Distance
4.62 Miles
Time
~2.5 Hrs
Difficulty
Moderate
Season
All Year
Elevation Gain
1003 Ft
The Teepee trail is a really easy and fun hike within the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. You’ll be able to experience fall colors during the autumn months, a fun teepee, outstanding sunsets, and more!
Teepee Trail is a 4.62-mile, roundtrip hike located within the Los Angeles National Forest near La Cañada Flintridge. It’s an easy hike that features a bee farm, a small lavender field, a rock labyrinth, and a teepee. Dogs are allowed on this trail as long as they are leashed.
Map of Teepee Trail
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Directions and Parking
The Teepee Trail is located at 5864029001, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011.
You can park right across the USFS Angeles Station 11: 34.233970, -118.183552
Parking is free but limited. It’s usually not too busy.
Here are more LA hikes to explore!
Hike to Teepee
I was so excited about this hike. The weather was perfect, yet slightly cool. There were hardly any people on this particular Sunday afternoon which made it that much more peaceful.
We had to walk through this fire station road and keep straight in order to get to the actual trailhead.
Notice the “Stop Do Not Enter” sign? That only applies to the actual fire station and gate on the right side. Don’t worry, as long as your not entering that section you are fine to proceed forward.
The majority of the hike is on Mt Lukens Truck road. The sign to the right says 7 miles, but it’s more like 5 miles roundtrip.
It’s a nice ascent that isn’t too steep. You’ll definitely get a little workout from it though. I was starting to break a sweat after the 1-mile mark.
Quick Tip: Bring a light jacket on cooler evenings!
From the trail, we could spot Strawberry Peak!
You’ve probably heard of it if you’re an avid LA hiker. It’s a much more challenging hike, but the sunsets there look amazing (stay tuned for that one).
You’ll be able to spot autumn colors like these if you hike the Teepee trail from about mid-October to early November! Trust me, it’s even more gorgeous and vibrant in person.
The crunchy, warm-colored leaves under my feet and crisp air made this otherwise bleak trail so much more exciting. It screamed fall!
There are a few switchbacks in the first half of the trail. The final switchback has a bench and lookout.
From here, you can see a little bit of Altadena and Pasadena.
After taking in the views, it was time to hit the trail again.
We continued on this straight dirt path until we reached the mailbox.
This is where we got off of Mt Lukens Road and onto this private property.
The owners are kind enough to allow the public on their property. Please be extra respectful.
Heads up, there are lots of bees beyond this point.
I wouldn’t recommend doing this hike if you are dangerously allergic to them as they are flying around everywhere. One of them chased us around and would not give up!
It’s no surprise as there’s a bee farm off to the side of the dirt path.
There’s also a small lavender field up ahead.
I could smell the sweet and floral fragrance from these vibrant plants. The bees were happily buzzing around them.
Right before the teepee, there’s a rock labyrinth.
These can be used to mediate and are treated as mazes. It can be relaxing to walk alongside the curved rock paths.
The Teepee
The Teepee is located right around the corner of the rock labyrinth!
It’s much bigger in person than what these pictures make it out to be. If I had to guess, it’s about 15 feet tall.
There’s usually a canvas covering that drapes around the teepee, but the owners remove it when the wildfire warnings are high.
Can you spot the rock labyrinth and bee farm?
Here’s an amazing drone shot that gives you a totally different perspective. You can see Glendale, Pasadena, and more. The smog was a bit heavy that day so we couldn’t see the ocean in the distance.
Overall, I had a really fun time hiking to the Teepee. There was so much to see and explore! On top of that, we got a taste of fall in sunny LA.
I hope you get inspired to visit this one. As always, leave no trace.
Don’t forget to check out some of the other LA hikes we’ve done and tag us on Instagram @cahikingadventures. See you on the next adventure!
