Big Santa Anita Canyon
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General Information About BSAC
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About BSAC:
 Big Santa Anita Canyon is within the Angeles National Forest and is entirely on Federal land.  Forest Service laws and regulations apply.  This is not a city or county park, nor a National park.  It is a unique community of cabin owners and hikers enjoying one of the last places of its kind still in existance, a small piece of the 19th Century hidden within our local mountains.  The best way to explore this beautiful canyon is on foot.  Over forty miles of trails wind through the area.
Location: Exit 210 Freeway at Santa Anita Avenue and go North into the mountains until the road ends. View maps.  Parking space is limited, and the parking lots at Chantry Flat and the Pack Station may fill up on weekends.  Roadside parking is available, but be sure to obey the restrictions and be sure your car is parked completely behind the line.  The Forest Service sometimes tows cars that are blocking the road and illegally parked cars may be ticketed. You can also purchase maps at Canyon Cartography.com
Parking: Our canyon has limited parking, there are only 3 lots and the canyon is very popular with hikers.  The lots all fill up early in the morning on weekends, although on weekdays there is usually a lot of space available.  In case you find the lots completely filled, parking is allowed on the road, but each car MUST be entirely behind the white lane or it will be ticketed by the Forest Service, or towed if it blocks the road.  Each car must also display a Forest Service Adventure Pass or it will be ticketed, whether it's on the road or in one of the lots.
There is often parking available at the pack station for a $5.00 fee, and an Adventure Pass is not required to park there.   Info for large groups--
Hours: Year round, 6 am to 8 pm every day.   The road is gated and the gate is locked at night.  Be sure to return to your car before 7:30 pm or you may not get out!  During and after heavy rains, fires, or after significant earthquakes, and during fire alerts the road may be closed.
The Sierra Madre Police Dept. is in charge of locking / unlocking the gate. If you are concerned that the road might be closed you can call them for info:
626 355-1414.
Dogs: Dogs are allowed on the trails, but must be on a leash for their own protection as well as for fellow hikers.
Fees: There are no fees to enter and use any area of Big Santa Anita Canyon.  Parked cars, however, are required to display an Adventure Pass.
This pass is required for parking within any National Forest and is available from the U.S. Forest Service.
Cautions: When hiking anywhere it is wise to be aware of the potential dangers, such as the obvious ones like not straying off the trail.  This is important in remote areas.   Not only are there are there steep hillsides, loose rocks, and cliffs in the canyon, but rattlesnakes and ticks are common in the underbrush and debris on the traiside and hills.  Help could be a long time in coming if you are injured or become lost.   Please use good judgement. 
Emergency:
 These are the current phone numbers to use in an emergency.  This page will open in a new window - you may want to print it out and take it with you into the canyonfor reference just in case there's a problem.