Etiwanda Falls Trailhead — Attraction in Rancho Cucamonga

Overall good hike... my son and I do a lot of hiking but today when my family did the trail, we saw a lot of people who thought since this is a beginner hike it would be easy for them - be careful if that's you. Take your time, take water, with breaks as you need to and you will make it fine while being rewarded with beautiful views and the falls at the end. It is a good hike to start with but if you are new to hiking or renewing physical activity it could be a workout but very doable.

The trail has a steady incline and is somewhat rocky. There is an 800 ft incline gain in elevation from the parking lot, and about 1500 elevation gain if you need to park in the neighborhood since the parking lot is full. In the early early morning, the brush and hills on the trail will provide shade... however during summer by 9:30 am you will be mostly in the sun. The trail can be heavily traveled (especially in the later hours of the morning on the weekend) and even planning to getting to the parking lot at 630am when the trail opens in summer on the weekend wont ensure parking, so be prepared for an extra 0.6 mi from parking to the trail head.

Due to the heavy traffic you might see some trash so please pack it in and pack it out and while on trail if you see trash and are able to pick it up safely that is always welcomed. My only complaints is the ugly graffiti that people feel compelled to leave, and when hiking try to have some trail etiquette and listen to your music with ear buds. Yes your music helps you do the hike but no one else wants to hear what you are listening to so please be respectful of those around you who also want to enjoy the beauty.

All in all I would recommend it if you want to start hiking while seeing a beautiful trail end with having a sense of accomplishment do the hike. If you are in shape /experienced hiker you won't be disappointed either as a fun little hike...

I went yesterday 7/15/23 on a saturday, we went on several stops bec. the weather is brutally hot. there are no bathrooms in sight, so if you wanna use the bathroom bring toilet paper lol. bring lots of water, make sure to apply sunscreen & bug repellants, specially on your clothes bec. there will be bugs all around you, once you started hiking.

You will see a barcode to pay for parking, we paid about $3.25 for 4 hrs.

wear hiking shoes, if you're not wearing hiking shoes, goodluck there's lots of rocks on the trail and you will slip and fall off if you're outsoles arent that strong. if you're not physically fit, bring a hiking pole to help you get there, the trail will be difficult but hang in there, according to my tracker, from the parking lot with several stops, you will get there about 1.70 miles to the waterfalls. when you ask people and they say its nearby, dont believe them, as long as you dont hear the waterfalls, you still have a long way to go! i think i've asked a lot of people, one lady said i have about 20 min. away.. she lied! 45 min. later, we heard the waterfalls lol just keep on going, like i said im not physically fit...

Hit the trail head at 6:30 to beat the heat. Temps in the 70's. About 20 cars in the lot but trail not crowded. I usually average 30 minutes up, today 26.5. Giving it 4 stars today due to the biting flies. As temps get warmer, there will be more, so advise no colognes, etc and plenty of repellant...or garlic. Lol. Picked up more trash and water bottles than normal, and saw more graffiti than I've seen in awhile. Couple people had very small dogs, I advised them that the Sheriff will give a $300 trespassing fine if Ranger calls it in. Also, another family there for the first time with children between 3_6 and no water! I gave them my extra water and explained the trail. Stayed at the creek and bigger falls just under an hour before heading down. First timers at casual pace, give yourself an hour, but start early to beat heat. Normal pace about 40 minutes. No shade so wear sunscreen, hat, etc. Sturdy shoes as it is rocky and uphill the whole way....