Welcome to

Earlybird Hiking!

This group is for those who want to explore the beauty and incredible trails of the San Gabriel Mountains and the rest of Southern California. As our name suggests, many of our hikes will begin early in the morning, although we have regular evening hikes as well during the week. The early weekend starts allow us to hit the trails (and the parking lots) before the crowds set in, and by starting early we also finish all but our longest hikes before noon.

Our hikes range from short and fairly easy (5 miles or less, and about 1,000 feet of elevation gain) to intermediate (in the range of 10-12 miles and 2-3,000 feet of elevation) to advanced (our twice-a-year Chantry Series Finale, for instance, is 21 miles and 6,000 feet). Our longer hikes generally move at a faster pace than many hikers are used to; you might huff and puff a bit in this group, but you'll find yourself in such pristine, scenic spots that we bet you'll hardly even notice.

Virtually all of our hikes are limited in attendance, so that we can ensure everyone's safety and attempt to keep the group together as much as possible. Smaller groups also make for a more intimate, natural experience in the wilderness, which is particularly important to us because we like to get off the well-known trails as often as possible. There are plenty of 100-hikers-and-a-cloud-of-dust groups on Meetup. This is not one of them.

If all of that sounds good, then please join us, set your alarm clock, beat the crowds and the heat, and come explore the beauty hidden in our local mountains.

One important note: Because we limit attendance on most of our hikes to anywhere from 12 to 20, many of our events have wait lists. So that as many people as possible can enjoy the wonderful trails that this group visits, we have a strict no-flake policy: If you're on the "yes" list for a hike with a wait list, you absolutely must show up. Flaking on a wait-list hike, or changing your RSVP at the last minute, means you deprived someone else of the chance to join us, and it gets you suspended for six months in our group. It's a one-strike policy. Changing your RSVP when you change your mind about a hike takes 10 seconds, and it's the right thing to do. Also, RSVPing "yes" for an event and putting "maybe" in the comment field is prohibited. Wait until you're sure you can come, and then RSVP.

See you on the trails!

Groups near Arcadia, CA