Modern Hiker

A simple, straightforward fire road ascent near the main entrance to the Angeles National Forest. Not terribly challenging, but a pleasant walk with good views of Strawberry Peak and the north side of the Front Range.

I was going to make a run out to the Mount Baldy area this morning and rock out two peaks on a 10+ mile trail. But I got wrapped in conversations at a nice birthday party and stayed out later than I planned, so I instead opted for the closer and shorter route to Josephine Peak.

The trail was a simple out and back on a fire road, which is not the most interesting hike one can do. Thankfully, the weather was beautiful and the skies were clear, which illuminated the mountains around me and more than made up for the trail’s lack of excitement.

It also gave me lots of chances to see a different view of Strawberry Peak, the white-knuckle rock-climbing hike I did some weeks back. That peak on the right looks a lot more steep than I remember it being.

There wasn’t too much in the way of remarkable obstacles, but hiking on the road went quickly and relatively painlessly. It was cold in the morning, though, and even more so when I wrapped around to the shaded north face. The wind didn’t help much, either — so whenever I found a nice patch of sun, I made sure to take my time to warm up for a bit before moving on.

I made it up to the peak in just under 90 minutes, and was rewarded with a gorgeous 360 degree panoramic view of the San Gabriels and beyond — except for the small radio tower that was off to the west.

Even Los Angeles, with its rising layers of smog and haze, couldn’t fight back the view from up here.

That’s Santa Catalina way in the background there, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen from the Angeles National Forest before. Although the camera makes it a bit hazier than it was to the eye (gotta find a nice polarizer lens), I could pretty clearly make out downtown, Century City, Santa Monica and the Pacific coast.

Josephine was an OK hike with surprisingly great views. And the fire road trail got me up and out all eight miles in under three hours. With enough time to get a much-needed car wash on the way home.

Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of fire-road hikes, so there isn’t really a whole lot to write about this hike. But it’s still great exercise, and the peak is listed on the Sierra Club’s Hundred Peaks List … so it’s an easy check mark if you’re making your way.

The Basics:

- Distance: About 8 miles, round trip.
- Elevation Gain: 1900 feet.
- Time: Under two hours if you’re bookin’ it. Probably two and a half is more reasonable.
- Trail Condition: Fire road. Be wary of mountain bikers!
- How to Get There: Take the Angeles Crest Highway (CA-2) into the forest near La Canada Flintridge. At the very first ranger station, where the road meets the Angeles Forest Highway, park across the street from the Clear Creek Ranger Station and display your Pass. The fire road begins just around the corner on the east side of Angles Forest Highway.
- Map It

The Notables:
- Clear views of the north sides of the front range.
- Easy trail to follow.
- Gentle elevation gain.

Extending Your Stay:
- The best option to make this more of a “real” hike is to attempt Josephine and neighboring Strawberry Peak in one day. But it’s gonna make it much more difficult. There is a trail to Josephine Saddle and Strawberry Peak about 2 miles in, just before the fire road hooks a sharp curve west to the summit of Josephine. The Strawberry Peak trail will add another 4 miles to your round trip, and will require some bushwhacking and class three bouldering. So be aware.

More Pictures:
- Up on Flickr.

Originally hiked November 12, 2006.