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Pasadena
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Historic · Easy

Pasadena

Craftsman bungalows, the Colorado Street Bridge, and a hundred years of January roses.

Pasadena was where rich Midwesterners spent their winters starting in the 1880s — and they built a city of Craftsman bungalows, beaux-arts civic buildings, and tree-lined boulevards to do it. This hunt walks Old Town, the Bridge, and the bungalow district, with detours to the Rose Bowl and a few Greene & Greene masterpieces.

The Map

Your route

Offline directionsOpen in Maps

Pinch to zoom. Tap a marker to see the stop name. The dashed line traces the suggested walking order.

The Hunt

Turn-by-turn stops

Each stop shows the walking distance and direction from the previous one, plus a tap-through to your phone's maps for step-by-step directions.

  1. 01

    Pasadena City Hall

    "Begin at the dome. Walk into the central courtyard. Find the fountain."

    34.1503, -118.1442Start walking here
  2. 830 m~11 min walkhead SW from stop 1
    02

    Castle Green

    "Moorish-Spanish mega-building. Find the green tile dome."

    34.1442, -118.1494Walk from stop 1
  3. 130 m~2 min walkhead NNW from stop 2
    03

    Old Pasadena Walking Mall

    "Brick alleys connecting Colorado Blvd. Find the alley with painted ceiling tiles."

    34.1453, -118.1497Walk from stop 2
  4. 0.6 mi~13 min walkhead W from stop 3
    04

    Colorado Street Bridge

    "Walk across. Stop at the third arch. Look down at the arroyo."

    34.1442, -118.1606Walk from stop 3
  5. 1.0 mi~21 min walkhead N from stop 4
    05

    Gamble House

    "Walk the public sidewalk past the most photographed Craftsman house in America. Find the front gate's hand-cut iron."

    34.1583, -118.1611Walk from stop 4
  6. 680 m~9 min walkhead WNW from stop 5
    06

    The Rose Bowl

    "Walk the loop trail around the stadium. Find the bronze plaque listing all the bowl winners."

    34.1614, -118.1675Walk from stop 5
  7. 1.2 mi~26 min walkhead SSE from stop 6
    07

    Norton Simon Museum (Sculpture Garden)

    "Walk the public sculpture garden. Find the Rodin Burghers of Calais."

    34.1453, -118.1592Walk from stop 6
  8. 0.8 mi~17 min walkhead ENE from stop 7
    08

    Memorial Park (Levitt Pavilion)

    "Find the bandshell with the white sails. Free concerts most summer evenings."

    34.1500, -118.1467Walk from stop 7
  9. 1.5 mi~33 min walkhead ENE from stop 8
    09

    Bungalow Heaven

    "Walk one block on Mar Vista or Michigan Avenue. Find the bungalow with the river-rock chimney."

    34.1611, -118.1233Walk from stop 8
  10. 1.6 mi~34 min walkhead SSW from stop 9
    10

    South Lake Avenue

    "Mid-century commercial strip with brutalist apartment towers. Find the bronze star sidewalk plaques."

    34.1389, -118.1311Walk from stop 9
  11. 3.5 mi~76 min walkhead NE from stop 10
    11

    Eaton Canyon Trailhead

    "Drive (or bus) 15 min east. Walk a quarter mile in. Listen for the creek."

    34.1789, -118.0928Walk from stop 10
  12. 4.1 mi~89 min walkhead WSW from stop 11
    12

    Alma Greene Garden

    "Behind the Gamble House. Find the bench with the tile inlay."

    34.1583, -118.1606Walk from stop 11