Switzer Falls lies a half hour's walk from the Switzer Picnic Area. Plan to arrive at the picnic area early on weekends, otherwise all the parking spaces will be filled. Pick up the Gabrielino Trail on the west end of the picnic area and walk 1 mile down to remnants of Switzer's Camp -- a former resort now used as a backpacker's campground. Just below the campground, a stream slides down a 50-foot-high chute. Don't go that way. Instead continue on the Gabrielino Trail as it edges along the west (right-hand) canyon wall. You'll get a glimpse of the falls, a dark pit below them and the crumbled foundation of what used to be a miniature stone chapel on the opposite canyon wall.

Directions: From La Canada, CA, Travel 10 miles on the Angeles Crest Highway to the Switzer Picnic Area. Pick up the Gabrielino Trail on the west end of the picnic area.

Elevation: 3,300 feet

Difficulty: Moderate

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