hikespeak

Strawberry Peak holds the distinction of being the highest summit in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains, besting nearby San Gabriel Peak by a just a yard. Measuring 6,164 feet tall, Strawberry Peak is taller than other surrounding mountains like Josephine Peak, Mount Lawlor, and Mount Wilson. A hike to the summit from Red Box Picnic Area on Angeles Crest Highway is 7. ...Read more.

Strawberry Meadow is an enticing area tucked away on the north side of Strawberry Peak below a massive granite cliff face. Walk into Strawberry Meadow and you might easily feel like you are somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, instead of hiking in the San Gabriel Mountains near Los Angeles. Find Strawberry Meadow next to a junction between Strawberry Peak Trail and Colby Canyon Trail, 4. ...Read more.

Want to hike to a mile-high summit in the San Gabriel Mountains with grand views over Los Angeles? Set your aim for Josephine Peak in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains next to Strawberry Peak. Colby Canyon Trail offers a scenic route to the summit, traveling from Angeles Crest Highway up a withdrawn canyon to Josephine Saddle, a dip in the ridgeline west of Strawberry Peak. ...Read more.

Starting near the base of the San Gabriel Mountains in Altadena, Mount Lowe Road is an 8.9-mile long partially paved trail rising up the range to an intersection with Mount Wilson Red Box Road near the summit of Mount Wilson. Of course, you don't have to go that full distance on a hike up Mount Lowe Road. Sunset Ridge Trail intersects and parallels the bottom of Mount Lowe Road and is even more enjoyable to hike on, providing both an alternative to Mount Lowe Road and the possibility to form a loop. ...Read more.

Castle Canyon Trail is a dirt single track that connects the ruins at Echo Mountain to Inspiration Point, which was a premier vista point for the resort's visitors and still offers sweeping views. In the past, a railway took Echo Mountain's guests up into the mountains, but now leg power is required to get up Castle Canyon Trail to Inspiration Point. ...Read more.

The double-crested mountain of Twin Peaks is located close to the absolute center of the San Gabriel Mountains, making it an ideal mountain for catching big views over the range, including high points like Mount Wilson, Mount Baldy, and a slew of other summits. A trail leads to the 7,761-foot summit of Twin Peaks East, the higher of Twin Peak's sibling summits. ...Read more.

Gould Mesa Trail Camp is a hike-in campground in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains, quite close to cities like Altadena and La Cañada Flintridge. The most obvious route to Gould Mesa is Gabrielino Trail. For something that's about half as long and twice as steep, you can take Gould Mesa Road, which drops 525 feet over 1.15 miles going from Angeles Crest Highway down a ridge and into the canyon where Gould Mesa Trail Camp sits along a mountain stream, the Arroyo Seco. ...Read more.

Gabrielino Trail is one of the principle trails through Angeles National Forest. Starting from the base of the San Gabriel Mountains, you can take this trail a short distance up a canyon along the lovely Arroyo Seco and come to Gould Mesa Trail Camp, a hike-in campground just a couple miles from civilization that delivers a quick escape from cities in the valley below. ...Read more.

Sometimes it can seem ambitious just to go for a hike in the rugged San Gabriel Mountains, but Thaddeus Lowe was way more determined than that, devising an incline tram and railway to bring guests to a resort, tavern, and mountain overlooks that he created in the San Gabriel Mountains about a century ago. His railway and resorts have long been destroyed, but hikers can still visit the remnants. ...Read more.

Vetter Mountain has got to be one of the more scenic peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains, boasting a 360-degree summit that's a total stunner. For decades, hikers marched up the mountain to see the historic fire lookout tower that stood at the summit, but in 2009, the Station Fire destroyed the tower and scorched Vetter Mountain. The area is still in recovery from the wildfire, but trails to the 5,908-foot summit are open, allowing hikers to enjoy spectacular views over the San Gabriels. ...Read more.