Monrovia Canyon Park

I never thought I would be lucky enough to see a real California bear with my own two eyes, up close and personal, while walking along a wilderness trail in a city close to my house. But it happened (and I may still be in shock)!

On a recent Sunday afternoon, we traveled with a group of out-of-town guests to the Monrovia Canyon Park, located in Monrovia, CA.

This is a park that has a lovely shaded hiking trail where you cross a few creeks, duck our heads under thick tree branches, walk about a mile uphill and finally experience the highlight of the park— its’ crisp, fresh waterfalls (which we’re not as abundant this time).

My cuties once we reached the not-so-amazing waterfall

On our way to the trail, just as we were getting ready to start our hike, a brown bear walked in front of us, crossed the street and walked up to an area resident’s backyard. Of course, I had my camera ready to click away but the shock, fear, excitement and overall craziness of seeing this bear made me freeze and forget to take pictures, of course. I did stop and pray for a moment that Benny wouldn’t catch the bear’s attention due to any residuals of banana and blueberry Gerber from earlier!

Fortunately, it didn’t happen.

Before entering the trail, signs warned us of bears, mountain lions and rattle snakes. No big deal, right?

Benny was so intrigued by Mother Nature! He would constantly raise his head and look at his surroundings without making a sound. He never once acted up, which made us decide to start planning more similar outings…

The Monrovia Canyon Park is a great weekend escape, not too complicated of a hike, easy enough to carry a young child but good enough to make you break a sweat by the time you reach the falls.

Address: 1200 N Canyon Blvd Monrovia, CA 91016

Parking: $5.00 but you can always avoid paying the fee if you leave your car outside of the park (longer walk but no expense!)