East Fork Road

East Fork Road, located in the San Gabriel Mountains above the city of Azusa, California, is a road that gives access from State Route 39 into East Fork and other small townships including Camp Williams, and Fire Camp 19, a minor offender prisoner housing complex.

The road begins at Route 39, passing over the San Gabriel River, and follows the East Fork of the river, crossing a number of small streams. The terminus is Heaton Flats, which has a campsite, a toilet facility, and trails that lead upstream and to the summit of Iron Mountain, 8,007 feet (2,441 m) above.

Along East Fork Road there are extensive fire fighting facilities which are staged to combat the many fires that break out among the foothills above Azusa, Glendora, and San Dimas every year. The road is located within the Angeles National Forest and is managed by the United States Forest Service.

The United States Forest Service states that all mining operations including gold panning are illegal along the East Fork; ^[1] however, mining and prospecting are a historic relic of California's heritage, enforcement of the mining laws is infrequent, and gold panning continues along this stretch of the road (which offers easy access to the river). Some of the sites of the area's mining heritage can be accessed from the road by visiting the site of "Eldoradoville", a mining town with three stores and six saloons that was established in 1859 and washed away in the flood of January 18, 1862.^[2]

East Fork Road was initially planned as an outlet from the Los Angeles Area to State Route 2, and includes a "Bridge to Nowhere" that was abandoned after a flood; a later plan included two never-used tunnels on the aborted Shoemaker Canyon Road.^[3]

In January 2005 a flood washed out two bridges which stranded 200 campers and residents for days.^[4]

Road Remains

Parts of the old destroyed sections of the East Fork roadway can still be found as one hikes from Heaton Flats and heads generally East along the riverbed. Sections of destroyed bridge supports give hikers clues as to where the roadway used to be located, however extensive sections of the asphalt-covered road still exist, and lead up to Laurel Gulch and the John Seals Bridge which is located just before one enters the Sheep Mountain Wilderness.

Once inside the designated wilderness the above-ground and still-visible sections of the old destroyed length of the East Fork Road become fewer and fewer until eventually there are no more sections to be found.

References

1. Mining illegal in the ANF -- Prohibited 1872
2. "The Great Floods of the San Gabriel Mountains" by Cecile Page Vargo, Explore Historic California, February 2005
3. "Hiking: San Gabriel Mountains; Unfinished Road Makes Great Footpath;" John McKinney. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Oct 8, 2000. pg. 15.
4. "200 stranded residents to get food delivery" Marianne Love. Pasadena Star - News. Pasadena, Calif.: Jan 13, 2005

External links

• San Diego Reader, Visit the "Bridge to Nowhere," deep in a roadless section of Angeles National Forest
• Follows Camp, San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Coordinates: 34°14′3″N 117°48′5″W / 34.23417°N 117.80139°W