I had four hikes planned for today. But I was one hour short based on the estimated times needed. I was hoping to make up some time by hiking faster than usual. But I wasn’t able to finish Paradise Falls much sooner than planned. I was debating if I should drop the last hike but decided to play it by ear.
Trail Canyon Falls Trail
Length: 4.82 mi
Elev. gain: 997 ft
Time: 1:53:27
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/morning-hike-at-trail-canyon-falls-e924517
Driving to the trailhead took a little longer than expected due to road construction and waiting for the pilot car. The parking lot was small, with rooms for about three cars. I got the last spot.
This is the longest hike among these three hikes today. There were nine stream crossings each way. But they were pretty easy. There were also some ropes to help with the steep ascent/descent near the waterfall.
I combined hiking with some trail running and was able to save about half an hour (2.5 hrs vs 2 hrs) by the time I finished this trail.
Switzer Falls via Gabrielino Trail
Length: 3.92 mi
Elev. gain: 679 ft
Time: 1:35:03
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/switzer-falls-via-gabrielino-trail-ebef223–3
I had to wait a little for the pilot car when I finished the Trail Canyon Falls hike before I could leave. So that made it even harder to catch up with my time. Fortunately, when the pilot car arrived, it was going the same direction I was going so I didn’t have to wait even longer for it to come back.
Also, I forgot to download the offline map before I left home. There was no reception at Trail Canyon Falls so I wasn’t able to get directions to the trailhead to Switzer Falls and had to rely on my map reading skills. I finally got one bar when I got close and that allowed me to find the trailhead without further issue.
This is probably my favorite among these three today. It was a beautiful hike from begin to end. I counted 12 crossings one way. At the end of the hike, I saved another half an hour which means I had enough time for the last hike.
Millard Canyon Falls Trail
Length: 1.42 mi
Elev gain: 299 ft
Time: 36:45
The hike:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/millard-canyon-falls-trail-8ca01ea
Again, there was no reception at the previous hike (Switzer Falls). When I finally got reception, Google Map directed me to the wrong location which for some reason was on a residential street.
This is a very short and easy trail. I crossed the stream nine times on the way to the falls but realized four of the crossings could be avoided on my way back.
After all four planned hikes today, I was able to make it back four minutes early.