Many trails (such as Sturtevant Falls Trail) depart from the Chantry Flat Trailhead, where there's a parking area and some flushing toilets. Locals visit "the Picnic Grove" for its own merits, too. Chantry Flat Recreation Area hosts 35 picnic tables, of which there are seven accessible sites. The dense oak tree canopy creates a shady, cool environment, perfect for those extra warm summer days. Each site has a grill, and there are also water spigots and flushing toilets throughout the picnic area. Parking at Chantry Flat can be tricky – the small lots fill quickly. Although there is some overflow parking at Adams' Pack Station, it's not enough to accommodate the large weekend crowds. Parking along the road is usually the only option, and even that may be full. Both the official parking lot and the street parking require a California Adventure Pass. These are sold around town and at the Pack Station, which is closed on Monday.

Chantry Flat itself has a charming history. In the early 1900s, a prospector from Iowa named Charley Chantry planned to build a small ranch on the spot. Due to some red tape and permitting confusion, the ranch wasn't ever built, but Charley lived on the plot with his dog, Patch, in a tent. His presence was notable enough to lend his name to the area (thankfully replacing the previous name of Poison Oak Flat).

Adams' Pack Station is another noteworthy historic site at Chantry Flat. It's been in operation since 1936, providing pack mules for the cabins throughout the Big Santa Anita Canyon.