Alcoholic beverages are not permitted in the area, and all vehicles must meet local, State and Federal laws. Registration and spark arrestors are required, and all ATV riders must wear a helmet.

Hours:

San Gabriel Canyon OHV area is only open on weekends and holidays. All visitors are required to be out of the area by sunset. Hours may vary due to changing weather conditions. This area may be closed at any time due to high river flow.

• Summer Hours:  Usually the first week of May to last week of October - Entrance gate opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 6:00 p.m. All vehicles must exit the area by sunset.
• Winter Hours: Usually the last week of October to last week of April - Entrance gate opens at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. All vehicles must exit the area sunset.

Fees:

Fees are charged daily including holidays.

• Primary vehicle - $8.00.
• Secondary vehicle (such as dirt bikes or ATV's hauled on a trailer) - $5.00

The fees charged here are used by the Forest Service to maintain and improve this area.

San Gabriel Dam - A little bit of history!

San Gabriel Dam was completed in 1939 by the Los County Flood Control District, and is part of one of the most extensive flood control systems in the world. The dam stands 365 feet above the canyon bottom, is 1,520 feet in length, and 2,100 feet thick at its base. It is used to protect the San Gabriel Valley from flooding, and to collect and provide water for valley residents.

The USDA Forest Service manages the flood plain north of the reservoir as an Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) Area, in cooperation with the State of California Off Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division of state parks and the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation. Off-Highway vehicle use in this area is a unique chance to recreate and experience the rugged beauty and challenge of off-roading in a mountain environment.

For more information, contact:

• San Gabriel OHV Entrance Station
  Highway 39 (626) 910-1235 (recording) USDA - Forest Service
• San Gabriel River Ranger District
  110 N. Wabash Ave.
  Glendora, CA 91741 (626) 335-1251

Morris Reservoir is located in the San Gabriel Mountains about 5 miles north of the city of Azusa along California State Route 39. Morris Reservoir is below San Gabriel Reservoir. The mean elevation is about 1400 ft.

This site was a naval weapons test facility from WW2 to the early 1990?s. It was established by Caltech, which was developing weapons for the Navy at its Naval Ordnance Test Station at Ridgecrest, California (which today is known as the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, and which is still the primary proving ground for naval weapons systems). Because there is no lake to speak of at China Lake, Caltech opened this substation at the Morris Reservoir, in the San Gabriel Mountains, north of Azusa. This site was used especially for the development of submarine-based warfare systems, including torpedoes, bombs, and submarine-launched missiles like the Polaris rocket, the first ballistic missile that could be launched from submerged submarines. Most of the buildings at the site have been removed, and the site is being restored to a "natural" state, and may once again be open to the public.