hikespeak

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.

Mount Baden-Powell is a special summit in the San Gabriel Mountains. It is one of the range's tallest peaks at 9,399 feet and holds particular importance to the Boy Scouts of America because it memorializes the lofty accomplishments of Lord Baden-Powell who founded the Scout Movement. The views are lofty too, lording over an expanse of rugged mountains framed the San Gabriel Valley to the south and the Mojave Desert to the north. ...Read more.

In Griffith Park, Mount Lee has the Hollywood Sign. In the San Gabriel Mountains, Azusa Peak has the A. The big white uppercase A just below the summit is hard to miss from the city below. You can hike to the A and up to the top of Azusa Peak on a 2 2/3-mile out and back hike with 1,275 feet of elevation change. After the steep climb, you have the option to hike to a second peak, Glendora Peak, expanding the trek to 4 2/3 miles round trip with 1,800 feet of elevation change. ...Read more.

Half a mile from the start of the crowded trail to the Bridge to Nowhere, you'll find a junction with Heaton Flats Trail, which rises above the canyon carved by the East Fork of the San Gabriel River to offer big views and plenty of solitude. Enjoy panoramic perspectives of some of the most notable peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains (including Mount Baldy, Mount Baden-Powell, and Iron Mountain) along the trail to a 4,000-foot high clearing on the ridge. ...Read more.

Diminished by drought and tarnished by wildfire, Crystal Lake is not the glistening destination it once was. Crystal Lake is the only naturally occurring lake in the San Gabriel Mountains, cradled by granite summits north of the San Gabriel River Valley above the city of Azusa at 5,500 feet. It is a 1 1/3-mile round trip paved hike to Crystal Lake with 150 feet of elevation gain. ...Read more.

If someone wrote a book about hiking Smith Mountain, it would be called A Tale of Two Trails. It was the most gradual of times, it was the steepest of climbs... This classic hike in the San Gabriel Mountains begins with three miles of single track that easily gain a thousand feet to Smith Saddle. What follows is an 800-foot scramble to the summit in less than half a mile. ...Read more.

Coldbrook Campground is a small 20-site campground on Coldbrook Creek, which feeds into the North Fork of San Gabriel River. From Azusa, it is an 18-mile, roughly half hour drive up Route 39 to the campground in Angeles National Forest in San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. At Coldbrook Campground, all sites are first-come first-serve for $12 per night (price as of 2018). ...Read more.

For outdoor-loving Angelinos, Bridge to Nowhere is the affectionate name of a local treasure, an abandoned bridge on a washed-away road in the San Gabriel Mountains that spans across the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. You'll find excessive fun on this 10-mile round trip hike with 900 feet of elevation change. The trail uses several river fords to reach the Bridge to Nowhere, adding opportunities to stop and swim. ...Read more.

Fish Canyon Falls is beautiful three-tiered waterfall that drops over eighty feet in a canyon in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains near Azusa. Early spring is the perfect time to visit the dynamic waterfall, when the water flows well and the canyon is green. A rock quarry occupies the bottom of Fish Canyon and for many years Fish Canyon Falls Trail could only be reached by shuttle on special access days. ...Read more.