I hope to go but will probably be a spectator since I will bring my dog. He doesn't like offroading because he's a big boy and has a hard time holding on. But this is one of his favorite places to hike.
As another option for a meet place, there is a spot located on the left side of the road as you head up Azusa (which turns into N. San Gabriel Canyon Road). It's not very far up the hill from Foothill Blvd. Once you reach the end of the last row of condos on the right side, you would make a sharp left. It's easy to miss the turnoff because of the angle. The parking spaces are a bit tight and there are usually a few cars there. I have only been there in the late afternoon so I am not sure how crowded it would be in the morning.
You can see as you make the left off the main road that there appears to be a large open dirt area. I believe there is a fence there so that may not be an option for overflow parking, and creative parking may be in order.
There is a trail that takes you down toward the bike path which is the two lane black road you see at the top of the picture. Once you cross over the bike path, you can hike around in that area. It
