Monrovia: Canyon Trails and Route 66 History

Monrovia offers different possibilities for planning a trip: natural areas with trails and views, as well as historic buildings, a museum, and art. If you’re looking for a hotel in Monrovia, first consider whether you’d prefer to spend time outdoors, explore Route 66 history, or do both. The opening hours of each location provide different time frames to plan around.

Hiking and Views in Monrovia

Monrovia Canyon Park is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and has more than 100 visitor parking spaces. Its trail network leads to Canyon Park Waterfall, making the waterfall a specific destination within the park. Opening hours may change; check them before your visit.

Hillside Wilderness Preserve has more than 4.5 miles of trails and open space, as well as opportunities for hiking. From there, views extend across Monrovia and the San Gabriel Valley. This offers a clear distinction when choosing where to go: trails in Monrovia Canyon Park lead to the waterfall, while the preserve offers trails, open space, and views of two named areas.

Old Town and Route 66 History

The streets of Old Town Monrovia are lined with historic buildings. There are also numerous works of art in and around Old Town. For a historic walking tour, the Historic Monrovia Walking Tour takes you to six locations in Monrovia. You can also plan a visit to the city around its buildings, art, or a tour with multiple stops.

You can also encounter Route 66 history at the Monrovia Historical Museum. There, “Route 66: A Road Through Time” is a three-dimensional shadow-box art display about the people, places, and automobiles that shaped Monrovia’s Route 66 experience. The museum is located in the former municipal swimming pool building, which operated as the Monrovia Municipal Plunge, also known as “The Plunge,” from 1925 to 1983. The building and exhibition thus offer two different ways to explore local history: the building’s former use and the story of Route 66.

The Aztec Hotel is a historic motel on Route 66 that opened in 1925. Another historic site is the George H. Anderson House, built in 1886. It adds a single named house to the historic experiences of Old Town and the museum.

Plan for Visiting Days and Opening Hours

The Monrovia Historical Museum’s regular hours are Sundays and Thursdays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The George H. Anderson House is open to the public on the third Sunday of each month from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The difference matters when planning your week: for the museum, Sundays and Thursdays are options; for the house, it’s the third Sunday. Opening hours may change; check the latest information before your visit.

The Monrovia Street Fair & Market takes place on Fridays from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.; in spring and summer, extended hours apply until 10:00 p.m. If your travel dates include a Friday, take this seasonal extension into account when planning and check the hours for your intended visit.

If your travel dates are fixed, first compare the museum and house opening hours with the Friday event. With flexible dates, you can give more weight to your interests in nature and culture, then look for a hotel for your stay.

Discover more destinations: Claremont, Norwalk, Inglewood, Irwindale, Diamond Bar, South El Monte, San Gabriel, Signal Hill.

For the broader travel overview: Los Angeles.