Contact Information
701 North Santa Anita Ave
Arcadia, CA 91006
626-574-1613
If any town in America needs a national forest on its fringes, it is LA. The San Gabriel Mountains of the Angeles National Forest rise up and out of the LA basin, creating a sanctuary for seekers of solitude and outdoor adventure. No doubt Southern California conjures beaches and bikinis, not rugged mountain hiking, but we're telling you, it's here. Steep rocky ridges with steep drop-offs like Devil's Backbone ought to put the fear of the devil in you. And check out these elevations: Pine Mountain (9,648 feet), Dawson Peak, (9,575 feet) and San Antonio, a.k.a. Mt. Baldy, (10,064 feet). Don't get us wrong, there's easy hiking here as well. We just want you to know that you can test your mettle too.You can wander through a rare grove of ancient limber pines near the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell. These small to medium-sized pine trees bear purple cones and are found only above 7,5000 feet. Some of the specimens are over 2,000 years old. Elsewhere, lodgepole, Jeffrey, and sugar pine predominate. At lower elevations, you will find dense chaparral and oak. During the months of April, May, and June, the Los Angeles basin is smothered in the gloom and doom of smog and clouds. And yet even when LA is enduring the cloudiest months of the year, the San Gabriel Mountains are all about sun and cobalt skies. The mountains are above the clouds, removed from the city that lies below. It is here, high above the urban chaos, that the city's angels can spread their wings. During the autumn, the Santa Ana winds push dry air from the Mojave Desert through the canyons and mountain passes of the San Gabriels.
|
|
|
