Hiking Mount Islip

A mostly shaded, gently graded 7 mile hike to the mostly-exposed peak of Mount Islip. This hike offers unparalleled views of the Yerba Santa Ampitheatre and nearby middle peaks of the San Gabriels. There is also a well-maintained campground – Little Jimmy – on the route, which can make this a great stop on a multi-day backpacking trip – and an old ruined stone cabin near the peak of Mount Islip that provides a little local interest. A highly recommended day-hike.

The Basics:

- Distance: 7 miles round trip.
- Elevation Gain: 1627 feet
- Time: About 3 and a half hours, with breaks
- Trail Condition: Excellent. The vast majority of the trail is very clearly marked and signed at junctions. The only time when it’s easy to lose the trail is when it meanders into Little Jimmy Camp, but if you just keep your eye out for the trail, you’ll be able to pick it up again pretty easily.
- How To get There: From the 210 in La Canada Flintridge, take the Angeles Crest Highway 39.6 miles to Islip Saddle (just past the locked junction with CA-39). There is a moderately sized lot on the north side of the Highway, and the trailhead is just across the entrance, on the southern side. Be sure to display your Adventure Pass.

- Map Trailhead

The Notables:

- Well-graded and shady trail
- Beautiful campground near the peak
- Close to several other prominent peaks – good option for a multi-day backpack
- Old stone cabin near the summit
- Outstanding views from the exposed peak

More Pictures:

- on Flickr

The trail to Mount Islip begins – easily enough – at Islip Saddle. Just past two tunnels, there is a moderately sized parking lot on the north side of the Angeles Crest Highway. It’s a popular parking area, especially for mountain bikers who ride down the closed CA-39, but it is also a stop on the Pacific Crest Trail / Silver Moccasin Trail, so it can see a lot of foot traffic from thru-hikers and Boy Scouts alike.

The trailhead is on the south side of the Highway, and is marked by a lone stake in the ground:

Here, the trail makes a few quick switchbacks through some low brush before heading up to the cover of the pines. From here, you’ll have some interesting views of the Angeles Crest Highway and CA-39, but don’t worry about savoring them – you’ll have better views from the summit.

The trail continues on the moderately shaded north face of Mount Islip for a mile, where it crosses a dirt road. This is the old trail to Little Jimmy Camp, which begins a bit further east on the Angeles Crest Highway. Both routes still lead to Little Jimmy Camp, but stick to the trail for a slightly shorter distance and nicer track. From here, it’s another 1.1 miles to the campground.

Like many areas in this section of the Angeles National Forest, parts of these slopes were damaged by the Curve Fire in 2002. While the north face of Islip remained relatively unscathed, there are still some areas of slowly-recovering forest you will hike through on this trail.

Luckily, the well-stocked and well kept Little Jimmy Campground is still in excellent shape, with a vault outhouse, plenty of shade, lots of camp stoves and fire rings, and lots of spots for tents. On the Saturday I hiked through, there were a handful of campers relaxing and trading bear stories.

At the camp, the trail you’ve been walking on looks like it continues to the southeast, but this is actually a spur trail to Little Jimmy Spring. Instead, hike west through the camp site, past the outhouse and camp stoves, and you’ll see a signed and rock-marked trail that climbs the low ridge to the west of the main camp.

From here, the trail continues, passing by a few choice north-facing camp sites with outstanding views of the mountains and desert, then turns back east and makes a slow climb. There’s a bit more fire damage here, which makes it all the more remarkable that Little Jimmy is in such good condition.

At about the 2.6 mile mark, the trail forks. Stay to the right to continue 1.2 miles to the summit of Mount Islip. The trail to the left heads east to Windy Gap, the Hawkins Ridge, and Mounts Throop and Baden-Powell (take note if you’re backpacking!).

Less than a tenth of a mile from this junction, the trail makes a sharp westward turn along a ridge, and you’ll get your first view of the Yerba Santa Amphitheater — I guarantee you you’ll be impressed, even though much of the vegetation here was lost in the Curve Fire.

From here, hike the last 0.9 mile along the ridge, passing a junction with the Big Cienega Trail, which heads down toward the still-under-repair Crystal Lake area.

The trail skirts around the southern edge of the summit, then wraps around the north side, where the remains of an old stone cabin still stand. The summit (and a few concrete foundations) are just beyond this structure, and make for a great place to rest for a few minutes with a snack or book. When you’re done soaking in the views, head back the way you came.

UpTake Camping“

Tagged as: Angeles National Forest, fire ecology, Hiking, Little Jimmy Campground, mount islip, Pacific Crest Trail, Silver Moccasin Trail, trail write-up