The bridge to nowhere is a great 10 mile round trip trail that follows a stream up to a bridge that basically sits alone. The bridge was initially built to be a road that connected Azuza through the mountains to Wrightwood. A road was built up to the bridge, but then the road was wiped out in the flood of 1938. After this, no one tried to rebuild the road, so the bridge is now only accessible through a 10-mile roundtrip hike. When you turn the corner and see the bridge for the first time, it is a strange sight; to think that it has never been driven on and was built only to be abandoned is pretty impressive. Here is all the information on this hike.
Details
- 10 miles round trip
- 1,200 feet of elevation
- Lots of stream crossings
- Need an Adventure Pass for parking
Video
Here is a video I made from my hike here in 2019.
Starting Out
We set out on the hike at 7 AM on a Sunday morning. The parking lot was packed so we had to park down a little down the road, but after a short walk we got to the start of the trail, a road closed sign.
We started out on the trek and almost immediately got to a river crossing. It had been raining the night before and was humid, but the river crossing was not dangerous, and the water was nice and cool.
The Trail
The path is pretty much left up to your imagination, but the general rule is that if you are confused where to go, follow the river and try to stay towards the right, the upper path. I would recommend downloading a GPS track to follow just to make it easier on yourself. Along the way, we crossed over many broken pieces of the road, that showed where it had initially been.
The trail does have a lot of rocks that you have to walk over and that slow down the hike, especially with the constant water crossings. There is also a decent amount of up and down over the terrain.
After about 2 and a half miles there is a little waterfall that greets you before you leave the foliage for a mostly barren second half of the hike.
The Bridge
This hike is stunning the entire time; whether you are crossing the river, looking down at the canyon below or walking through the trees, there is a ton to see at every turn. When we finally arrived at the bridge, there were at least 50 people there watching and partaking in the bungee jumping that is one of the highlights of this hike. Let me know if you do it in the commetns
No one in our group was prepared with the cash needed to participate in this adrenaline rush (they don’t take card), but I’m sure next time we will try it out.
It was entertaining to watch people do it as it looked wholly crazy but a once in a lifetime experience for sure. There was a line the entire time we were there, and they normally only do the jumps on the weekend.
After time for lunch and exploring, we went down and swam in the river below the bridge. You can jump off rocks and just kick back and relax for as long as you like before heading back on the hike to your car. This bridge and the area surrounding it is private property, and they have a lot of signs to warn you of that as well.
The hike back is mostly downhill but still takes 2 to 3 hours as you have to cross back and forth over the river and walk along the rocks It is really a nice trip back and has a lot to look at and take in.
Wildlife and Berries
On the way back we saw everything from rattlesnakes to wild raspberries and even stopped for another swim in the river. This is a popular hike, and we passed probably about 100 people on the way there and back. It is especially popular in the summer since you are in the water a lot and can use that to cool off. Do note that it can be really hot in the summer though.
All in all, this hike took us around 7 hours and was a blast from start to finish. The hike is a moderately difficult trip with about 10 miles and 1,000 feet of elevation, but I would say most people could do it. If you are in the LA area, it is worth a trip. Make sure to bring your cash so you can jump off of bridge if you want to do that, and also remember to bring your swimming trunks so you can partake in all the great river pools.
