Roads in the San Gabriel Mountains
Several roads climb into the San Gabriel Mountains (see
map below), and although all are paved they are sometimes very winding, steep and narrow. Most traveled is the
Angeles Crest Highway (Route 2) - this climbs steadily, starting, in the west, from La Canada Flintridge on I-210, and peaks at Dawson Saddle, elevation 7,903 feet. En route it passes side roads, trailheads, deep and scenic forested ravines, viewpoints of distant mountain peaks, several official forest campsites and plenty of places suitable for free camping. One of the main turnings is a 4.5 mile road to the summit of
Mount Wilson, site of many aerials and communication towers, plus several overlooks and trailheads; this is perhaps the best place for elevated views of the northern Los Angeles suburbs, 5,000 feet below. A few miles east of the highpoint of Route 2, the road reaches the northeast edge of the mountains, high above the San Andreas Rift Zone and within sight of the start of the
Mojave Desert, 3,000 feet below, where the land stretches to the horizon, parched, perfectly flat and criss-crossed by a regular grid of apparently endless straight roads. Back in the mountains, one of the southern side roads is Highway 39 which used to connect the Crest Highway with Azusa, via steep-sided San Gabriel Canyon, but this has been closed since 1978 due to numerous landslides. However, recent developments suggest it may reopen in the next few years.