Trails of the Angeles. John W. Robinson
N. Santa Anita
Arcadia, CA 91006
626-574-1613
San Bernardino National Forest
602 South Tippecano Ave.
San Bernardino, CA 92408
909-382-2600
2. If you do much hiking, particularly cross-country, you will want to use topographic (“topo”) maps because they afford accurate information about the topography and the forest or brush cover. Topo maps are available in several sizes and scales, but the best for the San Gabriels, because they are the most up-to-date and show the greatest detail, are the U.S. Geological Survey’s 7.5-minute topographic quadrangle series. Their scale is approximately 2.5 inches to a mile; the contour interval (elevation difference between contour lines) is 40 feet, and the area covered by each map is about 7 miles by 9 miles. They show most maintained and many unmaintained trails, as well as elevations, relief, watercourses, forest and brush cover, and man-made structures. Learning to read these maps takes some practice, but the savings in shoe leather and frayed temper make it a worthwhile undertaking. Twenty-seven topo maps (in the 7.5-minute series) cover the San Gabriel Mountains. The appropriate topo map(s) for each trip is cited in the individual trip headings. Topo maps can be bought at many sporting goods and mountaineering-ski shops, or can be ordered online from the USGS website: store.usgs.gov.
Using This Book
The hiking trips in this guide are arranged by geographical area, generally west to east. Information about each trip is divided into three parts: Trip, Features, and Description.
The Trip section gives vital statistics: where the hike starts and ends; the walking mileage and elevation gain or loss; a rating of easy, moderate, or strenuous; the best time of year to make the trip; and the appropriate U.S. Geological Survey topographic map or maps.
The Features section tells something of what you will see on the trip and gives information on the natural and human history of the area. It also contains suggestions for the particular trip, such as “wear lug-soled boots,” or “bring fishing rod.”
The Description section details driving and hiking routes. The driving directions are kept to the necessary minimum, while the walking route is described in detail. Also, hiking options that a trip presents are described.
The hikes have been graded as easy, moderate, or strenuous. An easy trip is usually 4 miles or less in horizontal distance, with less than a 500-foot elevation gain—suitable for beginners and children. A moderate trip—including the majority here—is a 5- to 10-mile hike, usually with less than a 2,500-foot elevation difference. You should be in fair physical condition for these, and children under age 12 might find the going difficult. Strenuous trips are all-day rambles involving many miles of hiking and much elevation gain and loss; they are only for those in top physical condition and with hiking experience. The most important criteria for grading a trip were mileage covered, elevation gain and loss, and condition of the trail. Of less significance were accessibility of terrain, availability of water, exposure to sun, and ground cover. Obviously, some of the latter criteria depend on the weather and the time of year: a 3-mile hike over open chaparral slopes can be miserable under the hot August sun but delightful in January’s cool breeze and cloudiness.
A season recommendation is also included for each trip. This classification is particularly important in the lower, south-facing parts of the range, where fire danger in summer and fall often reaches what the US Forest Service calls Stage One. During Stage One, campfires are permitted only in stoves in designated campgrounds and picnic areas. Gas-type portable stoves may be used if you obtain a California campfire permit—available at any ranger station or visitor center. In conditions of extreme fire danger, the forest may be closed to entry off of major highways. In recent years a series of disastrous infernos has taken a heavy toll, both in property damage and in the cost required to fight the fires. The result is that wholesale closure of the forest during certain times, particularly the fall months, will increasingly be a common occurrence.
Wilderness Permits
There are five wilderness areas in the San Gabriels—Cucamonga, Sheep Mountain, San Gabriel, and, newly created in 2009, the Pleasant View Ridge and Magic Mountain Wilderness areas. A free permit is required for all entry into the Cucamonga Wilderness, and for entry into the Sheep Mountain Wilderness from the East Fork trailhead only.
National Forest Adventure Pass Requirement
A National Forest Adventure Pass is required to park your vehicle in any of the four national forests in Southern California. Adventure passes cost $30 for an annual pass or $5 for a day pass; they can be purchased at ranger stations, visitor centers, and many business establishments in or near the mountains. Be sure to display the pass prominently on your parked car—otherwise it will likely be ticketed and fined. Please note that most of the trips covered in this book require you to display an Adventure Pass in your parked vehicle. The following are the trips where you park on city streets, or that begin in a park with separate entrance fees, and do not require the pass: 5, 14–15, 23–28, 34, 39–40, 48–50, 67–68, and 91.
100 Hikes in the San Gabriels
Liebre Mountain
HIKE 1
COUNTY ROAD N2 VIA HORSE TRAIL TO LIEBRE MOUNTAIN
HIKE LENGTH: 6 miles round-trip; 1,700' elevation gain
DIFFICULTY: Moderate
SEASON: All year
TOPO MAP: Liebre Mountain
Features
The long whaleback of Liebre Mountain sprawls at the northwest corner of Angeles National Forest, where the Coast Ranges, the Tehachapis, and the San Gabriels all meld together in a wrinkled jumble. From Liebre’s broad summit, you look north across golden-brown Antelope Valley to the Tehachapis, curving from west to northeast in a great arc; and if the day is clear, the southern ramparts of the Sierra Nevada are visible on the distant skyline. Southward, you peer into the gentle ridge-and-canyon country of the Cienaga and Fish Canyon watersheds.
This is delightful mountain country, especially in spring, when snow patches linger on north slopes, the California black oak is clothing itself with reddish leaves, and aromatic white sage is blooming in the foothills. This is the home of the gray pine, a hardy dweller on semiarid slopes, easily identifiable by its gray-green needles, large cones (second in size only to the Coulter pine), and multiforked trunk. Also on the mountainside are big-cone Douglas-firs and some rather large scrub oaks. Occasional junipers and piñon pines bear testimony to the blending of mountain and desert here.
This trip follows the historic old Horse Trail, now part of the Pacific Crest Trail but once used to drive horses from the Tejon Ranch to Los Angeles, steeply up the forested north slope of Liebre Mountain from Horse Trail Flat to the summit. Do it in leisurely fashion to fully appreciate the desert view and the unique combination of forest trees and chaparral. It’s a long drive from Los Angeles, but the mountainside is remote, peaceful, and beautiful—well worth the effort.
Description
From I-5, 4 miles south of Gorman, turn east onto CA 138. After 4.5 miles, turn right (southeast) onto the Old Ridge Route. Follow the latter 2.5 miles, and then turn left (east) onto County Road N2. Drive this road 4.2 miles, to a high point just before the road begins to descend. Turn right (south) and drive on dirt tracks about 100 feet to the oak-shaded parking area. Be sure to display your Adventure Pass on your vehicle’s dashboard.
At the upper edge of the parking area is the Pacific Crest Trail, the southbound section climbing west, the northbound dropping southeast. Take the southbound PCT,