Under the weekend heatwave, I was enjoying my first post-surgery hike just off the Pacific Coast Highway. Further east, however, a wedding at Sturtevant Camp was interrupted when a wildfire started tearing up the mountains just north of Sierra Madre.
The fire began just off Santa Anita Canyon Road and spread northwest toward Mount Harvard, burning over 400 acres (as of Monday morning) and causing Sierra Madre officials to evacuate a large chunk of their city.
Nothing has been posted to the Angeles National Forest web site yet (that site is sloooow to change), but I think it’s safe to assume the Santa Anita Canyon should be off your list of hiking destinations for at least a week or two.
Via the LA Times.
Image by gtiboogieman
A strenuous ascent up the south face of Mount Lukens - the highest point of elevation within Los Angeles City Limits. This particular route travels a secluded and steep, but rarely traveled and slightly overgrown canyon to the summit. A good leg-burner, but the bushwhacking and ticks may not be worth the trouble. There is, however, a shortcut trail that leads to a fire road, which is one of the nicest stretches of single-track trail I’ve seen in the San Gabriels.
A tranquil route into a wooded canyon on the Silver Moccasin Trail. A good conditioning hike with beautiful campgrounds, streamside views for almost the entire run, and plenty of boulder-hopping and stream crossing along the way. This would be a great candidate for a first-time moderate hike - it’s easy enough for experienced beginners, but difficult enough to make you feel like you worked for it. It’s secluded enough to feel like your own corner of the forest, and fairly difficult to get lost along the way.
A loop on multiple trails through one of the most picturesque and popular canyons in the San Gabriels. Multiple stream crossings, river cascades, shaded canyons and a 50 foot waterfall give way to thick forests, vine-covered trails, Jeffrey Pines, and eventually chaparral slopes of the front range. A beautiful trail with varied landscapes and plenty of places to extend your stay - either by camping or taking spur trails deeper into the mountains. A highly-recommended trail.
A winding fire-road hike to one of the front peaks near the Mt. Baldy Area. This is the longer but less strenuous of two routes, and offers outstanding, panoramic views of the Baldy Bowl and - on clear days - the seemingly never-ending sprawl of Rancho Cucamonga. At the peak itself are the remains of an old fire tower that burned down years ago.
A moderate trek around one of the most breathtaking natural landmarks in the region. A hike to Devil’s Chair gives you panoramic views of what happens to the ground near one of the most active rift zones in the world. A great winter trek, I got to do this trail after a fresh coat of snow, with clear air giving great views in all directions.
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