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50-571: Chantry Flat is home to the last pack station in Southern California . It is also the trailhead to Sturtevant's Camp, the oldest resort in the San Gabriels and one of a handful that still exist. The Chantry Flat/Big Santa Anita Canyon area boasts the last magneto-type crank phone system in the United States. The entire watershed is a living museum to the great hiking era in the first half of

100-679: A barn or other structure to house feed and tack , and a loading dock or shelter for the items to be transported. In locations on private land, there may be a business office on site. The term "pack station" is most often used in California in the Sierra Nevada . In other parts of the US, outfitters may simply refer to a permanent or semi-permanent trailhead or wilderness camp as a "station" or "outfitter camp." One wrangler on horseback can usually handle up to five pack mules, who are tethered together in

150-506: A $ 45 million project to reconstruct the roadway, construct soldier pile retaining walls, repair drainage systems, install rockfall protection, and provide asphalt concrete overlay and traffic striping, should begin in fall 2010." In 2011, the planned repair of the road was abruptly terminated, due to concern of high future maintenance costs, and potential impact on the local bighorn sheep population. However, in October 2016, Caltrans announced it

200-478: A balanced load on each side of the animal; an unbalanced load will cause the saddle to slide to the heavy side, causing discomfort to the animal, and potentially inviting disaster. The average mule can carry as much as 300 pounds (140 kg). A mammoth donkey can carry up to 200 lb (90 kg) and standard donkey limit is 125 lb (60 kg). However, most pack station mule loads are limited to 150 pounds (70 kg) Outfitters generally operate within

250-493: A hiker gets lost or stuck on a mountain ledge or may fall downhill. Some of the more extreme cases of emergency search-and-rescue efforts will often be given air time on Los Angeles television and radio newscasts. The Pacific Crest Trail passes along the mountain ridge. During the winter, many Southern California mountaineers climb a variety of snow routes and even some ice routes in the San Gabriel Mountains. Baldy Bowl

300-568: A lateral well . The lateral well was later replaced by the vertical well now in use. The picnic grounds of Chantry Flat, known to locals as The Picnic Grove, are authorized for day use only. A full renovation was completed in August 2006. The site offers 35 tables, each with a charcoal barbecue ; most are wheelchair accessible . Water spigots are installed throughout, and there are two flush toilet restrooms. Several hiking and mountain biking trails are accessible from Chantry Flat. They include

350-490: A line called a pack string. Many commercial outfitters today support recreation activities such as camping and fishing trips and hunting expeditions. Government agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service , as well as a few commercial outfitters have pack operations to transport construction materials, trail tools, and firefighting equipment into wilderness areas. In either case,

400-639: A nearly two-hour trip. Reopening Highway 39 would cut the drive-time to the Waterman Ski Area in half and shorten the trip east to Wrightwood. According to the Caltrans District Seven "Inside Seven" Newsletter, "Two projects that will address those issues and get the highway reopened are scheduled for construction soon. The first, building two retaining walls near the city of Azusa from Old San Gabriel Canyon Road to approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of SR-2, could begin in mid-2009. The second,

450-561: A road into Winter Creek. They stopped short with a less intrusive terminus at Chantry Flat. The Civilian Conservation Corps built a campground here that was later remodeled by the Forest Service in 1958 and designated a picnic area. Also in 1958, the USFS built the existing firehouse with barracks and information center , the two 3-bedroom houses to house employees, and a water system (315,000 US gallons (1,190,000 L) capacity) drawn from

500-549: A steep, rugged and precipitous gorge. The two meet at San Gabriel Reservoir , and turn south, boring through the southern portion of the San Gabriels, emptying of the mountains near Azusa into the urban San Gabriel Valley , and eventually to the Pacific Ocean near Seal Beach . San Gabriel Mountains peaks within the Angeles National Forest include: The climate of the range varies with elevation from continental to

550-677: Is $ 5.00 a day or $ 30 for a yearly pass. The parking lot fills quickly in the morning on the weekends. From the Foothill Freeway (I-210) take the Santa Anita Avenue exit north. Follow Santa Anita Ave. through the residential neighborhood until it ends at the foot of the mountains. Pass the yellow pipe gate and continue 3 miles (4.8 km) into the mountains to the end of Santa Anita Canyon Road. 34°11′44″N 118°01′21″W  /  34.1955°N 118.0224°W  / 34.1955; -118.0224 Pack station A pack station

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600-578: Is another notable peak, known for the Mount Wilson Observatory and the antenna farm that houses many of the transmitters for local media. The observatory may be visited by the public. On October 10, 2014, Barack Obama designated the area the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument . The Trust for Public Land has protected more than 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) of land in the San Gabriel Mountains, its foothills, and

650-534: Is by far the most popular route, getting hundreds of climbers per season. There are many other routes, offering a variety of choices. Rock climbing is not as common in the San Gabriel Range as it is in neighboring areas, as this range is famous for loose rock. Various faults crisscross the range, making it one of the steepest and fastest-growing ranges in the world. Plate tectonic activity breaks up most rock, making it unsuitable for rock climbing. Williamson Rock

700-599: Is much better, and it is open much of the winter. State Route 39 connected the city of Azusa with the Angeles Crest Highway until it was seriously damaged by landslides, first in 1978, and again in 2005. The highway was opened to emergency crews in February 2003. People heading to Mount Waterman must now travel west to Pasadena and then travel on the Angeles Crest Highway (Highway 2) in La Cañada Flintridge,

750-698: Is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert , with Interstate 5 to the west and Interstate 15 to the east. The range lies in, and is surrounded by, the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests, with the San Andreas Fault as its northern border. The highest peak in the range is Mount San Antonio , commonly referred to as Mt. Baldy. Mount Wilson

800-481: Is the base of operations for transporting freight via pack animals in areas that do not allow for other forms of transportation, either due to difficult access or use restrictions as defined in Wilderness Act . The station facilitates the transition from mechanized transportation to pack animals, and necessarily includes a corral for the animals and sometimes a stock loading ramp. In some places there may also be

850-598: The Arroyo Seco , a tributary of the Los Angeles River . Southeast of Big Tujunga Canyon, the southern front range of the San Gabriels gradually grows in elevation, culminating in notable peaks such as Mount Wilson at 5,710 feet (1,740 m). On the north the range is abruptly dissected by the canyon of the West Fork San Gabriel River. Even further north the range slopes up into the towering main crest of

900-521: The Forest Homestead Act (1906) , which forbade such development. The 1991 edition reports that he was granted a permit for 20 acres (81,000 m) in 1907, that he failed to act on his plans and that he allowed the permit to lapse, returning control to the Forest Service. Glen Owens, author of The Heritage of the Big Santa Anita believes the latter to be true and substantiates his claim with

950-593: The National Forest Adventure Pass , and also offers food and gear as well as additional parking for visitors. The Pack Station General Store is open to the public on weekends and holidays until 5:00 PM. The road to Chantry Flat is open daily from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Car parking at Chantry Flats, and many places in the Angeles National Forest, requires a National Forest Adventure Pass. National Forest Adventure Passes may be obtained online or from forest visitor centers and local sporting good merchants. The fee

1000-535: The Santa Susana Mountains at Newhall Pass (Interstate 5). South and east of Santa Clarita and north of San Fernando , the San Gabriel Mountains crest abruptly up to about 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Pacoima and Big Tujunga Canyons cut through the range just east of San Fernando, carrying runoff into the San Fernando Valley . Little Tujunga Canyon Road bridges the range in this area, connecting

1050-628: The Victor Valley and the western Cajon Valley. Past its junction with Angeles Forest Highway, traveling east, Angeles Crest Highway features blind curves, various bumps, and potholes. This section of the "Crest" is closed during the winter due to rockfall and avalanche hazards. State Route 2, just past Mountain High , is called the Big Pines Highway to the Route 138 junction. Another key county route through,

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1100-577: The Angeles National Forest. Much of the range features rolling peaks. The range lacks craggy features, but contains a large number of canyons and is generally very rugged and difficult to traverse. The San Gabriel Mountains are composed of a large fault block between the San Andreas Fault Zone to the north, and the San Gabriel Fault and the Sierra Madre and Cucamonga Fault Zones to

1150-653: The Mediterranean, with mostly dry summers (except for scattered summer thunderstorms) and cold, wet winters. Snow can fall above 4,000 ft (1,200 m) elevation during frontal passages between November and April, but is most common in December through March. Annual precipitation totals are mostly in excess of 25 in (640 mm) on the coastal (southern) slopes above 3,000 ft (900 m) elevation, with up to 45 in (1,100 mm) falling in some areas above 5,000 ft (1,500 m). The coastal (south) side of

1200-468: The Mojave. To the east, the San Andreas Fault cuts across the range, forming a series of long, straight, and narrow depressions, including Swarthout Valley and Lone Pine Canyon. South of Mount San Antonio, San Antonio Creek drains the mountains, cutting the deep San Antonio Canyon. East of San Antonio Canyon, the range gradually loses elevation, and the highest peaks in this section of the mountain range are in

1250-598: The North American west coast. Like nearly all of the other mountains in the Transverse Ranges , the San Gabriels are a series of fault blocks that were uplifted in the Cenozoic . Tectonic uplift rates and erosion rates systematically increase as topography steepens eastward in the San Gabriel Mountains, where the San Andreas and San Jacinto faults meet. Current rates of erosion in the eastern San Gabriel mountains are among

1300-614: The San Andreas Fault produces numerous springs, sag ponds, and wetland areas that are critical habitats for a variety of native species. Larger animals include California mule deer , California black bear , San Pedro Martir coyote and the rarely seen mountain lion or cougar. Smaller mammals include raccoons, opossum, skunk, and bobcats. Golden and bald eagles are found rarely, but hawks are common. Rattlesnakes are common and often encountered on trails by hikers. Critically endangered yellow-legged frogs have declined or vanished from

1350-541: The San Fernando Valley to the Santa Clara River valley in the north. Towering over Big Tujunga Canyon north of Big Tujunga Reservoir , and south of Acton, is Mount Gleason, which at 6,502 feet (1,982 m), is the highest in this region of the San Gabriels. South of the gorge is the southern "foothills" of the mountains, which rise abruptly 4,000 feet (1,200 m) above the Los Angeles Basin and give rise to

1400-418: The San Gabriels, a sweeping arc-shaped massif 30 miles (48 km) in length that includes most of the highest peaks in the range: Waterman Mountain , at 8,038 feet (2,450 m); Mount Islip , at 8,250 feet (2,510 m), Mount Baden-Powell , at 9,399 feet (2,865 m), Pine Mountain , at 9,648 feet (2,941 m), and Mount San Antonio , the highest peak in the range at 10,068 feet (3,069 m). On

1450-486: The San Olene Gap. With a reliable spring in adjoining San Olene Canyon (a corruption of the original Santa Oline) and the relatively flat land of an ancient slide, Chantry imagined this to be an ideal site for a small ranch. The details of his official occupation of the flat are unclear, even from John Robinson's The San Gabriels . The 1977 edition suggests that his plans for a home and orchard were thwarted by enactment of

1500-830: The Upper Winter Creek and Lower Winter Creek trail loop as well as the Sturtevant Falls trail along Santa Anita Creek , which is also the East end of the Gabrielino Trail . These trails connect with a broad network of trails throughout the San Gabriel Mountains . Most of these trails are heavily forested, as they did not burn during the Station Fire in 2009. Adams' Pack Station is a permitted outfitter and general store that has operated at Chantry Flat since 1936. It sells

1550-492: The boundaries of public land and are required to maintain an outfitters permit. USDA Forest Service calls this a special-use permit. A separate permit is required if the pack station or wilderness caches are located on public land. San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains ( Spanish : Sierra de San Gabriel ) comprise a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California , United States. The mountain range

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1600-828: The even higher San Bernardino Mountains . The Range is bounded on the north by the Antelope Valley and the Mojave Desert and to the south by the communities of Greater Los Angeles . The south side of the range is almost continuously urbanized and includes the Los Angeles city communities of Sylmar , Pacoima , and Sunland-Tujunga , as well as cities and unincorporated areas of San Fernando , La Crescenta , La Cañada Flintridge , Altadena , Pasadena , Sierra Madre , Arcadia , Monrovia , Bradbury , Duarte , Azusa , Glendora , San Dimas , La Verne , Claremont , Upland , Rancho Cucamonga , Fontana , and Rialto . The north side of

1650-521: The fastest in the continental United States and have accelerated in response to the increased frequency of wildfires over the 1900s. Over future centuries, it remains unclear whether soil and brush ecosystems in the San Gabriel mountains will continue to re-establish soil and vegetation after increasing fire and soil-erosion frequencies, or if increasing fire frequencies and erosion will strip soils and permanently alter soil cover and vegetation types across

1700-495: The mountain ecosystem. There are both areas of conifer as well as broadleaf forestation, including the presence of some endemic taxa. Conifer (pine, fir, cedar) and oak forests are most widespread above 5,000 feet (1,500 m) where the precipitation is above 30 inches (760 mm) (the central and eastern high San Gabriels). In the wetter areas, madrone and bay laurel trees also occur in places, and ferns are common. Trees like willow, alder, and cottonwood are also found throughout

1750-566: The mountains during big storms often produces flooding in adjacent foothill communities (especially in areas denuded by wildfires). The range is mostly smog-free above 5,000 ft (1,500 m) elevation, above the inversion layer. The large telescope installation at Mt. Wilson is a testimony to the clear atmospheric conditions that prevail, although light pollution from the L.A. basin below has hindered telescope activities in recent decades. The San Gabriel Mountains see wildfires frequently. The fires are often driven by dry Santa Ana wind events in

1800-425: The mountains is Angeles Forest Highway . Angeles Forest Highway begins 11 miles northeast of La Cañada Flintridge at its Angeles Crest Highway junction. Ending near Acton , it allows easy access to the central Forest and the fast-growing Antelope Valley . Because the "Forest" and the 11-mile (18 km) "Crest" portion leading to La Cañada Flintridge is well-traveled by Antelope Valley commuters, its road maintenance

1850-451: The north slopes of the San Gabriel crest, the northern ranks of mountains drop down incrementally to the floor of the Mojave Desert in a much more gradual manner than the sheer southern flank. The Angeles Crest Highway , one of the main routes across the San Gabriels, runs through this area from west to east. Little Rock, Big Rock, and Sheep Creeks drain off the northern part of the mountains, forming large alluvial fans as they descend into

1900-425: The process and techniques used are very similar to those developed prior to the era of motor vehicles. Customers arrange for a meeting time or a delivery time and drop their goods and supplies at the pack station. Packing services are charged by the pound or by the animal, typically with a minimum price depending on the distance from the pack station. Everything is weighed, sorted for each animal, then split 50/50 to get

1950-487: The range along with the stream courses (riparian habitat), even at lower elevations. Chaparral (dense shrub, brush, and small tree) vegetation is widespread where there is no continuous tall tree cover, especially at lower elevations. Chaparral is highly adapted to fire and replaces trees for decades after fires. There is a subspecies of the Leather Oak which is found only within the San Gabriel Mountains. The Rift Zone along

2000-437: The range is less densely populated and includes the city of Palmdale as well as the small unincorporated towns of Acton , Littlerock , Pearblossom , Valyermo , Llano , Piñon Hills , and Phelan . At the west end of the range lies the city of Santa Clarita . Within the mountains themselves are the small unincorporated communities of Mount Baldy , Wrightwood , Big Pines and Lytle Creek . Melting snow and rain runoff on

2050-417: The range receives more precipitation than the desert (northern) side. The highest precipitation is found in the central and eastern parts of the range (Mt. Wilson to Mt. San Antonio). Annual precipitation totals are highly variable from year to year, and can be extremely high during wet El Nino years (sometimes over 70 in (1,800 mm), with single storm totals over 10 in (250 mm)). Runoff from

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2100-551: The south side of the San Gabriels' highest mountains give rise to its largest river, the San Gabriel River . Just to the west of Mount Hawkins , a north-south divide separates water running down the two main forks of the river and their tributaries. The West Fork, beginning at Red Box Saddle, runs 14 miles (23 km) eastward, and the East Fork, starting north of Mount San Antonio, flows 18 miles (29 km) south and west through

2150-506: The south, rising dramatically above the cities of Claremont , Upland and Rancho Cucamonga . However, there are still several notable peaks in this region, including Telegraph Peak , at 8,985 feet (2,739 m), Cucamonga Peak , at 8,859 feet (2,700 m), and Ontario Peak , rising 8,693 feet (2,650 m). Lytle Creek , flowing generally southeast, drains most of the extreme eastern San Gabriels. The range terminates at Cajon Pass, through which runs Interstate 15 , and beyond which rise

2200-671: The south. This tectonic block was uplifted during the Miocene and has since been dissected by numerous rivers and washes. The highest elevation, Mount San Antonio (Mount Baldy) at 10,069 feet (3,069 m), rises towards the eastern extremity of the range which extends from the Cajon Pass (Interstate 15) on the east, where the San Gabriel Mountain Range meets the San Bernardino Mountain Range , westward to meet

2250-468: The streams due to the loss of suitable habitat. The introduction of invasive predators like trout, which feed on tadpoles, decimated their population. The main road that runs through the San Gabriel Mountains is the Angeles Crest Highway , State Route 2 . It starts in the southwest at the city of La Cañada Flintridge and ends at its junction with State Route 138 , just past Wrightwood , near

2300-533: The summer and fall. Notable wildfires in the San Gabriel Mountains have included the 2009 Station Fire , 2020 Bobcat Fire , and the 2024 Bridge Fire . Granitic and metasedimentary rocks are the primary constituent of the San Gabriel Mountains. Metasedimentary rocks were attached to the North American craton in the Precambrian eon, and granitic rocks formed throughout the Mesozoic as oceanic plates subducted underneath

2350-475: The top of Santa Anita Ave. The road in was originally planned as a highway to join the Angeles Crest Highway (State Hwy 2) at Shortcut Canyon. The Forest Service never allowed it. It would have been a largely unwelcome introduction of modern civilization and would have obliterated the charm and beauty of both the Big Santa Anita and the West Fork of the San Gabriel River . The county was permitted, however, to build

2400-867: The twentieth century. In 1905 Iowa -born Charley Chantry arrived in Sierra Madre, CA. He prospected his way there from the Black Hills of the Dakotas by way of the San Gabriel back country. He erected a sturdy tent cabin in Little Santa Anita Canyon from which he rented riding donkeys to kids staying at nearby Carter's Camp. Soon his stock was packing into all of the area's mountain resorts from his Mount Wilson Stables . While packing to Sturtevant's Camp, Charley passed through an oak-studded bench 600 feet (180 m) above Big Santa Anita Canyon's bottom at

2450-460: The witness of a Forest Service agricultural permit in Charley's name. In any event, Charley and his dog, Patch, did occasionally occupy a tent here, graze his stock here, and spend enough time here to have his name permanently attached to the area now known as Chantry Flat (formerly Poison Oak Flat). Charley died in 1936, one year after Los Angeles County paved a road to his old stomping grounds from

2500-453: Was again considering plans to re-open the road, after pressure from local communities. In the winter, snowboarding and skiing are quite popular in the San Gabriels, at Mountain High and Mt. Baldy . The two other resorts, Mount Waterman and Kratka Ridge , are rarely open due to insufficient snow. In the summer, canyoneering , hiking, backpacking, picnicking, and camping are some of the activities popular with visitors. From time to time,

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