I never set foot inside this inn. 
I do remember that lounge chair.
By the time I was of age it was closed for business and only used thereafter as a movie set. It was captured in the ending scene of Bruce Willis’ 2005 picture, Hostage.
I had, however, been to the El Encanto Inn, the restaurant farther back into the canyon around the corner. For their story, see this post.
1968
Some interesting history about Azusa Canyon that I’d either forgotten or not heard of. One is the 1968 Canyon Fire that killed 7 teenage fire recruits plus a fire specialist. Part of that story is covered here
On 8/23/68 the “Canyon Inn Fire” started above Glendora, CA. On 8/24 members of Los Angeles County Fire Department Crew 4-4 were burned over. Seven juvenile crewmen and a Fireman Specialist lost their lives. Before the fire was over it burned 19,100 acres. As a result of the loss of juvenile firefighter lives in this fire and the Hacienda Heights Fire, the practice of using juvenile probationers to fight fire was re-evaluated and stopped. The Downhill Indirect Checklist was another result of this fire.
from The Patch.
Enlarge it here.
The boys and man who died in that fire are listed here.
George Thomas, age 36, Fireman Specialist of Crew 4-4
Duane Battle, age 17, Crewman Crew 4-4
Earl Walzer, Crewman Crew 4-4
William Rodriguez, Crewman Crew 4-4
Arthur Mendible, Crewman Crew 4-4
Robert Rivera, Crewman Crew 4-4
Gregory Banks, Crewman Crew 4-4
Larry Carlin, Crewman Crew 4-4
So that’s one part of its history.
2003
Walter B. Rowe passed away on December 21, 2003. He was a longtime resident of Azusa, passed away December 21, 2003, at the age of 90. An engraver by trade, he established and operated the Canyon Inn and Canyon City Liquor in Azusa for many years.
2004
The Inn was sold in 2004. Marriane Love has the story.
Byline: Marianne Love
Mar. 26–AZUSA, Calif. — The abandoned Canyon Inn, recently a set for a Hollywood movie, has sold for $2.5 million.
The 33.6-acre property, where the former steakhouse and biker bar sat vacant for a decade at the base of the Angeles National Forest, was bought by El Monte-based International Theological Seminary. Seminary President Joseph Tong could not be reached for comment Thursday about the 2280 N. San Gabriel Canyon Road site.
Proposed plans are to build a seminary or retreat, said Brion Costa, managing broker of Monrovia-based Costa Land, which represented the sellers, a Nevada-based corporation. It’s unclear at this time if the Canyon Inn is coming down. …
But this doesn’t tell me the years of operation.
Azusa and inter-city agency, Army Corps of Engineers, and the Forest Service are looking to recreate a new kind of entertainment at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains . . . again.
Their plan called 2012 Canyon Inn Wilderness Plan wants to redevelop the River Wilderness Park. But given that we’ve got only a few months until 2018 it looks like it has either paused, stalled, or been canceled.
A souvenir ashtray from the inn.
The inn appeared in the 2005 Bruce Willis movie, Hostage. Here, you can see the different Southern California locations for different scenes in the movie.
Duarte, CA 
My father-in-law (Lloyd Hunter) owned the Canyon Inn in the late 60s into the 70s and beyond.
Thanks so much for that history, Scott.
It looks like the inn was mainly a club for local talent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8otUV-JezXw.
My ex-husband and I used to go here on our motorcycle all the time in the 70s, great place.
Scott
My band, The Boys, played for Lloyd in 1984 and 1985. Super nice guy, always in a good mood. He liked us a lot, and he’d come up and sing “Johnny B Goode” with us if the crowd was willing! In those days, one could make an OK living playing music 4-5 nights a week! I made lots of friends there, had some crazy times there! I wish we had more images of Canyon Inn!
Azusa Canyon Stables were near the Canyon Inn, on the other side of the road I think.. maybe nearer the El Encanto. We used to ride the horses over some very rough terrain to our little hearts’ content when I was about twelve years old. Happy memories!
Cathryn, that is a great memory!! My older brothers and sisters used to ride there as well. Stables were up against the face of the mountain there. We also rode to our hearts content. On one outing, a horse kicked a family member in the shin, and he had his wound treated at Santa Teresita. Loved those stables. Just one more childhood memory razed from the landscape. That was back in the 60s, the decade of westerns on television.
My mother used to work there, mostly filled in on busy weekends. Her boyfriend who was a lumberjack made the burnt-out hanging lamps and the big shellacked tables that were made from large trees. We were always up there! Adjacent to the Inn was a property called, “Wade’s Ranch” owned by Dick Wade. I loved going to his place, he had horses and a buggy that he would take me and my sister for rides on, there was a little cave up on his property and being a kid it was heaven on earth to grow up exploring up there! Ted, mom’s lumberjack boyfriend had a cabin up at Falling Springs called, “Tom’s Cabins”, I can never find any history of that resort. There was a lodge/restaurant ran by Tom’s wife “Diamond” Jan. Makes me sad that all this history is gone.
Audrey, thank you for those memories. Yeah, restoring the past is a bit like archeology. I remember seeing the buggy parked outside Wade’s Ranch. Falling Springs, was that off East Fork or farther up 39 toward Crystal Lake? Looks fun. I remember Camp Williams. This site does a decent review of some of the camps along East Fork with nice photos, too. I like your story about Ted’s craftsmanship.
[https://angelesadventures.com/east-fork/oldtimers/].
In a huge fires that close all of an angels National Forest down Tom’s Cabin and the restaurant burned to the ground I don’t think it was ever rebuilt everything there was antiques what a loss I believe also all of Crystal Lake Campground was burned to the ground too including the Crystal Lake store
There was a forest fire, yes, and the Inn was damaged, inside and out, and was not restored. The structure was intact, though, and can be seen briefly at the end of “Hostage” Bruce Willis movie released in 2005. Sad—it was a great place in a pretty setting.
Earliest mention I’ve see of Canyon Inn is in the June 24, 1946 Pomona Progress Bulletin. A patron from Azusa was arrested for punching a police officer at Rowe’s Canyon Inn.
I used to work there for Lloyd Hunter in the eighties. I loved it. The band Passing Parade played there. I would cook your steaks, or you could cook your own. What a blast!! They also filmed part of Irreconcilable Differences with Shelley Long and Ryan O’Neal there. I had so much fun there.
Just discovered this site.
I remember Passing Parade. I’d spend time at the Canyon Inn Friday and Sat nights. It was a great place to go. I remember when Lloyd owned the place. I remember when someone bought it and renamed the place City Lights. I stopped going there, but I enjoyed going there from 1982 through 1986.
Steve Golding
Oh I knew it well, used to shoot my Daisy BB gun behind it , and the smell from the stables. Further up the canyon my boy scout troop went for a ride in a military landing craft at the torpedo testing facility. But one thing I can’t remember is the little bar up the canyon where Dad played pool and shuffle board after we fished Rincon,I believe that was the name of the creek? Went up there in the 80s and all there was was shell casings on the ground? Millions of them! Dad was Gas Rhonda’s painter at Russ Davis Ford. And Irwindale Drag strip along with Pomona was a always spot for us. Got my first go cart from Bug carts across the street from Irwindale Dragstrip, 2 101 chainsaw engines for 85 mph on the strip! I was 9. Lol . Lots of great memories! My Uncle did the stucco on the first In And Out . And all the kids who worked there had monster Muscle Cars. As well as the location in West Covina. On east coast and miss that the most!
I used to go up there and spend much of the day at Diamond Jan’s in Falling Springs. She and her daughter Rhonda had painted the deck & bathroom area very uniquely. The cabins rentals were themed and decorated fairly gaudy which added to the character of the entire property. I have several photos of that time I’ll have to dig through.
Jan could really cook but you definitely couldn’t be in a hurry while waiting!
I lost contact when they sold and moved to Pahrump.
Always wondered what happened to them.
Hello Rita ..
My name is Tina ..
I am Janet’s granddaughter and came across this article.
I’m talking to Rhonda right now and she got excited I found this post.
She said you have many pictures she’d love to have copies of.
If you don’t mind getting in touch with me you can call me @ 760 217 7253
Rhonda’s excited to hear from you!
I was raised at Follow’s Camp and Whispering Rivers just up from the Canyon in on the East Fork River in the 70s. The Canyon in was open all of those years. My father DJ’d there a couple of times and I was allowed in before “it got too late.” Long before Bruce Willis, this little inn was featured in Irreconcilable Differences (released in 1984). It was excited to see it blocked off, movie crews, and filming take place there. Great memories.
Oh! And I forgot! Passing Parade! My father knew them very well and DJ’d many of the locations they played at. I got to watch them perform at the Canyon Inn once as a kid. I also watched them when I was 11 at Brannigans off the 10 freeway.