Ben Overturff Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features River/Creek · Spring · Wildlife

Parking is located at the lower lot at Monrovia Canyon Park near the ranger station ($5 weekday, $6 weekend). To access the trail, head up the road and turn right at Sawpit Fire Road and go about 1 mile to the start of the trail. Park is closed on Tuesdays but you can walk in from the residential area.

No bicycles allowed on the lower part of the trail.

The trail starts on Sawpit Road #2N30 a few hundred yards from where the pavement ends and is marked by 2 stone pillars and a sign with historical information. It drops down under a shady oak canopy with nice specimens of fuchsia flowering gooseberries (beautiful in early spring), crosses Sawpit Creek then follows the stream briefly before climbing a series of switchbacks up to the ridge. The trail steepens on a half mile ascent to a saddle. It then re-enters an oak forest, drops down slightly then goes back up to Twin Springs. There are some old pipes lying around where water gushes out from under the trail and another seasonal flows in the nearby canyon bottom. A short spur trail heads east to reconnect with the road.

The trail ascends a few switchbacks, then drops down, crosses another seasonal stream, then goes back up again to a junction with the Ben Overturff Spur Trail. The short spur leads to the remains of an old backcountry lodge and is a nice spot for a lunch break. The right fork leads back to the road where there is a vault toilet.

You can return the same way or make a loop trip by hiking along the road.

The trail is named for a local developer who built and ran the Deer Park Lodge.

Good shade from oaks, alders, bay and maple trees. Look for the fuchsia flowering gooseberries in early spring. Monkey flowers and Humboldt lilies are best seen in late spring. Abundant poison oak everywhere. Bears, deer are common. Watch for rattlesnakes in summer.