Ben Overturff Trail

A hiking trail that has been closed since World War II will be restored and reopened with a $50,000 state environmental grant funded by fees on personalized license plates. Work on the Ben Overturff Trail project has just begun, said Daniel Iwata, manager of the city's Community Services Department, and many details are still being worked out.

For 50 years, the ancient oaks, rushing streams and thick chaparral above Sawpit and Monrovia canyons have been inaccessible to nature lovers. Mountain lions, bobcats, golden eagles, deer, owl, quail and coyote are plentiful. Bear marks are visible on wooden utility poles. "It's one of the lushest areas of the San Gabriel Mountains," said naturalist and author Elna Bakker.

For 50 years, the ancient oaks, rushing streams and thick chaparral above Sawpit and Monrovia canyons have been inaccessible to nature lovers. Mountain lions, bobcats, golden eagles, deer, owl, quail and coyote are plentiful. Bear marks are visible on wooden utility poles. "It's one of the lushest areas of the San Gabriel Mountains," said naturalist and author Elna Bakker.

A hiking trail that has been closed since World War II will be restored and reopened with a $50,000 state environmental grant funded by fees on personalized license plates. Work on the Ben Overturff Trail project has just begun, said Daniel Iwata, manager of the city's Community Services Department, and many details are still being worked out.

A historic walking trail established in 1907 in the foothills above Monrovia will be restored if the city receives a $50,000 grant from the state's environmental license plate fund. The City Council voted Tuesday to apply for the grant to re-establish the 2.5-mile Ben Overturff Trail, which leads from Monrovia Canyon Park to Deer Park, where the remnants of Overturff's once-popular lodge still stand.

A hiking trail that has been closed since World War II will be restored and reopened with a $50,000 state environmental grant funded by fees on personalized license plates. Work on the Ben Overturff Trail project has just begun, said Daniel Iwata, manager of the Monrovia Community Services Department. Many details are still being worked out, he said.

Monrovia is often compared to Mayberry, the idyllic town from "The Andy Griffith Show," but don't let the "Old Town" tag fool you. Monrovia's main strip sits just 10 minutes east of Pasadena, at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, and it manages to blend its small-town charm with a bustling new energy that appeals to families and hip foodies alike. Old to be new The Peach Cafe (141 E. Colorado Blvd., [626] 599-9092, www.thepeachcafe.

When I am on the trail that leads to Monrovia Canyon Falls, I am reminded more of the East Coast than sunny Southern California. The park is a dense woodland, and it certainly doesn't seem like a place you'd find close to an urban area. It's a year-round hike that's equally pretty in all seasons. I started hiking there less than a year ago. I like it because it's easy -- there's not much of an incline -- and it makes me feel like I am far from South Pasadena, where I live.