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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / On The Road – ?BillinGlendaleCA – Brown Mountain Dam

On The Road – ?BillinGlendaleCA – Brown Mountain Dam

by WaterGirl|  July 15, 20205:00 am| 15 Comments

This post is in: On The Road, Photo Blogging

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

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Brown Mountain Dam is named for Brown Mountain, which was named for John Brown, the abolitionist, by John Brown’s sons, who were known as the The Brown Boys.  How cool is that? Even if the dam was not built to hold water (?!) there’s still a waterfall, which makes me happy!  ~WaterGirl

?BillinGlendaleCA

Brown Mountain Dam is on Arroyo Seco whose watershed is the area north and west of San Gabriel Peak and flows through Pasadena (including by the Rose Bowl) and on to meeting the LA River just north of downtown LA. The dam is named for the nearby Brown Mountain to the east. Brown Mountain was named for John Brown the abolitionist by his sons (known locally as “The Brown Boys”) who lived in a cabin in the hills above Arroyo Seco. The dam was built in the early 1940’s and it’s intent is not hold water but debris. Some of the water that flows towards the dam stays behind the dam creating a lush landscape. The remaining water flows over the dam, creating a lovely manmade waterfall. This was the goal of this hike.

There are two ways to get to Brown Mountain Dam, park by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and hike up though the canyon, or park by an electrical substation and hike down into the canyon and cut off half the distance, I chose the later which meant that I’d have to climb out of the canyon at the end of my hike. Once you reach the canyon there’s a good sized campground along the arroyo. Heading north you pass a number of crumbling foundations of houses that used to line the arroyo, most falling victim to fire and floods. Unlike the sun baked hills flanking the arroyo, the foliage is lush by the stream with many flowers. After passing a couple of picnic spots and stream crossings (no bridges) you arrive at Paul Little Picnic Area and was greeted by a woodpecker hammering a tree with it’s beak. Heading north a few yards you begin to hear the sound of falling water and know that you’re close to the goal.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam 7
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

The trail up the arroyo begins wide since it used to have accommodate autos for folk to get to their cabins along the side of the arroyo. These cabin have been burned and flooded out over the years and never rebuilt.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam 6
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

Arroyo Seco runs from Mt. Lowe, though Pasadena and converges with the LA River just north of Downtown LA. This portion of the arroyo is about 2 miles north of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam 5
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

As you reach the Paul Little Picnic area you begin to hear the sound of falling water, a short hike further you see the cause, Brown Mountain Dam.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam 4
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

A pretty good cascade of water falls over the dam into the pool below.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam 3
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

Brown Mountain Dam is a debris dam on Arroyo Seco highlighted in this IR photo.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam 2
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

Arroyo Seco was dammed in the early 1940’s by the US Forest Service by Brown Mountain Dam. The area behind the dam almost immediately filled with sediment and is not useful for irrigation of flood control. It pretty much serves as a man made waterfall.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam 1
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

You can see the lush growth in the silt above the dam.

On The Road -  ?BillinGlendaleCA - Brown Mountain Dam
Pasadena, CAApril 3, 2018

Returning to the Paul Little Picnic site we hear a hammer like sound, it’s a woodpecker in one of the pine trees (I didn’t take my bigger zoom lens thinking I wouldn’t need it).

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Reader Interactions

15Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    July 15, 2020 at 5:19 am

    I like the stream in the second photo. Looks relaxing.

  2. 2.

    Mary G

    July 15, 2020 at 5:26 am

    Someplace I’ve been! Places like this so close to the urban sprawl of LA help keep people sane. Lovely pictures, Bill. Love the bright red head of the woodpecker.

  3. 3.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 15, 2020 at 5:54 am

    @Baud: It was really nice, I’m not sure if it runs year round .

    @Mary G: It really close to Glendale, and I never went there until last year.  Actually that not quite true, we did hike from JPL to the campsite when I was in the Boy Scouts.  But I never made it up to Brown Mountain Dam(actually I didn’t know it existed until last year).

    So when I got my  stuff ready to head out on this hike, I looked at the 50-200mm zoom lens and thought it’s extra weight, why take it.  I knew that was a mistake when I saw(and heard) the woodpecker.

  4. 4.

    JPL

    July 15, 2020 at 5:57 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: What a fun hike, and thank you for sharing the pictures.

  5. 5.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 15, 2020 at 6:02 am

    @JPL: It’s really a nice hike, except heading back up the canyon.  I may try it again next spring, though I’d probably hike up from JPL and take the trail the continues over the dam.

  6. 6.

    mrmoshpotato

    July 15, 2020 at 6:36 am

    Brown Mountain Dam is named for Brown Mountain

    I call bullshit.

    Great pictures, Bill.  Thanks for sharing.

  7. 7.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 15, 2020 at 7:03 am

    @mrmoshpotato: No, it’s not Bullshit Dam, no bulls around there.  Brown Mountain is close by.  Glad you like the pics.

  8. 8.

    SiubhanDuinne

    July 15, 2020 at 7:15 am

    Dam nice pictures.

  9. 9.

    HinTN

    July 15, 2020 at 9:45 am

    That a pileated pecker?

    Looks like a beautiful spot. Thanks for sharing.

  10. 10.

    SkyBluePink

    July 15, 2020 at 9:52 am

    Love the path into the light on first photo.
    Great pics, as always!

  11. 11.

    UncleEbeneezer

    July 15, 2020 at 10:04 am

    We love doing the Brown Mountain trail out of the Meadows in Altadena.  Lots of gorgeous views and you can even see Owen Brown’s gravesite.

  12. 12.

    stinger

    July 15, 2020 at 11:11 am

    What a beautiful place to hike!

  13. 13.

    Dmbeaster

    July 15, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    @HinTN: Its an acorn woodpecker, which are relatively common in SoCal and fun birds.  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Acorn_Woodpecker/id

  14. 14.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 15, 2020 at 2:15 pm

    @SiubhanDuinne: Heh, thanks.

    @HinTN: Not sure,  it’s really a nice hike.

    @SkyBluePink: There are lots of trees there so it makes for a nice contrast and a hike that’s good year round.

    @UncleEbeneezer: Haven’t tried that, I’ve been planning on the short trek to Millard Falls for a while.

  15. 15.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    July 15, 2020 at 2:21 pm

    @stinger: It’s a good all weather hike and is good for anybody.

    @Dmbeaster:  It was pretty loud, wish I brought the 200mm lens.

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