Known as “L.A.’s Backyard,” the San Gabriel Mountains are a 970 square mile haven within easy day-hiking range for most Angelenos. With five federal wilderness areas and a brand new 346,000 acre National Monument, this mountain range is an absolute treasure for nature-starved urbanites, and it features a wide range of trails for every hiker’s ability level. From untamed rivers, ruins of turn-of-the-century resorts, and rugged, pine-filled canyons to the top of 10,064 foot Mount Baldy (the highest point in Los Angeles County and the third tallest mountain in Southern California), there’s something for everyone here.
This mountain range’s jurisdiction is split three ways between the Angeles National Forest, the new San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, and – in a tiny sliver of the easternmost limits of the range – the San Bernardino National Forest.
