Pretty drive, but turns may make some travelers road sick.Growing back from fires many years ago. Can be a short cut between Pasadena area and Antelope Valley. Save miles but not time.
If you are in L.A., or visiting, you can be hiking and/or skiing in less than an hours drive. This place is a real treasure.You need an "Adventure Pass" to park and hike around. They are $5 and available at well marked stops along the "highway". No pass needed to just park at a turn-off and enjoy the view.Buckhorn is my favorite campground in the area. Hikes, boldering, streams, shade... there is just a lot to do from this spot. Rangers warned me that this campground and Monte Cristo especially, get loud at night. And advised going to "Chilao Flats" for Family camping. But I have stayed here plenty and I like the more secluded aspects of this site. Noise, especially before the 10 o'clock, does not bother us. Low class litterbugs are the biggest turn-off and that is usually not an issue here. The trail-head to numerous destinations is located here and one can even access the PCT from here. When most of the campers leave and all is quite the Bears and Rattlesnakes do come out. As they do live there.No mater how hot the days are, It gets VERY COLD at night! Be prepared!The trails are newly fixed up and the toilette's are new and still very clean. They might stay that way if people stop trying to levitate above the seats and get poop on them. Simply cover the seat with TP, sit down and try to relax! It's camping!The fire missed this spot so one can see what the forest used to look like before the fire cleaned up the dry undergrowth and older trees.Newcombs Ranch restaurant is the only restaurant in the entire forest. And the food reflects the lack of competition. Good place to stop for a beer or to hang out but the food is average at best.If you see a dead rooster hanging upside down surrounded by burnt candles, well that is people practicing Santeria (a Catholic Voodoo mix) and is usually found at the entrance to the forest around the early turn offs. Rangers say "freedom of religion" stops them from policing the activity and supposedly there is little chance of being abducted and ritualistically murdered. At least not by the practitioners of Santeria..
This review is specifically for Henninger Flats above Altadena. Started backpacking late Friday afternoon from the gate and arrived at the flats about and an hour forty minutes later. The uphill climb and afternoon sun made for a good work out! The campground offered nice, shady sites with clean restrooms nearby for our scouting group. With nightfall, came the million dollar view of the twinkling lights below....hard to believe we were only minutes from the city! Signs warn of rattlesnakes and should not be taken lightly as we saw a baby rattler camouflaged at the foot of a tree the next day. As far as things to do, you can take a hike up to Mt. Wilson (half our troop), work on a conservation project with the ranger (the other half), or read a book and watch squirrels scamper up and down trees (what I did), it's all good and it's all free! So whether you enjoy hiking, biking or backpacking the 2.7 miles, the view at the top is all the same, spectacular!
We hiked Switzer in October 2014. It was no water in the falls due to the dry season, but still a beautiful hike. If you go up, the view is breathtaking.
Just got back from a visit to Angeles National Forest. We hiked the Mount Baden-Powell Trail. Challenging but great hike! You can read about my experience here: http://unapologeticallyyou.blogspot.com/2014/08/california-vacation-adventures-part-i.htmlFeel free to ask any specific questions about my experience with the park.
Great trails to hike in the Angeles National Forest. I have done hikes in Altadena, Pasadena, Monrovia, Glendora, Azusa. Beautiful views and scenery. Can't beat it. I was in awe of the beautiful snow capped mountains and solitude.
Stayed for three days at the Lake Campground near Wrightwood, CA. The site was absolutely lovely, shady, quiet with a little town nearby and lots of options for hiking. Know going into your trip that there is a composting toilet but only a shared spigot for water. So you'll need to plan accordingly. Our site and I would guess many of the others were not super level. I noticed some people had brought a rake and that's advisable. We were duly warned about bears, with the ranger even pointing out the bear's paw print on the dumpster. We didn't have any issues but did end up seeing one bear, three deer and lots of hawks, squirrels, etc. Great spot. I highly recommend.
If you are looking for a nice ride with lots of views, this is the place. Beware of traveling in the winter months as the roads may be snowed in. Don't be suprised if you find snow on top of some of the hills in the spring early summer months.