Sierra Madre Bailey Canyon Park Cache
451 West Carter Avenue at Grove Street, Sierra Madre, CA.
This is a lovely park at the base of the San Gabriel mountains, having hiking trails, picnic tables & BBQs, a fire ring, a chemical restroom, a native botanical area, handicap parking, and a nice recycle bin.
Park Hours: From dawn to dusk.
Parking: Free.
Dogs on leashes are welcome, but please bring a poop bag!
The cache is in a tupperware container, about 12" x 5", and is hidden about 1/2 mile up the mountain. Park in the Bailey Canyon Park parking lot and follow the Bailey Canyon Trail sign. Exit through the turnstall and walk up the paved road, past the debris basin until you reach the trail. Once on the trail, pass the bridge and to the right at the second sign.
NOTE: Several warnings are posted saying that the area is prone to flash floods, so please stay clear of the trails if the weather appears at all threatening. Wherever you hike, make sure that you are safe, take plenty of water, and follow forest regulations.
There are over 100 species of birds in Bailey Canyon, including the acorn woodpecker, American kestrel, great horned owl, house finch, mourning dove, northern mockingbird, red-shafted flicker, and red-tailed hawk.
There is an interpretive display, providing details about the local flora and fauna. Some of those plants include: wild cucumber, white sage, laurel sumac, kaceanothus species, horehound, black sage, califremontia, lemonade berry, bladderpod, holly leaf cherry, toyon, sugarbush, elderberry, and western sycamore. Trail guides are available at the City Hall, the Police Station, or the Library.
Park History: In the later 1800s, foxes and coyotes were trapped in this canyon, and their fur was shipped to Chicago. R.J. Bailey homesteaded the canyon in 1875, but sold it in 1881 to Palmer T. Reed, a clerk at the Sierra Madre Villa Hotel. The property was eventually divided, with portions sold to the Sierra Madre Municipal Water Company, the Passionist Fathers, who built the monastery, and the Carter family. In the 1930s, the WPA built an amphitheater just above the current debris basin. The extensive flooding of 1938 damaged the amphitheater and other structures in the area. In 1965 the Carter family donated the land for the Park, which was dedicated on June 11, 1967. The Bailey Canyon Trail was known as the Carter Trail for decades.
Hike Smart & Hike Safe!
Mountain Lovers
