Such was the case when Julie and I first visited this waterfall way back in 2001. There was graffiti on several rocks along the trail to the falls and even one on that rock wedged at the top of the falls. On a subsequent trip several years later, the caretakers of the area did a great job sandblasting and painting over the graffiti. Still, I reckon it's an ongoing and unpleasant job, and it's too bad some immature gangsters have to exhibit their machismo tendencies and do their best to ruin things for everyone else. Our third trip in October of 2009 illustrated this fact when some of the graffiti started showing up again (at least it wasn't as bad as it was on our first trip though).

From the well-signed Eaton Canyon Nature Center parking area, the trail follows an open shrub area briefly crossing the usually dry wash before following the east bank up into the mouth of the gorge for the first 3/4-mile or so. Eventually, the trail and wash narrows past a bridge (this bridge allows some locals in the know to reduce the hike by starting closer to the canyon than at the Nature Center, but that's kind of cheating and taking away from the experience, we think).

At this point, the trail follows the stream (that seemingly suddenly appears) within the mostly shady canyon. The trail crosses this stream a handful of times. Usually, you can get through them without getting your feet wet by a little bit of nifty rock hopping. But if you're unsure about your dexterity and balance, then a hiking stick might help you out in those sections. Eventually after about a half-mile or so into the canyon, the trail ends right before the Eaton Canyon Falls. The overall length of the trail is about 1.5 miles each way (or 3 miles round trip; assuming you didn't take the shortcut).

The falls is usually very popular on the weekends so it's not often you have this place to yourself. Still, it's a great introductory hike to one of Los Angeles County's more scenic spots, and I'm sure it'll draw a few pleasantly surprised reactions from those who haven't seen waterfalls in the local area before.