This is Piece 10 of a series of 12 puzzle piece caches that I am hiding all across Southern California! Each cache contains a different piece and when you have obtained them all, you can assemble them into a custom-made puzzle. Please feel free to take one puzzle piece, and leave the rest for others! This piece is hidden at the highest intersection of Sunset Ridge Trail and Mt Lowe Rd in the Angeles National Forest (I have moved it from its previous location on the Echo Mountain Trail). Please read the following hiking instructions very carefully, as parts of the Eaton Canyon area remain closed to the public until Dec 31, 2027. Be prepared for a 6.0mi roundtrip hike that ascends and descends 1800ft of elevation. Start at the intersection of Chaney Trail and Alzada Rd in Altadena, where there is a small parking lot where you can park your car. From here, follow Chaney Trail on foot to its intersection with Mt Lowe Rd, then turn right and follow Mt Lowe Rd all the way to ground zero. Do NOT attempt to hike up via Sam Merrill Trail or Mt Lowe Railway Trail; they remain closed to hikers. I also strongly recommend you stay on the paved road and do not hike Sunset Ridge Trail; it has become overgrown and is likely washed out in some areas. Aside from the last few feet of the hike, there will be no reason to walk off the pavement onto the ground, so please let nature rest and recover from the Eaton Fire! Make sure to bring adequate sun protection, good hiking shoes, and water on this hike. It is definitely the longest of the series, an extra mile longer than the original location, so as a reward I have made a special edition multicolored piece for those of you who brave the hike. Below is a photo of ground zero to serve as a hint. In the distance, on top of the lower summit in the photo behind the tree, you can see the original location of the geocache near the ruins of the Echo Mountain House. It won't be accessible until 2028, but when it is, I fully intend to put this geocache back there in its original spot. If the pieces are running low or the cache otherwise needs maintenance, let me know and I will address it as soon as possible. My heart goes out to all those in Altadena and the SoCal area who were affected by the wildfires of 2025, and this cache contains the heart of my puzzle as well. Altadena is rebuilding, slowly but surely, and I look forward to the time we can enjoy the original Echo Mountain hike once again. Happy trails and best of luck!
Below are the links to the other pieces of the puzzle.
GCAYWT2 - Piece 1 of 12: Icehouse Canyon Trail
GCAYY96 - Piece 2 of 12: Mormon Battalion Peak
GCAZF47 - Piece 3 of 12: La Loma Hills
GCAZF64 - Piece 4 of 12: Lake Mathews
GCAZPN3 - Piece 5 of 12: Maple Springs Trailhead
GCAZPQ7 - Piece 6 of 12: Serrano Ridge Trail
GCAZYFB - Piece 7 of 12: Westminster Park
GCAZYFH - Piece 8 of 12: Caruthers Park
GCB087Y - Piece 9 of 12: Ascot Hills Park
GCB0EEE - Piece 10 of 12: Echo Mountain (you are here)
GCB0FYR - Piece 11 of 12: West Fork, San Gabriel River
GCB0FZJ - Piece 12 of 12: Marshall Canyon Staging Area