Easy Dog Friendly Trails in Southeast San Gabriel Valley

Whenever we’re down in SoCal visiting Ryan’s family and friends – but still working remotely during the day – we try our best to explore a few trails before the sun sets. Since this typically leaves us with only a short 1-1.5 hour window of time, we opt for shorter neighborhood hikes or strolls that are <2 miles and quick to drive to. 

The list below is a mixture of easy to moderate hiking trails and paved strolls in Southeast San Gabriel Valley that are great when you don’t have enough time for a multi-hour hike, or if you simply just want a leisurely option to stretch out your legs. Note that all of these trails require dogs to be on leash at all times.

1. Summitridge Park – Diamond Bar

• Effort: Easy to Moderate
• Distance: Up to 3.3 miles
  1. Summitridge Trail – 1.5 mile easy loop (45 min)
  2. Steep Canyon Trail – 1.6 mile moderate loop (1 hour)
• Parking: 
  1. Diamond Bar Center Parking Lot
  2. Street Parking on Steep Canyon Rd
• Hours: Sunrise – Sunset
• Cost: Free
• Shade Level: Minimal, very exposed to the sun
• These trails provide great views of Diamond Bar, Chino Hills, and the local mountains – we highly recommend a beautiful sunset hike here! Both of the loops at Summitridge Park are on dirt trails, so wear shoes with decent traction for the best experience when hiking up and down the hills. Steep Canyon Trail is the more challenging of the two loops: you’ll immediately be met by a stretch of stairs, followed by a series of steep hills. Both hikes are highly exposed with minimal shade, so we recommend visiting in the early morning or just before sunset to prevent your dog from overheating, especially during the hot SoCal summers! Restrooms are available in the Diamond Bar Center, which is open everyday from 7:30am-11pm and has a large lot with plenty of parking spaces.

2. Whittier Narrows Recreation Area – South El Monte

• Effort: Easy
• Distance: Up to 5 miles
  • Legg Lake Paved Loop Trail – 2.2 miles (40 min)
• Parking:
  • Main Entrance Inside the Park ($7 Weekend) – There are many parking lots. We prefer the Area D East Lot or the Legg Lake West Lot.
  • Residential Street Parking Area
• Hours: 6am-8pm (Spring-Summer); 6am-6pm (Fall-Winter)
• Cost: Free on weekdays; $7 day-use per vehicle on weekends & holidays – free residential street parking on Andrews St, Lexham Ave, or end of Lexington-Gallatin Rd. 
• Shade Level: Medium; certain segments of the trail are fairly shaded
• At just under 1,500 acres, Whittier Narrows is one of the largest and most popular dog-friendly recreation areas in LA County. This is not only an excellent place for an easy lakeside stroll, but also to utilize sporting facilities, picnic tables, bike and watercraft rentals, and disc golf courses. The entire trail is flat and paved, so be mindful of the bikers, strollers, geese and ducks you’ll be sharing the road with. There are multiple restrooms along the trail as well. Plus, you can easily shorten or lengthen your stroll from the 2.2-mile loop mentioned above as there are many connecting routes throughout the park.

3. English Springs Park – Chino Hills

• Effort: Easy
• Distance: 0.8 mile paved loop (Route) – 20 min
• Parking:
  • Parking Lot off Grand Ave
  • Street Parking on Village Center Dr
• Hours: 6am-10pm
• Cost: Free
• Shade Level: High
• Notable: The park will close on rainy days since the lake functions as a catch basin that holds excess water during periods of rain and causes water levels to rise. The park will reopen once water levels recede.
• It’s easy to overlook English Springs Park as just a small 8.2-acre park, but don’t! It’s a serene oasis tucked away within the suburbs where you can walk around a peaceful lake and enjoy the soothing sounds of a waterfall. This relaxing stroll is one of our favorite ways to settle down into the evening after a long day of work. We’ll even loop around the lake twice when we’re feeling extra ambitious – or when Kona isn’t distracted by all the cute turtles in the park. Not only are there lots of wildlife here, but also many amenities like gazebos, barbecues, a playground, and volleyball and basketball courts.

4. Schabarum Skyline Trail – Walnut

• Effort: Moderate
• Distance: 2 mile loop (Route) – 40 min
• Parking: Street Parking on E Country Hollow Dr
• Hours: 6am-10pm
• Cost: Free
• Shade Level: Minimal, very exposed to the sun
• The Schabarum Skyline Trail is a 30-mile long connector trail from Covina to Whittier, but let’s just focus on this more manageable 2-mile loop. This hike offers great views of the foothills and surrounding cities. At the trailhead, stay on the left side of the fence that divides this wide, multi-use dirt trail from the residential houses and head downhill towards a series of switchbacks that gradually flatten out and lead into the residential roads of the Three Oaks neighborhood. While you could retrace your steps for an out-and-back to the car from Lemon Ave, we enjoy looping through the neighborhood instead and admiring the million-dollar, Spanish-style homes.

5. Snow Creek Park & Equestrian Trail – Walnut

• Effort: Moderate
• Distance: 1.9 mile loop (Route) – 40 min
• Parking:
  • Parking Lot off Snow Creek Dr
  • Street Parking on Cattail Ct
• Hours: All Day
• Cost: Free
• Shade Level: Medium; Snow Creek Park is very shaded, but certain segments of the walking trail are exposed to the sun.
• Snow Creek Park is a dog friendly 7-acre recreation area that has a baseball field, picnic tables, a playground, a creek, and the Equestrian Trail surrounding it. We like how the trail itself is not the sidewalk, but a separate, fenced dirt path beside the street that makes it feel like we’re not just walking around a residential neighborhood. This is an easy walking trail that is both wide and flat with a mild elevation gain of <200 feet. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and saw families picnicking along the creek in the park, but didn’t have to share the trail with other people or dogs. It was quiet and peaceful, and parking was very easy to find. Plus, just down the road from the park are multiple shopping centers where you can shop at PetSmart with your dog and even eat together on the outdoor patios at In-N-Out, Chipotle, Rubio’s (we love their Taco Tuesday specials), and more!

6. Peter F. Schabarum Regional County Park – Rowland Heights

• Effort: Easy
• Distance: Up to 7+ miles
  • Schabarum Paved Out & Back Trail – 1.7 miles (40 min)
  • Schabarum Hiking Loop Trail – 2.3 miles (1 hour)
• Parking
  • Main Entrance Inside the Park ($7 Weekend) – There are many parking lots, so just keep driving if the lots closer to the entrance are full
  • Street Parking on S Azusa Ave
• Hours: 7am-9pm (Spring-Summer); 7am-6pm (Fall-Winter)
• Cost: Free on weekdays; $7 day-use per vehicle on weekends & holidays – plenty of free street parking outside the park on the weekend.
• Shade Level: Medium; paved trails within the park are very shaded, while hiking trails are mostly exposed to the sun.
• Peter F. Schabarum Regional Park is a 575-acre facility that has hiking trails and paved walking trails, as well as areas for picnicking, youth camping, soccer and tennis, and off-leash dogs. Named after a community leader’s Springer Spaniel mix, Dali’s Dog Park opened in mid-2022 and is located at the corner of Azusa Ave and Colima Rd. It has two fenced enclosures for large and small dogs, a variety of landscaping and obstacle courses, as well as shaded seating for pawrents. The paved out & back trail is an easy stroll that is well-shaded and stays within the park itself. The loop trail is an easy hike that has almost no shade, but you’ll be welcomed with a great view of the Hacienda foothills and maybe even be greeted by horses at the stables. The best time to visit is in the spring, when the weather isn’t too hot and the hills are covered in wildflowers. Note that both trails are quite popular throughout the day and week.

7. La Sierra Trail Loop – Chino Hills

• Effort: Moderate
• Distance: Up to 4 miles
  • La Sierra Trail Loop – 2.1 miles (50 min)
• Parking: Street Parking on La Sierra Dr
• Hours: All Day
• Cost: Free
• Shade Level: Minimal, very exposed to the sun
• The La Sierra Drive Trailhead is tucked inside a residential neighborhood and is quite the hidden gem in Chino Hills. This trail is right in our friend’s backyard – we are so jealous (and Kona wants to move in with him)! We like how the trail is really wide and never too crowded. Plus, parking is never an issue. While this is one of the more strenuous hikes on our list, the breathtaking views of Chino Valley and Mount San Antonio (aka, Mount Baldy to SoCal locals) is completely worth the sore calves from climbing up a few steep inclines. Some parts of the trail can get slippery, so it’s best to wear shoes with good traction. Do yourself and your dog a favor by avoiding this trail during the hottest times of the day, especially in the summer – there is pretty much no shade. Visit in the springtime, and you’ll be surrounded by beautifully bright, yellow wildflowers. There are also some out-and-back extensions on the southside of the loop that you can take to extend the hike up to 4 miles.

8. Carbon Canyon Regional Park – Brea

• Effort: Easy
• Distance: Up to 5 miles
  • Redwood Grove Loop – 1.5 miles (30 min)
  • Carbon Canyon Nature Loop Trail – 3.1 miles (1 hour)
• Parking:
  • Main Entrance Inside the Park ($3-5) – There are many parking lots, so just keep driving if the lots closer to the entrance are full. The South Parking Lot is the closest one to the Redwood Grove.
  • Chino Hills State Park Discovery Center Parking Lot – Free, if you check out a California State Library Parks Pass from your local Library. It’s a short 2-min walk to Carbon Canyon Creek Nature Trail at the eastern side of the park.
• Hours: 7am-9pm (Spring-Summer); 7am-6pm (Fall-Winter)
• Cost: $3 day-use per vehicle on weekdays; $5 on weekend; Free with a State Parks Pass at Chino Hills SP
• Shade Level: Medium; paved walkways throughout the park are nicely shaded, while multi-use trails like Carbon Canyon Creek Nature Trail are mostly exposed to the sun.
• We love how in the Bay Area, coastal redwoods are just a short drive away – from Big Basin to Henry Cowell to the Avenue of the Giants. Though technically in Orange County, Carbon Canyon Regional Park is definitely worth including here since it’s not only very close to SGV, but it’s home to the only grove of redwoods in OC. You don’t have to drive up the coast to see redwoods! The park spans 124-acres, of which half are developed with paved walkways, multi-use dirt trails, picnic areas, sporting facilities, and a large lake for fishing. Both loops mentioned above are on mostly flat, dirt trails and will lead you to the star of the park: the majestic, 3-acre Redwood Grove.