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 [1] of the United States Forest Service which maintains the Angeles National Forest within the San Gabriel Mountains.
The organization works closely with the United States Forest Service from which the Trailbuilders volunteers get their safety oversight and general schedule for tasks and projects which are performed during the year.
Hikers, bikers, climbers, fishers, backpackers, and other people who get their recreation within the Angeles National Forest may email the Trailbuilders when there are significant problems on trails which have not yet been identified and repaired. Such problems include dead trees down across the trail, significant erosion and washouts, excessive plant growth along the trail, or sections of trail which have otherwise disappeared or are difficult to locate.
Additionally the Trailbuilders are increasingly responsible for establishing and maintaining trail signs within the San Gabriel River Ranger District, identifying missing or damaged signs and replacing them as funds and schedule permits.
The Trailbuilders are responsible for all of the hiking and nature trails within the Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Coldbrook Campgrounds, [2] Bear Creek Trail [3] (mile post 32.4 along California State Route 39), East Fork Trail, Heaton Flats Trail (at the end of East Fork Road), and numerous other hiking and nature trails within the San Gabriel River Ranger District.
Additionally the organization is responsible for some of the trail maintenance within the Mount San Antonio (also known as Mount Baldy) area.
The organization invites High Schools, Colleges, Youth Groups, and other organizations to send volunteers to assist with trail projects during the year. Community service projects for students, Boy Scouts of America volunteers, and Eagle Scout Service Project candidates may contact the Trailbuilders to acquire information on how to participate in the trail-working efforts.
Some of the hiking and nature trails which the volunteer group is responsible for include the following, however there are numerous other trails which the group maintains that are accessed from the East Fork of the San Gabriel River that are not part of this list:
The Trailbuilders meet at the San Gabriel Canyon Gateway Center (located at 1960 N. San Gabriel Ave. Azusa, California 91702) on the first, third, and fifth Saturday of every month with additional work days scheduled through the Trailbuilder's mailing list.
Volunteers meet at Gateway and then leave at 8:00 a.m. To head toward the work site, work during the day, and generally return to Gateway at approximately 4:00 p.m. When the work effort is completed for the day.
The SGMTB was founded in 1984 and for the past 30 years have built trails (Mount Islip, Wawona, and many others) within the Angeles National Forest. The organization has historically maintained about 110 miles of trails within the San Gabriel Mountains.
For emergency trail hazard reporting for issues located within the Crystal Lake Recreation Area, Mount Baldy, Big Bear, East, North and West Forks of the San Gabriel River, contact the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Office:
The San Gabriel Mountains comprise 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.
East Fork Road, located in the San Gabriel Mountains above the city of Azusa, California, is a road that gives access from State Route 39 into East Fork and other small townships, including Camp Williams, and Julius Klein Conservation Fire Camp 19, a minor offender prisoner housing complex where "LACO fire personnel provide training, which prepares inmates to safely conduct wild land firefighting operations."
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 San Gabriel River is a mostly urban waterway flowing 58 miles (93 km) southward through Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California in the United States. It is the central of three major rivers draining the Greater Los Angeles Area, the others being the Los Angeles River and Santa Ana River. The river's watershed stretches from the rugged San Gabriel Mountains to the heavily developed San Gabriel Valley and a significant part of the Los Angeles coastal plain, emptying into the Pacific Ocean between the cities of Long Beach and Seal Beach.
The Crystal Lake Recreation Area is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California, administered by the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument of the United States Forest Service. The Recreation Area consists of a small lake, an open-air amphitheater, a large public campground containing approximately 120 camp sites grouped into "loops," and a group campground called Deer Flats which consists of approximately 25 camp sites. The Recreation Area contains a United States Forest Service visitor center and a cafe which is open to the public from dawn to dusk except for Tuesdays when the cafe is closed. Within the Recreation Area are 16 hiking and nature trails which are well-maintained by volunteers who work under the direction of the Forest Service. The Recreation Area is located approximately 26 miles (42 km) north on Hwy. 39 heading out of Azusa, California at the headwaters of the north fork of the San Gabriel River at an elevation approximately 5,539 feet above sea level. Crystal Lake is the only naturally occurring lake in the San Gabriel Mountains.
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.
The Windy Gap Trail is a short but important link of the north San Gabriel River valley to the Pacific Crest Trail in the San Gabriel Mountains in California. The trailhead starts at the uppermost parking lot of the Crystal Lake Recreation Area, which is about 3 miles (4.8 km) up from State Route 39, 25 miles (40 km) above Azusa, California. The trail is rated moderately strenuous.
The Bridge to Nowhere is an arch bridge that was built in 1936 north of Azusa, California, United States in the San Gabriel Mountains. It spans the East Fork of the San Gabriel River and was meant to be part of a road connecting the San Gabriel Valley with Wrightwood, California.
Yosemite West is an unincorporated community of resort homes located just outside the southern area of Yosemite National Park, just off Wawona Road, a continuation of State Route 41 from Fresno. It is a census-designated place (CDP), with a population of 47 as of the 2020 census. It is situated one mile (1.6 km) south of the Chinquapin intersection of Wawona Road with Glacier Point Road, at an altitude of 5,100 to 6,300 feet. The elevation reported by the USGS is 5,866 feet (1,788 m). The community is part of Henness Ridge, nearly 3,000 feet (910 m) above the southern banks of the Merced River and State Route 140 from Mariposa. Addresses in this area are shown as "Yosemite National Park, CA 95389".
The San Gabriel Wilderness is a wilderness area created in 1968 of more than 36,118 acres (150 km2) within the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
Chantry Flat is a designated "Recreation Area" within the Angeles National Forest, about three miles (5 km) into Big Santa Anita Canyon, and is closely associated with the towns of Arcadia and Sierra Madre, CA. The flat itself houses a large public picnic area, and is the starting point for several historic trails of the San Gabriel Mountains, including the 28.5-mile (45.9 km) Gabrielino Trail. The US Forest Service estimates the road to Chantry as the third busiest entry into the Angeles, next to CA State Highways 2 and 39.
Devil's Punchbowl is a tilted sandstone formation on the northern slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains, in Los Angeles County, California, at an elevation of 4,750 feet (1,450 m).
Eaton Canyon is a major canyon beginning at the Eaton Saddle near Mount Markham and San Gabriel Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest, United States. Its drainage flows into the Rio Hondo river and then into the Los Angeles River. It is named after Judge Benjamin S. Eaton, who lived in the Fair Oaks Ranch House in 1865 not far from Eaton Creek.
Bonita Falls are a set of waterfalls in the San Bernardino National Forest, formed by Bonita Creek, that is said to be 370 or 400 feet in height, but possibly up to 495 feet high because of two undocumented drops in the canyon above. It is the second tallest in the national forest, being surpassed only by 500-foot (150 m) Big Falls. These two waterfalls are reputably the tallest in southern California.
Wesser Bald is a summit located in Macon County, North Carolina, near the community of Wesser. A wooden fire tower at the summit provides hikers with unimpeded views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and also the Nantahala Mountains. The Appalachian Trail traverses the summit from roughly north to south with the Nantahala Outdoor Center lying to the north within the Nantahala Gorge and Tellico gap just to the south. Tellico gap has unimproved road access. The climb from Tellico Gap takes an average of 20 minutes. Also, a third route, the blue trail, departs from the end of Wesser Creek Road and follows Wesser Creek up to a point just south of the summit to a fork with the Appalachian Trail. The summit is located at 4,627 ft (1,410 m). and is within Nantahala National Forest. A map detailing the highway routes to access Tellico Gap is available at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. Observable landforms include Wayah Bald, the Nantahala Gorge, and Clingmans Dome among others. The Wesser Fire Tower provides 360 degree views of the Smokies in a short 1.5 mile hike from Tellico Gap on the Appalachian Trail, with an elevation gain of about 767 feet. The Fire Tower was originally reported as destroyed during the forest fires which ravaged the Nantahala Forest in November, 2016 but it was later learned that it survived.
The Susquehannock Trail System (STS) is an 83.4-mile (134.2 km) loop hiking trail in Susquehannock State Forest in Potter County in north-central Pennsylvania, United States. The trail walks through two state parks and passes near three more state parks. It also traverses Hammersley Wild Area, the largest area in Pennsylvania without a road. The loop is supplemented by two cross-connector trails, several short access trails, a shared path with the Donut Hole Trail, and two connectors to the Black Forest Trail. The STS is the oldest backpacking trail in Pennsylvania, and has been noted for its solitude while traversing remote areas with few signs of civilization. The STS also includes several overnight shelters.
Womble Trail, located in the Ouachita National Forest in western Arkansas, United States, is a singletrack path running more than 37 miles from North Fork Lake to the Ouachita National Recreation Trail. The U.S. Forest Service trail is open for use by mountain bikers and hikers. Horses are not allowed. The nearest towns are Mount Ida and Oden.
The West Fork Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer organization which collects, bags, and hauls trash and human waste out of the San Gabriel River located within the Angeles National Forest of the San Gabriel Mountains. The Conservancy also removes Graffiti, assists in extinguishing illegal camp fires and cooking fires, and performs whatever other tasks that the United States Forest Service requests of the organization.
West Fork Mojave River is a tributary stream of the Mojave River in the San Bernardino Mountains of San Bernardino County, California. Its mouth lies at an elevation of 2,986 feet at its confluence with Deep Creek, together the source of the Mojave River. The source of the West Fork is at 34°15′52″N117°24′01″W at an elevation of 4,960 feet, on the north side of a saddle between summits on a ridge running west northwest of Sugarpine Mountain. Sawpit Canyon Creek and East Fork of West Fork Mojave River are its tributaries, both of which now feed into Silverwood Lake that was created when the West Fork was obstructed by the Cedar Springs Dam in 1971.
Fish Canyon Falls is a tiered waterfall in Los Angeles County, California, located within the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. The falls are located about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Azusa on the Fish Canyon Creek.