ICONS

Deep within San Gabriel Canyon lies a peculiar landmark, accessible only to the stout of heart. Five miles from the nearest road stands the Bridge to Nowhere, a 55-year-old, 150-foot-long monument to the power of nature.

The Narrows Bridge, its official name, arches about 250 feet above the spectacular gorge--Southern California’s deepest--for which it was named, the crowning jewel in L.A. County’s grandiose plan to build a scenic highway up the east fork of San Gabriel Canyon. Unfortunately, weather did not permit. In March, 1938, a flood obliterated the road leading to the bridge. The county abandoned the project, and only the bridge remains, waiting for traffic that will never come.

Hikers, however, consider it a prime destination, and although the tunnel that was bored through the mountainside at the far end has been blasted shut, the trail snakes down to the chasm below.

To get to the trail, take San Gabriel Canyon Road. Turn right on East Fork Road. The trail begins about eight miles after the turnoff. The area around the bridge is private property, but the trail is a public right of way.