Turnbull Canyon

[Tr14n913]

for the people who want to go there but are scared, try astral projection or remote viewing

[michaelhrtmn]

midgets do NOT live up ther -_- i went ther at least 7 days a month for two months. i know about the plane crash. ther were no kids. but the Gates Of Hell is still inknown. the only reason nobody goes back there is because its never been heard of.

[coldethyl]

Evil midgets at the gates of hell?

Sounds like a Clive Barker short story.

[smilemoon]

I foresee this happening:

Some kid(s) thinks it would be cool to scare ppl in the canyon and wears a hooded

outfit. He goes at night and starts charging at a group of ppl. The scheme works at

first until one in the frightened party pulls out a gun and shoots the kid(s). When

day comes, it's in the news.

Someday maybe Halloween will turn into some kind of celebration at TBC? Everybody goes

up and wears hooded outfits just for kicks and it becomes a casual gathering like a

festival of the towns. Or maybe not..!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN ALL AND BE SAFE

[stimpy88]

Hey, all, I was wondering if anyone could take a photo of the entrance to Hell's Gates? I was really trying to find it two weeks ago but had no luck, maybe I was at least close. I did find a small abanonded house off of avocado terrace, if anybody knows more about that I'd love to hear it. This is the video I took of it when I was up there :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxnV9fV-P6U Not that great, but maybe if anybody's been up there, it'll look familiar. Like I said if anybody could take a photo, that'd be great! Otherwise it seemed pretty safe, I didn't run into any trouble and the view from the mesa on skyline is gorgeous.

[subliminality]

Hi, I'd like to take a moment to dispel (and confirm) a few myths about the Hell's Gate region that will, hopefully, make your own experience safer and more fulfilling. A little about myself, I was raised in Hacienda Heights since birth, I'm an avid mountain biker thus I have an intimate knowledge of the backwoods trails and topography all around Hacienda and La Habra Heights. As a teenager I like many others my age had a passionate fascination for the lore surrounding Turnbull Canyon and so I spent a good chunk of my high school years going up there on weekends with three close friends checking out known places and finding a few new ones.

In the nineties (96' to be exact) Hells Gate wasn't barricaded at all. Anyone who wanted to trek through the brush behind the gates were free to move about so naturally we went up there on afternoons. The first time we went we were under the assumption (per rumors) that the freaky stuff would be found straight on through the gates and 50 yards up through the mouth of the canyon. We found the rumors to be completely false as there was only undisturbed wilderness throughout the whole back area and random trash like beer cans and sleeping bags closer to the gate itself.

Myth: If you go through the gate and far enough up into the canyon you will find the freaky stuff everyone's been talking about(occult altars, pentagrams, signs of active congregation, etc.)

- False: Nothing exists back there that would indicate any activity has ever taken place on the property. This is also confirmed by the many youtube videos where people go down the dangerous & unguarded "back entrance" to be greeted at the bottom with a lot of wild brush and a reverse view of the gates.

Feeling unfulfilled and otherwise bummed by our discovery, or lack thereof, we went back several more times to do some general area exploring. One time we were having lunch at the car (we always parked in front of the gate) when one of my friends, staring at the smooth concrete retaining wall that ran up Descending drive, asked "why did they build such a fancy retaining wall for a plot of land that was obviously level but had no house sitting on it?" so we thought about it and came up with the theory that there has to be a small house, possibly abandoned, up there but just out of view from the street. Fueled with that notion we wen't through the gates then hooked a left up a very steep upgrade and through a really gnarly and wild ivy patch until after 30 or so yards we came across the broken down and dilapidated concrete foundations of what used to be a two or three building villa. The most noticeable landmark in the entire property was this enormous 15'x12' fireplace that was covered in glittery and rough stone plates that rich people in the seventies loved to plaster all over their homes but looks tacky for today's standards. There was nonsensical graffiti all over the place but most of it was mainly concentrated on the fireplace. The graffiti looked more like typical stuff you'd see taggers spray along the freeways downtown than anything one would consider cult-ish or of demonic worship. There were a few objects strewn about, nothing surprisingly interesting except for a small rotted skateboard ramp and some rusty steel chairs. The whole time we felt very safe and comfortable and when we finally got bored of the place we exited though the long stone driveway that today is secured by the green barbed wire fence & dogs (back in the day this was only secured by two poles and a chain and was easy to access).

Myth: Somewhere in the Hell's Gate property there are cultist ceremonies and/or demonic rituals taking place on a regular basis.

-False: While there definitely is something in there worth checking out for it's "cool factor" it was merely (in my opinion) a casual hangout for skaters and mischievous youth.

The Hell's Gate's legend (the one that us locals knew at least) goes like this: When the property was being built the contractor wanted the front gate finished before anything else so the construction equipment could be locked inside the property overnight with little risk of theft. As it goes there were strange incidents happening at the construction site following construction of the gate. Equipment failed, a worker got into a head on collision with another car driving up to the site (and lived), the foreman had to quit his job because his kid was diagnosed with leukemia, and last but not least ( and probably the most far fetched) one day the crew returned to the site to find that an area that they cleared and leveled for the driveway was a field of tall & dry weeds so much so that it was impossible for so many to grow so tall and then die in less than a 24 hour period. Hell's Gate was abandoned and the owner had little options but to sell the property to L.A. County who basically left it to rot. Since then satanists, demonic worshippers, cults, and others who practice such black magic recognized the mysterious powers that exist there and congregate there regularly.

Myth: Hell's Gate is essentially a front gate built for a house that never existed. The house doesn't exist because menacing forces prevented the house from being built and he gate represents a spiritual barrier between good and evil.

-True & False: Of course there's no evidence whatsoever that validates any of the spiritual aspects but it is true (sorta) that the gate was built for a "driveway" that never was built. The driveway if it had been built would have essentially gone through the gate, swung left, and then up to the before-mentioned villa.

Myth: There once was a house there but it burned down to the ground.

-True: It (the villa) was one of 10 properties burned to the ground in a big fire that happened in 1989. When I was a kid I spent that whole day watching the fire from my bedroom window as it worked it's way from the top of Skyline drive straight down the heart of the canyon. It was declared a national disaster area and all the affected homeowners were granted access to federal relief aid so they could rebuild their homes. At least two known homes burned down and were abandoned or the owners never decided to rebuild, the first being the house who's burnt down foundation used to sit on 360 hill (it was torn down sometime before 2001 and replaced with a crude park) and the house on the Hell's Gate property.

And last but not least, the most important myth to people today....

Myth: Someone now lives on-property, they have gone to great expense to keep anyone from trespassing and they do it so that the satanists & cultists & demonic worshipers can worship in peace.

Mostly True: In photo evidence that I will make a second post for there are two buildings that exist today that did not exist back in 1996. The first is clearly visible in the upper left hand portion of my images as a small shack-like building with a green roof. When last I was up there in 96' this was just a flat foundation for what looked like a port for 2 cars. The second building is just to the left of the fireplace and appears to be big enough to be either a small room or a large restroom. Again, in 96' nothing notable was there. There is a particular video where a guy tries to approach the upper driveway gate only to be met by an angry dog. The dog in the video appears to be in good condition and is well kept indicating that someone is spending a lot of time on the property and providing food and shelter for the dog. Unfortunately it is a great distance between the gate and the livable shack below which would explain that in no videos do you see or hear the owner. But I would assume with 90% certainty that there is someone on property most of the day & night. In fact if you look at the Zillow sales history it looks like someone purchased the property in 2003 (and the adjacent property that Hell's Gate sits on was purchased in 2007).

Now I do find it really interesting that someone(s) decided to construct buildings on the property as well as protect the perimeter with a razor wire fence that would impress even the head of the NSA but leave the rest of the property virtually untouched! But before you go thinking that the grounds have some sacred significance to evil worshipers the sum of the three separate properties that make up the whole of the Hell's Gate complex is only $393,000 (zillow "zestimate"). It's not necessarily valued for the "millionaires only" crowd. Perhaps the person(s) who own the property simply want to live a humble life there in peace and quiet and don't care about the mess in their backyard.

In closing I just want to give a word of wisdom to those may come across this thread in hopes that they'll find some post on the internet that describes in detail how you can get into Hell's Gate. Simply put.. don't even think about it. I am a first hand account that the legend of Hell's Gate is really more hype than it is fact. A lot of tales have been made up since the 89' fire (think about it, can anyone prove a legend originating before the nineties?) and it's because the fire itself brought a lot of hardship to many many homeowners, affected or not. Turnbull Canyon is massively populated with abandoned seventies/eighties era homes and there are signs all along the roads of the devastating fire. In fact according to Zillow most of these 7-10 bedroom homes up there are valued in the $400 - $500,000 price range with newly renovated properties topping out at $800K. This is ridiculously low considering that my dad sold our six bedroom tract home up Punta Del Este to a Chinese Businessman for $1.1 million JUST so that he could live within the "blessed" range of the Hsi Lai Buddhist Temple. I bring this up because the greatest "mystique" of Turnbull Canyon (for me) is that it's slowly becoming a huge ghost town and it sends shivers down my neck the most thinking about a day where I could very well be standing in some abandoned driveway looking at some rotting old mansion somewhere smack dab in the middle of the canyon and realize that I could very well be the only human on the hill. That reality to me is my kind of thrill.

Again.. I stress, don't go beyond any fences or clear property lines. Anyone who goes to such great lengths to keep people out most likely has a gun or several guns as their 2nd layer of security. To be honest, if any of you guys really want to impress people like me you should go the gate and get someone to holler at you through the megaphone that's on display next to the surveillance cameras. It's not on youtube yet so you could definitely own the title of "first one to".

If anyone is reading this and you own or are living on 3055 Decending Dr. and you want the information on your property removed please create an account and message me your concern and I will promptly request that the moderator delete these posts from the website.

If anyone is reading this and wants information based on my past adventures in the area, or is interested in any other legends and explorations I and my friends have made please feel free to message me. I also take friend requests.

And now, on to the pictures.. well Google Maps pictures to be exact. Cheers and happy hunting!!

Edited March 31, 2013 by subliminality

[subliminality]

First, an overhead shot. Note that the small driveway is on the up-most left corner and Hell's Gate is out of view on the bottom right. The famous unguarded back-entrance to Hell's gate is farther up descending drive on the right, well out of the viewing range to see the burned down villa:

A little closer now:

Last, a view of the gate as it would look if you were driving by.. don't forget to smile and wave to the camera!

Edited March 31, 2013 by subliminality

[subliminality]

None of those pics showed up, man.

Yea, that was my fault, I moved those photos to an album after I linked them all to my forum post. Here's a direct link to all my Turnbull Canyon photos: http://smg.photobuck...yon Road?page=1

Regarding the rumors about the USAF missile site, I have never seen anything on either side of the hill that would indicate it exists however, anything's possible I'd guess.

[subliminality]

Subliminality, your pictures just made me realize how much I gotta get back and just explore the public areas. The Canyon is so freaking big and besides the rumors, it's seriously, the best place 40 miles of Long Beach to get back into the wild.

Definitely! It's nice to see on Google that much of the canyon remains the way it was. Homes that were lucky to have been bought in the last 5 years are all getting millionaire makeovers but that just makes the abandoned stuff stick out more in my opinion. The only sad thing to see is how much Rose Hills is expanding into the Skyline area. My suggestion would be to hike (or bike) the area, and hike it often because you never know when Rose Hills will need to expand again.

[filmx2008]

This is all very interesting information but I've done my share of research as well. I'm 34 years old and have been quite fascinated with this location. A few years back, I interviewed an old lady I saw walking in the canyon. She was nice enough to explain the legends as she's lived there for over 60 years and I was armed with a video camera. She requested that I do not capture her image so I let the camera record sound. Turns out, when I got home to review footage the entire interview was not captured. I'm a film student and know very well how to use my camera. I found that quite odd. Perhaps a mistake on my part, or not. I don't believe in the paranormal but quite frankly, I feel an evil presence when I'm in those canyons. I do want to know who is residing behind those gates. I've heard of the rash bowls aka jungle bowls that people used to skate back in the 90's and been trying to find the exact location. What other info do you have of the property on descending drive? Do you think that the old compound is or was in fact the insane asylum? Feel free to email me at *snip*

Edited May 9, 2013 by bLu3 de 3n3rgy
Personal details removed - use the PM function instead.

[filmx2008]

I also interviewed the owner of the "Midget Mansion" located just down the way. It earned that name because of the small door at the front of the house. He was a bit off but very informative. I've been meaning to edit the video clips I have but need to dig out the footage. Have you walked up the driveway where the overturned bus (or car, don't remember now) is that also leads to a pool? Another interesting thing, when I was doing my research, I read up on the girl who was murdered and dragged from Skyline. Her name was Gaxiola, a name I've never heard before.....So why a few weeks into my research did I get friend requested on Fb by a girl named Gaxiola? It was a legit person but still found it odd that a person of that name would friend request me.

[kiddglock]

Subliminality, thanks for sharing and welcome to the party here. You had some very interesting and balanced info. Of course, I think you probably work for the government and are in on the huge coverup of the aliens buried out there who like, experimented on the midgets and crazy folk and whatnot, just so people won't come out there with pitchforks and torches and suchlike and maybe make property values go down...lol

Anyway, a very well-told tale, for lack of a better way to describe it. Fascinating and thanks again.

This is all very interesting information but I've done my share of research as well. I'm 34 years old and have been quite fascinated with this location. A few years back, I interviewed an old lady I saw walking in the canyon. She was nice enough to explain the legends as she's lived there for over 60 years and I was armed with a video camera. She requested that I do not capture her image so I let the camera record sound. Turns out, when I got home to review footage the entire interview was not captured. I'm a film student and know very well how to use my camera. I found that quite odd. Perhaps a mistake on my part, or not. I don't believe in the paranormal but quite frankly, I feel an evil presence when I'm in those canyons. I do want to know who is residing behind those gates. I've heard of the rash bowls aka jungle bowls that people used to skate back in the 90's and been trying to find the exact location. What other info do you have of the property on descending drive? Do you think that the old compound is or was in fact the insane asylum? Feel free to email me at mdotfelix@gmail.com

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.