water bottles along East Fork Road; check whether they are available before setting off. The East Fork Trail can be reached from Azusa Avenue, which becomes Highway 39 and leads to East Fork Road. Road conditions can change, so it is a good idea to check them before your ride. The Azusa Rio San Gabriel Bike Trail is an approximately 0.9-mile extension of the San Gabriel River Bike Trail. Its trailhead is at the intersection of Azusa/San Gabriel Canyon Road and North Ranch Road.

More places to visit along the way

The Route 66 mural is at the northwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Alameda Avenue. It offers visitors and travelers on Route 66 several opportunities for photo stops. Memorial Park Recreation Center also includes the 16,000-square-foot Canyon City Skate Park. Together with the historic buildings and scenic destinations, these offer a variety of ways to explore Azusa according to your interests.

Discover more destinations: Culver City, Gorman, Calabasas, Long Beach, Agoura Hills, Montebello, Norwalk, Pomona.

For the main travel overview: Los Angeles.