Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area

Beautiful area! Since moving to the high desert, I forgot how much I missed trees til I got here. Hike was pretty easy, only did the 1 mile loop because our dogs were done. Make sure to bring plenty of water. Plenty of places to stop and rest in shade. Mix of pines and desert brush with rocks jutting out of the earth. Visitor center has cool display of all the wildlife you can see out there. Will definitely be going back soon and doing some more exploring!

Not too many places to hike in the AV so if you live out here this is gonna be the best place to hike. There’s water at the bottom in February and March. They have a little habitat you can see some snakes and bugs in. Beautiful dessert landscape though.

The punch bowl was a cool small hike to go around, we used it as our warm up for the Devils chair!
All together it was about a 8mile hike doing both trails. The first mile of the chair was the hardest because it was all incline! The trail it’s self is narrow and literally the side of the mountains so it is steep in some areas, just watch your footing!
Being on the chair was super cool yet kinda intimidating mainly cause the fence around it is old and rusty.
Wouldn’t recommend the chair for kids or dogs. The punch bowl totally doable for both. We thought about bringing out dogs but I’m glad we didn’t, when you’re at the end to the Chair the fence is broken at the bottom and I wouldn’t trust dogs or little ones around it.
There was a field trip of kids here when we arrived doing the punch bowl and learning at the visitor center, they have all the animal out there on display some live and some stuffed. The park rangers are super friendly and really informative! The park is open sunrise to sunset but the visitor center closes at 5pm.
We heard a bunch of trees breaking at one point like something big was running at us but I think it was just a deer falling down the hill, always be aware of your surroundings out there! The Bobcats are not afraid of people!
As we were leaving we were told by a ranger there are more rocks you can hike in the area so we will defiantly be coming back another time!

Go all the way to Devil’s Chair… one of the best and distinctive SoCal hikes. If you have already done a whole lot of high altitude hikes, this is a nice change of pace. Really beautiful in the winter time when there is snow on the mountains. Date shakes on the way home are strongly advised.

Awesome place!
There is a friendly staff that welcomes you. They have a few life animals such as snakes, owls, ant colony and bee hive that people can observe.
The trail is not flat, which keeps it interesting /​but it’s not «hard» — it’s doable for beginners and kids.
There are a few picnic tables under the shade for a pleasant picnic.
One thing that I must say is… The bathrooms are TERRIBLE!!!

Great trail! Some incline not too much. Go early because Parking is limited. People started parking on the side of the dirt road before the Parking lot so I suppose you have that option as well. On hot days wear sun screen or a hat! There is no shade. There is a river and small water falls. The rock formations are amazing! There are restrooms available as well!

Only went about 1.5 miles in the trail. Best to do in the winter when it’s cooler and there is some snow (but no ice). Seems like a wonderful place and will definitely come back to finish the trail. Parking is limited, so expect to park on the dirt by the street. There are sheriffs patrolling the area so don’t do anything stupid. Even though this is in Angeles National Forest, you don’t need to pay for a stupid adventure pass, which is fantastic.

Love this hike. THere are several hikes here. The most popular is the Devils Chair. It will take almost a mile to get to the actual trail. Then the hike will take 3.66 miles to the end of the trail. So it will take a couple hours but its a easy hike and so worth it.

You might only be a couple miles away from town but you’ll find yourself in a completely different world.
Pick your trail.
The 1 mile loop is short but you’ll see so much, it’s a very interesting hike and you’ll be sure to at least see a few lizards.
The Devils chair can be a challenge and the first mile is all uphill and will really take a toll on you. Especially in the summer, its full sun exposure.
After that it’s mostly shady with beautiful pines and the sounds of birds and you’ll be crossing the creek. Might be dry or running depending on the season. Beautiful the entire way but it can be a test of endurance.
Be sure to visit the visitors center, you’ll find a friendly park ranger that tell you all about the wildlife and vegetation. It’s also like a small museum inside.

The 1-​mile loop was perfect for our 3-​year-​old and it was truly interesting and beautiful + not too crowded. Also, the staff at the nature center were super nice to the little one.
Would love to do the 8-​mile hike sometime (but without the 3-​year-​old)!
Sort of convenient — about an hour and a half from our place in LA. We stopped at Charlie Brown Farms on the way home for date shakes and honey.

What a hike!!! The air is definitely cleaner up here, and the views… breathtaking! It was a calorie burner for sure, especially if you are not used to exercise of any sort. The trail is pretty self explanatory, bring lots of water and snacks, for the occasional rest stop. Standing on the brim of the punchbowl, you realize… Nature is an amazing thing. It’s amazing how pretty it is up here, staring down, and none the less just as pretty staring up from down into the punch bowl. If you are gearing up for this hike, make sure to bring a walking stick, though the terrain may not be too unstable, there is loose gravel and steep steps.

Good 8-​mile hike to Devil’s Chair is a good workout, but not extreme unless the heat is kicking it HOT. Good mixture of woodsy areas mixed with desert scenery. There is a lot of wildlife in the area, but I’ve never seen anything in my 2 visits

Participated in the monthy full moon hike! Just did the short loop. Great rangers who shared hot chocolate with the whole group. Plan on going again for the longer hike during the day time.

I love this place my absolute favorite place to hike I’ve been here several times. The scenery is gorgeous right from start to finish. The beginning is a bit challenging just because it’s a little steep after once you get to the official start of the trail is very easy just a little dangerous because the trails get small and narrow.
The end is when you get to the «devils chair» me and my best friend usually sit here and have a picnic before we start trucking back up. The first I’d say mile back is grueling hard work it’s very steep and rocky and you get déjà vu every time you turn a corner it’s feels like it’s never gonna end. It’ll kick your butt but it’s worth it!

There is one good thing about living near a massive fault line — enjoying the unique scenery it creates. I’ve done several hikes along the San Andreas Fault (I realize this doesn’t sound very bright), and Devil’s Punchbowl Natural Area is one of the best areas I’ve found.
Getting there takes a little bit of effort, and can be confusing, so I would recommend using your GPS. There is a parking lot at the entrance, with plenty of overflow parking along the road. There is no fee for parking, and no special permit needed for hiking.
We did the Devil’s Chair trail, followed by the loop trail. These two combined ended up being about 8.5 miles. The stats on «elevation gain» won’t tell you much about the difficulty level of the hike, as it is one of those that rolls up and down throughout the hike. I would call it moderate, but if you were there on a really hot day, it could feel a lot more difficult. After you’ve hiked to the chair and back, the one-​mile loop near the visitors center is definitely worth the extra mile, but don’t go into it thinking it is going to be flat like we did…
The trails are well signed and easy to follow, but if you are concerned about directions, they have maps printed-​off at the visitors center. The trailhead for most of the hikes, other than the loop trail, is in the picnic area above the parking lot.
The scenery is beautiful, and worth the drive. You get a little bit of everything hiking in Southern California has to offer: desert vistas, interesting rock formations, pine trees, and snow-​capped peaks in the background.
While this isn’t the most spectacular hike I have done in Southern California, it is something unusual, and a nice change of pace.

This was a great hike with a spectacular ending. You get to hike along the inner rim of the bowl, counter clockwise, all while viewing the interesting uplifted rock formations down below. The rock formations have a similar appearance to those seen at Vasquez Rocks. The day I visited the trail crossed through a rushing stream. The sound of the stream could be heard in the background through much of the hike.
Pay close attention when you get to the junction that takes you to the Devil’s Chair. It’s located at the 3.7 mile marker and it’s easy to miss. Follow the narrow, gate-​enclosed, path that leads you to a rock promontory that is the top of the chair. You get to appreciate the scenic views and it’s a great place to hang out and grab a bite.
There’s also a nice visitor center with some live animals. Parking is free and there is no need for an Adventure Pass.

For starters there are two different trails. One is a 1 mile loop trail that takes you down to the punchbowl. I suggest maybe doing this one with the kids after you explore the Nature Center. The other trail is to the Devil’s Chair, it is a 7mile out and back hike.
Today we hiked to the Devil’s Chair. I highly recommend that you hike this trail. The trailhead is located right behind the porta potty in the parking lot. (There are other restrooms located behind the visitor center, if you prefer).
The trail is really easy to follow and it is well maintained. When you reach the fork in the road past the green water shed keep left. We did this hike in January and the weather was perfect. The hike was gorgeous all the way to the chair. There are many interesting trees that make you stop and take a closer look. Also the different colored rocks are incredible, they look as if they had been painted. I could not get over the different shades of green, white and red in the rocks. Since it had rained just a few days before there was actually a stream with running water. It was exciting coming around the corner and hearing the rustling water. It was even more exciting as we hopped over the rocks and logs to the other side.
You will be able to identify the chair as your walking along the ridge, but you have to keep following the trail and come up behind it, be careful not to pass it. It is marked by a iron fence that runs along it on both sides. Once you reach the plateau you can rest and enjoy the breathtaking views of the amazing geological formations. These formations are unlike any I have every seen. We both just stood in awe for a moment, it was so peaceful. This is the perfect spot to rest and eat.
This hike is now listed as one of my favorites.

Hiked to the DEVILS CHAIR today and had a blast. The 8 mile hike took about 4 hours (with scenic stops and snack breaks).
During winter months the trail does get snow and temps drop to the low 40’s so layer up. Some spots get ample sunlight and are lovely after the cold areas. Hiking boots are pretty important as the path gets slippery and slushy during the day. Also, bring all the basics, water, sun screen, etc, etc. Stay away from the edges as they have some loose gravel.
All in all the trail is well maintained and is great for the intermediate hiker. Can’t wait to do this again in summer or spring.

Be careful there are several places called Devil’s Punchbowl and when searching on google you could be looking at the wrong hike. lol. I was looking at the one in Canada for a good 30 min before figuring that out.
The drive from LA isn’t bad, it only took us a little over an hour to get up near Palm Dale. When first parking there is a great view of the punchbowl and all the rocks coming out at weird angles. Great view and you can do a short 1 mile around hike to go down near the water and inbetween the rocks.
But first we did the Devil’s Chair hike. It is just over 3 miles there and taking the same path back turns it into a 6 mile hike. Since the hike is on the north side of the mountain there is a lot of shade. Which would be great in the summer but now it gets cold in the shade and then you find yourself running to the sunny spots. Once you get to the «chair» it is a great view that overlooks the whole park. It is high up and built on top of a rock with metal rails.
It all sounds great so far, and the reason it gets 4 stars instead of 5 stars is that the map at the ranger station down at the very beginning sucks royally. It doens’t give clear direction on where to start the 3 different paths. No «you are here» sign. And the names of the hikes don’t match the names on the map. It is only once you are 100 yards down the main path there is a map craved in wood that gives the direction you should be going.

MINI-​ME JOSHUA TREE!
BACKGROUND:
Devil’s Punchbowl, elevation 4,750 ft (1450 m), is a tilted sandstone formation in Los Angeles County. It is a county park within the Angeles National Forest on the northern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains, near Littlerock, California. Short trails within the park showcase the geologic features along the Punchbowl and San Andreas Faults. There are connections to major longer trails leading to the high country.
The Devil’s Punchbowl Nature Center is operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The center focuses on the flora, fauna, and geological features of the park, and the center offers school programs, parties, guided park tours, as well as telescope programs with an 11-​inch telescope.
STATS:
Park Hours: Sunrise to Sunset
Nature Center Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Closed Mondays
Vehicle Entrance Fee: N/​A
7.5 miles out and back
Elevation Gain: about 1,300−1,500 feet
ESSENTIALS:
At least 2 liters of water (depends on distance and temp)
Know your limits
Comfy hiking shoes with good lugs
Layered Clothing
High protein food/​snacks
Electrolytes
Camera
Hat (optional)
Gloves to help grip rocks
Rock climbing experience
OUR ROUTE:
I’ve been to the Devil’s Punchbowl several times over the years and to me, it’s like a mini Joshua Tree with one exception, there is a civilized trail available. The single track trail is mostly shaded by trees with minimal elevation gain and weaves hikers around the bowl to the Devil’s Chair.
The views along the trail are spectacular. The earth-​toned rocks that jut out of the earth into their current form is breathtaking. At 3.1 miles, the trail turns south, descending a series of switchbacks and reaching a junction .3 miles later. Turning left, the trail goes up and down a bit and finally heads out over a narrow fin into the canyon. A metal protective railing on either side helps on some parts of the trail that are deteriorating. Once at the chair visitors have a 180 degree view that looks out into the 300′ deep canyon of tilted sandstone slabs as well as the valley floor to farmland through the mountain pass.
Those adventurous types, there is a trail from the visitors center down to the rock pile where lots of rock hopping and rock climbing can be had. Use caution of direction as well as time. One time several hikers fell far behind and those of us who got out of the pile looked for them from high above. As time passed, we still could not see them and were about to call Search and Rescue. Thankfully, they filling responded to our calls and were able to get out the pile before dark.
Trivia:
The Australian band Wolfmother recorded their music video for the song «Mind’s Eye» at the Devil’s Punchbowl. Additionally, German heavy metal band Accept filmed a video for their song «Stampede» at the location.
DISCLAIMER:
Hiking is not something that can be taken lightly. It can be life-​threatening as you see and hear on the news, people die or get lost all time. Please, if you are going to hike, never go alone and prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Remember when going for a hike, no matter how short you think it may be, always be prepared. Carry at least two liters of water for every five miles (more if the weather is warm), protein bar, nuts, and electrolytes. Wear sturdy lug sole shoes and protective clothing. Some areas the weather can change quicker than a fireman can put on his gear. It is also very important, always always always let a family member or friend know where you are going and when you expect to be back. Lastly, have fun when you hike it up.
#HIKING #ROCKCLIMBING #ROCKSCRAMBLING #DEVILPUNCHBOWL #DEVILSCHAIR