Angeles National Forest | |
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Location | Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties, California |
Nearest city | Los Angeles |
Coordinates | 34°20′N118°08′W / 34.333°N 118.133°W |
Area | 655,387 acres (2,652.26 km2) |
Established | July 1, 1908 |
Governing body | U.S. Forest Service |
Website | Angeles National Forest |
Reference no. | 717 [1] |
The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the U.S. Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
The national forest was established in 1908, incorporating the first San Bernardino National Forest and parts of the former Santa Barbara and San Gabriel National Forests. Angeles National Forest headquarters are located in Arcadia, California.
The Angeles National Forest covers a total of 700,176 acres (1,094.0 sq mi; 2,833.5 km2), protecting large areas of the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains. It is located just north of the densely inhabited metropolitan area of Greater Los Angeles.
While primarily within Los Angeles County, a small part extends eastward into southwestern San Bernardino County, in the Mount San Antonio ("Mount Baldy") area, and a tiny section also extends westward into northeastern Ventura County, in the Lake Piru area.
The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, established in 2014 and managed by the U.S. Forest Service, is largely within the Angeles National Forest.
The John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019 established the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial and Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument at and around the ruins of the St. Francis Dam in the Forest's San Francisquito Canyon. [2]
The Angeles National Forest contains five nationally designated wilderness areas. Two of these also extend into neighboring San Bernardino National Forest:
Climate data for Angeles National Forest (at San Gabriel Canyon) | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °F (°C) | 68.5 (20.3) | 69.1 (20.6) | 70.0 (21.1) | 73.3 (22.9) | 77.9 (25.5) | 84.0 (28.9) | 91.5 (33.1) | 91.7 (33.2) | 87.5 (30.8) | 80.9 (27.2) | 75.5 (24.2) | 68.5 (20.3) | 78.2 (25.7) |
Average low °F (°C) | 47.2 (8.4) | 47.3 (8.5) | 47.8 (8.8) | 49.7 (9.8) | 53.1 (11.7) | 55.8 (13.2) | 58.7 (14.8) | 59.9 (15.5) | 58.7 (14.8) | 55.1 (12.8) | 52.7 (11.5) | 47.9 (8.8) | 52.8 (11.6) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.40 (112) | 5.06 (129) | 3.50 (89) | 1.69 (43) | 0.62 (16) | 0.19 (4.8) | 0.04 (1.0) | 0.11 (2.8) | 0.39 (9.9) | 0.86 (22) | 1.92 (49) | 3.49 (89) | 22.28 (566) |
Source: [3] |
Climate data for Angeles National Forest (at Lake Hughes) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Average high °F (°C) | 51 (11) | 55 (13) | 59 (15) | 64 (18) | 71 (22) | 80 (27) | 89 (32) | 89 (32) | 84 (29) | 73 (23) | 60 (16) | 53 (12) | 68 (20) |
Average low °F (°C) | 35 (2) | 37 (3) | 39 (4) | 44 (7) | 50 (10) | 59 (15) | 66 (19) | 66 (19) | 60 (16) | 51 (11) | 41 (5) | 35 (2) | 48 (9) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.20 (107) | 1.30 (33) | 3.11 (79) | 0.80 (20) | 0.18 (4.6) | 0 (0) | 0.01 (0.25) | 0.03 (0.76) | 0.15 (3.8) | 0.26 (6.6) | 1.81 (46) | 2.48 (63) | 14.32 (364) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 0 (0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.5 (3.8) | 2.1 (5.3) |
Source: [4] |
Climate data for Angeles National Forest (at Mt. Baldy Notch) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 68 (20) | 64 (18) | 63 (17) | 73 (23) | 76 (24) | 88 (31) | 85 (29) | 95 (35) | 89 (32) | 78 (26) | 74 (23) | 60 (16) | 95 (35) |
Mean maximum °F (°C) | 58.6 (14.8) | 56.4 (13.6) | 56.4 (13.6) | 62.6 (17.0) | 72.4 (22.4) | 80.0 (26.7) | 82.1 (27.8) | 84.7 (29.3) | 77.4 (25.2) | 72.9 (22.7) | 63.4 (17.4) | 56.0 (13.3) | 82.0 (27.8) |
Average high °F (°C) | 42.7 (5.9) | 42.3 (5.7) | 41.7 (5.4) | 48.0 (8.9) | 59.1 (15.1) | 67.7 (19.8) | 75.3 (24.1) | 77.4 (25.2) | 68.1 (20.1) | 59.8 (15.4) | 48.3 (9.1) | 42.2 (5.7) | 56.0 (13.3) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 34.5 (1.4) | 34.1 (1.2) | 33.4 (0.8) | 38.7 (3.7) | 48.2 (9.0) | 55.5 (13.1) | 64.2 (17.9) | 65.0 (18.3) | 57.1 (13.9) | 50.1 (10.1) | 39.6 (4.2) | 34.2 (1.2) | 46.2 (7.9) |
Average low °F (°C) | 26.4 (−3.1) | 25.7 (−3.5) | 25.2 (−3.8) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 37.3 (2.9) | 43.2 (6.2) | 53.2 (11.8) | 52.6 (11.4) | 46.3 (7.9) | 40.2 (4.6) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 26.0 (−3.3) | 36.4 (2.4) |
Mean minimum °F (°C) | 7.8 (−13.4) | 13.6 (−10.2) | 11.9 (−11.2) | 15.0 (−9.4) | 20.8 (−6.2) | 27.3 (−2.6) | 46.1 (7.8) | 42.3 (5.7) | 35.3 (1.8) | 24.5 (−4.2) | 13.1 (−10.5) | 7.1 (−13.8) | 2.8 (−16.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | 0 (−18) | 5 (−15) | 6 (−14) | 6 (−14) | 12 (−11) | 20 (−7) | 39 (4) | 38 (3) | 30 (−1) | 7 (−14) | 1 (−17) | −6 (−21) | −6 (−21) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 8.45 (215) | 7.80 (198) | 3.70 (94) | 4.62 (117) | 0.81 (21) | 0.07 (1.8) | 0.37 (9.4) | 0.35 (8.9) | 1.24 (31) | 0.65 (17) | 5.71 (145) | 6.58 (167) | 40.36 (1,025) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 11.9 (30) | 20.5 (52) | 29.5 (75) | 44.6 (113) | 3.2 (8.1) | 0.3 (0.76) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 0.9 (2.3) | 6.3 (16) | 13.5 (34) | 131.3 (334) |
Source: [5] |
The San Gabriel Forest Reserve was established on December 20, 1892, the San Bernardino Forest Reserve was established on February 25, 1893, and the Santa Barbara Forest Reserve was established on December 22, 1903. Together, they became National Forests on March 4, 1907, and they were combined on July 1, 1908, with all of the San Bernardino forest and portions of San Gabriel forest and Santa Barbara forest composing the new Angeles National Forest. In 1916, there was a movement to create the Sierra Madre National Park, but that never occurred. [6]
On September 30, 1925, portions of the Angeles National Forest and the Cleveland National Forest were detached to re-establish the San Bernardino National Forest. [7]
Angeles National Forest is registered as California Historical Landmark #717, for being the first National Forest in the state. [1]
The campgrounds at Broken Blade, Twisted Arrow and Pima Loops were closed on July 26, 2013, after squirrel infected with bubonic plague was discovered. [8]
On 1 November 1966, a fire started at 5:19 a.m. on the Los Pinetos Nike Site (LA-94). The fire spread, threatening medical facilities and residential areas south edge of the national forest. 12 firefighters with United States Forest Service's El Cariso "Hot Shot" crew were killed when they were caught in a flare up in a canyon. 11 more firefighters were seriously burned in the incident. [9] The fire was brought under control at 1:00 p.m. on 2 November, having burned 2,028 acres (8.21 km2). [9]
In the Station Fire, more than 161,000 acres (650 km2) of the forest were burned by an arson fire that began on August 26, 2009, near Angeles Crest Highway in La Cañada and quickly spread, fueled by dry brush that had not burned for over 150 years. The fire burned for more than a month and was the worst in Los Angeles County history, charring 250 square miles (650 km2), approximately one-fourth of the forest; displacing wildlife, and destroying 91 homes, cabins and outbuildings and the family-owned Hidden Springs Cafe.
During the fire, two firefighters died after driving off the Mt. Gleason County Road looking for an alternate route to get the inmates out at Camp 16. The Station Fire threatened the Mount Wilson Observatory atop Mt. Wilson . The site includes two telescopes, two solar towers, and transmitters for 22 television stations, several FM radio stations, and police and fire department emergency channels. Although the fire scorched one side of the outhouse at amateur-owned Stony Ridge Observatory, six miles northeast of Mt. Wilson, aside from minor damage from smoke and ash infiltration, the remainder of the observatory and its historic 30-inch Carroll telescope survived.
In September and October 2020, the Bobcat Fire burned 115,796 acres (180.931 sq mi) (468 km2) in the central San Gabriel Mountains of the Angeles National Forest. It was one of the largest wildfires in Los Angeles County history. [10]
The Angeles National Forest manages the habitats, flora and fauna ecosystems, and watersheds. Some of the rivers with watersheds within its boundaries provide valuable non-groundwater recharge water for Southern California. The existing protected and restored native vegetation absorb and slow surface runoff of rainwater to minimize severe floods and landslides in adjacent communities. [11] The land within the forest is diverse, both in appearance and terrain. Elevations range from 1,200 to 10,064 ft (366 to 3,068 m). The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the forest.
Much of this National Forest is covered with dense chaparral shrub forests with oak woodlands, which changes to pine and fir-covered slopes in the higher elevations. Subsequent to the fire there was a heavy growth of poodle-dog bush, apparently triggered by the fire's effect on dormant seeds, that lasted for several years. The plant produces prolific lavender flowers. Unfortunately, as visitors to the Forest discovered, contact with it may cause a poison-oak-like rash.
Tree species for which the forest is important include bigcone Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga macrocarpa ), Coulter pine (Pinus coulteri), and California walnut (Juglans californica). The National Forest also contains some 29,000 acres (12,000 ha) of old growth, with Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi) forests, as well as mixed conifer forests (with Coast Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), white fir (Abies concolor), and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) being the most abundant trees). [12]
This forest is home to black bears, gray foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, mule deer, bighorn sheep, rattlesnakes and coyotes.
A National Forest Adventure Pass is required for parking at many locations in the Angeles National Forest and other National Forests in Southern California, and this can be obtained online or from visitor centers and local merchants. [13] Los Angeles County has declared that passes are not required on county-maintained roads. There are also many other areas that do not require the pass.
Mountains within the Angeles National Forest include:
All the above mountains are part of the San Gabriel Mountains, except for Burnt Peak, which is in the Sierra Pelona Mountains.
The California Historical Landmark Marker NO. 717 at San Gabriel Mountain, Clear Creek vista point, State Hwy 2, 8.3 mi N of I-210, La Canada reads: [24]
California is a U.S. state on the western coast of North America. Covering an area of 163,696 sq mi (423,970 km2), California is among the most geographically diverse states. The Sierra Nevada, the fertile farmlands of the Central Valley, and the arid Mojave Desert of the south are some of the major geographic features of this U.S. state. It is home to some of the world's most exceptional trees: the tallest, most massive, and oldest. It is also home to both the highest and lowest points in the 48 contiguous states. The state is generally divided into Northern and Southern California, although the boundary between the two is not well defined. San Francisco is decidedly a Northern California city and Los Angeles likewise a Southern California one, but areas in between do not often share their confidence in geographic identity. The US Geological Survey defines the geographic center of the state at a point near North Fork, California.
Inyo County is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is on the east side of the Sierra Nevada and southeast of Yosemite National Park in Central California. It contains the Owens River Valley; it is flanked to the west by the Sierra Nevada and to the east by the White Mountains and the Inyo Mountains. With an area of 10,192 square miles (26,400 km2), Inyo is the second-largest county by area in California, after San Bernardino County. Almost one-half of that area is within Death Valley National Park. However, with a population density of 1.8 people per square mile, it also has the second-lowest population density in California, after Alpine County.
The San Gabriel Mountains are a mountain range located in northern Los Angeles County and western San Bernardino County, California, United States. The mountain range 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 San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range in Riverside County, located east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for one of the first Black Friars, Saint Hyacinth, who is a popular patron in Latin America.
Mount San Antonio, commonly referred to as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy, is a 10,064 ft (3,068 m) summit in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties of California. Lying within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest, it is the high point of the range, the County of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
The Cleveland National Forest encompasses 460,000 acres/720 sq mi (1,900 km2) of inland montane regions—approx. 60 miles from the Pacific Ocean—within the counties of San Diego, Riverside, and Orange, California. The landscape varies somewhat, with mostly chaparral canyons, arroyos and high desert, but dotted with meadows and oak and conifer forests. Near water sources, riparian environments and perennial aquatic plants attract native and migratory wildlife, such as at San Diego’s man-made Lake Cuyamaca. A generally warm and dry, inland-Mediterranean climate prevails over the forest, with the cooler months producing morning frost and snowfall. It is the southernmost U.S. National Forest of California. The area is administered by the U.S. Forest Service, a government agency within the United States Department of Agriculture, and is locally overseen by the Descanso, Palomar and Trabuco Ranger Districts.
The San Bernardino National Forest is a United States National Forest in Southern California encompassing 823,816 acres (3,333.87 km2) of which 677,982 acres (2,743.70 km2) are federal. The forest is made up of two main divisions, the eastern portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the San Bernardino Mountains on the easternmost of the Transverse Ranges, and the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains on the northernmost of the Peninsular Ranges. Elevations range from 2,000 to 11,499 feet. The forest includes seven wilderness areas: San Gorgonio, Cucamonga, San Jacinto, South Fork, Santa Rosa, Cahuilla Mountain and Bighorn Mountain. Forest headquarters are located in the city of San Bernardino. There are district offices in Lytle Creek, Idyllwild, and Fawnskin.
Los Padres National Forest is a United States national forest in southern and central California. Administered by the United States Forest Service, Los Padres includes most of the mountainous land along the California coast from Ventura to Monterey, extending inland. Elevations range from sea level to 8,847 feet (2,697 m).
The Shasta–Trinity National Forest is a federally designated forest in northern California, United States. It is the largest National Forest in California and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The 2,210,485 acre forest encompasses five wilderness areas, hundreds of mountain lakes and 6,278 miles (10,103 km) of streams and rivers. Major features include Shasta Lake, the largest man-made lake in California and Mount Shasta, elevation 14,179 feet (4,322 m).
Mount Baden-Powell is a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains of California named for the founder of the World Scouting Movement, Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell. It was officially recognized by the USGS at a dedication ceremony in 1931. It was originally known as East Twin or North Baldy.
The Silver Moccasin Trail is a 53-mile (85 km) trail located in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles. It begins at Chantry Flat Recreation Area above the city of Arcadia, California, traversing upward and down through several canyons and along the high ridges of the Angeles National Forest. This trail connects Mt. Baden-Powell, Mount Burnham, Throop Peak and Mount Hawkins. It comes to its highest point of 9,399 feet (2,865 m) at Mount Baden-Powell after which point it descends to its terminus at Vincent Gap on the Angeles Crest Highway near Wrightwood.
Elizabeth Lake is a natural sag pond that lies directly on the San Andreas Fault in the northern Sierra Pelona Mountains, in northwestern Los Angeles County, southern California.
The Angeles Forest Highway is a 25-mile (40 km) road over the San Gabriel Mountains in Los Angeles County, California. It connects the Los Angeles Basin with the Antelope Valley and western Mojave Desert. Maintained by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works, the highway is designated as County Route N-3 (CR N-3) or Forest Highway 59 (FH 59); the route numbers are unsigned, but noted on many maps.
The Sierra Pelona, also known as the Sierra Pelona Ridge or the Sierra Pelona Mountains, is a mountain ridge in the Transverse Ranges in Southern California. Located in northwest Los Angeles County, the ridge is bordered on the north by the San Andreas fault and lies within and is surrounded by the Angeles National Forest.
Theodore Parker Lukens was an American conservationist, real estate investor, civic leader, and forester who believed that burned over mountains could again be covered in timber which would protect watersheds. Lukens collected pine cones and seeds of different types and conducted experimental plantings on the mountain slopes above Pasadena, California. His perseverance earned him the name "Father of Forestry."
Strawberry Peak is a prominent peak in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, California. It is located about 10 miles (16 km) north of Pasadena, and 28 miles (45 km) from Los Angeles, along the Angeles Crest Highway. Strawberry Peak is the tallest of the front range peaks, being three feet higher than nearby San Gabriel Peak. Both can be widely seen from greater Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, and are popular with hikers. Other prominent nearby peaks include Josephine Peak and Mount Wilson. Strawberry Peak was named by mountaineers over a century ago, who felt the peak resembled an enormous upside-down strawberry.
Mount Baldy or Mount Baldy Village, formerly Camp Baynham and Camp Baldy, is an unincorporated community in the San Gabriel Mountains located in San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County in Southern California, with the county line running through the community. It is located below Mount San Antonio, commonly known as "Mount Baldy", hence its name.
The California montane chaparral and woodlands is an ecoregion defined by the World Wildlife Fund, spanning 7,900 square miles (20,000 km2) of mountains in the Transverse Ranges, Peninsular Ranges, and Coast Ranges of southern and central California. The ecoregion is part of the larger California chaparral and woodlands ecoregion, and belongs to the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome.
The San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders (SGMTBs) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization which performs hiking and nature trail building and maintenance within the Los Angeles Gateway District of the United States Forest Service which maintains the Angeles National Forest within the San Gabriel Mountains.