Rubio Canyon

Between 2009 and 2011, AFC and its conservation partners preserved the bulk of the remaining private land in Rubio Canyon — Since then we’ve been working to turn the canyon into a community resource — restoring degraded habitat and trails, making those trails more accessible to the community, and creating outdoor education programs for local students.

Our Rubio Canyon property comprises three adjoining parcels that we bought from Sameer Etman.  Sameer takes conservation to heart: He sold the first 20 acres to us for a pittance, then made sure we were able to buy the next two by setting the price for each well below market value.  Thanks, Sameer, for making sure your 41 acres are preserved for nature forever!

The preservation of this land wouldn’t have been possible without our acquisition partners: the California Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Department of Fish and Game, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, and the office of L.A. County Supervisor Michael Antonovich.

Special thanks also go to our conservation partners: the Eaton Canyon Nature Center Associates, Southern California Edison, the California Conservation Corps, the Pasadena Audubon Society, the Audubon California, REI, and the Diggers Garden Club.

A volunteer stewardship group has been created to advise AFC and help steward this property.  If you would like to join, please contact Tim Martinez: [email protected].

Mt. Lowe Railway

Click on the image to read a wonderful story about the Mt. Lowe railway”

Rubio Canyon Map & Directions

Rubio Canyon Map

Education Center – 1101 East Loma Alta Drive (Google Map)

  1. Take Lake Avenue north (toward the mountains)
  2. Drive past Altadena Drive 0.1 mile to Palm Drive and turn right
  3. After a block veer left onto Maiden Lane
  4. After another few blocks turn right on Rubio Canyon Drive
  5. Rubio Canyon Drive turns into E. Loma Alta Drive
  6. 1101 E. Loma Alta is on the left past the bridge and Camp Huntington Drive

Edison Trailhead – near 3351 Camp Huntington Drive (Google Map)

  1. Take Lake Avenue north (toward the mountains)
  2. Drive past Altadena Drive 0.1 mile to Palm Drive and turn right
  3. After a block veer left onto Maiden Lane
  4. After another few blocks turn right on Rubio Canyon Drive which turns into E. Loma Alta Dr.
  5. Park on E. Loma Alta or Camp Huntington Drive on the left after the bridge
  6. Walk up Camp Huntington past the gate on the left fork and continue up the dirt road to the end, a concrete structure over the creek.
  7. Turn right and follow the trail along the creek to the trail cutting up the slope toward the south
  8. You are now on the Edison Trail. You can continue to the top of AFC’s property on that trail.

Rail Trailhead – next to 1330 Rubio Vista Drive, Altadena (Google Map)

  1. Take Lake Avenue North (towards the mountains)
  2. Turn right on Delores Drive
  3. Take a right on Rubio Canyon Road
  4. Take a left on Rubio Crest Drive
  5. Take a right on Rubio Vista Drive
  6. Trailhead is on the right between 1330 and 1342 Rubio Vista Drive