Hiking - Bridge to Nowhere

Bridge to Nowhere Hike

September 11, 2011 


Meetup Group: 

Adventures In SoCal

Organizer

Max

Hiking in Azusa CA.
The Bridge To Nowhere was built in 1936. The bridge was supposed to open passage between the cities of Azusa to Wrightwood.  However, it was not meant to be. A series of accidents and obstacles delayed & terminated its construction.  Hence, it came to be dubbed the "Bridge To Nowhere". The hike to it's location from the main parking area is about 11 miles (5.5 to 6 hours) round trip, has minimum elevation gain, and there are 5 - 6 streams to cross about 2 ft - 2.5 ft deep along the hike.

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This was a terrific hike I met positive, energetic, and like minded people that love being outdoors. Everyone was helpful and looked out for one another. We kept a good pace, it was fun crossing the steams, we had some great conversation, and shared some snacks along the way; that's another great thing about hiking with cool people in groups - sharing food.

Wear Hiking Shoes
I'm shocked at the number of people I've seen without proper hiking footwear. I highly recommend hiking shoes for any trail but especially this one due to climbing up, over, and down lots of rocky and graveled inclined sections throughout the trail. A few spots along the hike are littered with some fallen trees that are easy to get over. 

With about 5 streams to cross, some had water up to knee level, loose rocks, and  moderately strong currents, especially in the late evening on the way back. The sun set the last 90 minutes or so on the way back to the ranger station. Crossing streams in knee high water required some balance due to the moderately strong currents, and while stepping over some loose rocks. It was dark so, using red flashlights to light the rocks below the surface while crossing worked well. 

We covered the distance to the bridge with a good pace the entire way.  The challenge level was moderate; it's just long!  A beginner will do fine here with “hiking shoes!”, a little balance, and confidence in crossing water levels above the ankle up to knee high, and skimming rocks in a few areas along the trail.  It's not a difficult hike - it's a fun, and could be a great calorie burner. You can pace yourself if you need  more of a challenge.

Upon completion of this roughly 12 mile adventure, some of us were starving of course.  A local Mexican restaurant in Azusa served some hungry hikers that evening. It truly is a great hike. It's not very difficult trail. It may be considered one of the longer hikes for a beginner.