It is so beautiful and amazing. The view is surreal. When…read moreyou go into the nature center and visit the snakes and beetles it's cool but then you walk out to an observatory type deck and it's breathtaking!

This review is for the Devil's Chair Trail:…read more Went with two friends and we finished in around 3 hours. The start is the hardest part since there's little to no shade, and there are still burnt trees along the trail. We also ran into a fallen tree on the trail and had to climb over it. I took some photos and one video from our hike. Once we got to the Devil's Chair, the views were nice, just not the most impressive compared to other hikes. Worth doing once, but I wouldn't go out of my way to repeat it which is why I give it 4/5 stars.

This was my first time coming here, and I really enjoyed it. The trail has two fairly steep hills…read moreone going up and one on the way back so it's about a 2-3 mile hike depending on your pace. I'd rate it easy to moderate because of those hills. I brought my 5-year-old, and she was able to handle it, but she did complain on the way back, so next time I probably won't bring her. The views are really nice, and there are a few smaller trails around the area. I'm definitely planning to go again. I went a bit late around 9 a.m., and the sun was already pretty strong, so going earlier would be better. Overall, I 100% recommend this hike.

This is one of my favorite trails as you have an opportunity for a great workout. I enjoy the…read moretrails as it has a mix of moderate and advanced. You have a great opportunity for a bike ride, jog, or run that brings in a workout well worth it.

A great place to get away from the hustle of bustle of city life and for "inspiration". From this…read morepoint, you can see from Wrightwood, CA, through Los Angeles, all the way to Catalina Island (on a clear day). The views from this lookout are amazing and there are hiking trails to enjoy nearby if you care to venture. Overall, a great place to take a moment to pause, reflect, and admire the beauty that nature has to offer. There's a bench located at the stop for visitors to utilize as well :) Link for more info: http://www.wrightwoodca.com/wrightwood-mountains/mountain.php?view&mountain=10

Beautiful easy hike. It is perfect for teenagers, kids and dogs. Highly reccomend specially at…read moresunset

Great memory ! Wonderful place Unbelievable to get so close…read moreto natural spectacle of Mother Earth Keep hold on for us please ! We don't want to loose you soon

The San Andreas fault runs 800-miles throughout most of California. It's formed by the interaction…read moreof the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. It has been described as "a slow motion crash between continents." The plates glide and compress against each other, transforming the landscape and shaking the earth. The Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area offers a San Andreas Fault tour every Sunday at 1 p.m. You get to view how the fault has lifted large sandstone rocks to their current upright position. The park ranger leads a short discussion on the famous fault and even passes out photos. After the talk you get can follow him in your car, a couple miles outside of the park, where he takes you to the center of the fault and then to Pallett Creek Trench. Pallett Creek Trench is the site that launched the science of studying earthquakes. In the late 1970s Kerry Sieh was a Stanford Ph.D. student when he used backhoes to dig large trenches through old pond deposits to unearth different layers of soil. Like rings of a tree, the various layers revealed the geology of it's time. The black lines represent soot from past fires. You're are able to see how the various shifts in the soil represent the movement of the fault. It's pretty fascinating. Another good location to view the fault from a different perspective is located off the 14-fwy in Palmdale. The site is called the Palmdale Road Cut. It is a section of the fault that has been blasted away by construction crews in order to make way for the 14 freeway. It offers a window into the million-year tango of the two sides. Park at Pelona Vista Park in Palmdale and walk to the top of the hill where you can observe the slow motion action taking place.

We did the loop on 12/30/22. There were patches of ice and snow. I wore microspikes for about a 1/3…read moreof the hike. We did the loop and the total mileage was 7 miles. The 2 people I did the hike with didn't have microspikes and they were fine. A lot of this area has been affected by the fires over the previous couple years. Since it is such a long, winding drive along Hwy 2 this trail is not very busy. Make sure to display your Adventure Pass parking permit. Because of the recent storms the waterfall had a good amount of water.

This is a 3 mile (roundtrip) trail that takes you to a really cool waterfall that's located deep…read morewithin the San Gabriel Mountains. Tall trees provide shade throughout most of the trail. There are just the right amount of people on the trail where it is not too crowded and it's also not too secluded. What I wish I would have known before I went was that you can park right next to the trailhead. If you enter into Buckhorn Campgrounds you can drive right up to the trailhead parking lot. I didn't know this so I parked at the outer parking lot and had to walk a half a mile down the hill. The parking lot nearest the trailhead actually had less cars then the outer parking lot. The other thing is that the majority of the trail is really easy to follow. You just have to remember that when you get to the signage and junction that lists both Cooper Canyon Trail and Burkhart Trail be sure to keep going straight along the Burkhart Trail. The falls will be a little further down on your left. You will have to descend down to the canyon bottom, with the assistance of a rope, to reach the base of the falls. Kids can do it no problem. The waterfall empties into a pool of water that's about a foot deep. It's really cold and refreshing. The waterfall was really wide with a nice and strong flow. Be sure to bring your Adventure Pass. There's no cell service. There are bathroom but they were all locked probably due to Covid-related precautions.

Not much to see. Its undeveloped land, and backs onto more undeveloped land and Bear Mountain Ranch…read moreto the North. Waste of gas to get here from littlerock...

August 2021: I have now completed this hike twice since May 2021 and more than likely this will…read morebecome a once a month to once every other month adventure. It is demanding but, still good for newcomers who want to bump their, say - Griffith Park adventures up a few notches and not drive to the Sierras.

This is actually called Dawson Saddle to Throop Peak. But you can really bag quite a few peaks in…read morethis route. Just google map Dawson Saddle to Throop Peak and it should take you to the correct location as it worked for me. It's nearby Vincent Gap area to hike to Baden-Powell. You need an adventure pass when parking and there is no restroom in this area. So plan accordingly. The trail to Throop Peak was nice and short. It's light traffic so you won't see a lot of hikers like you would on the Baden-Powell hike. Most people will make it a nice 6 mile round trip from Dawson Saddle to Throop Peak, then to Mount Hawkins. But you can also add more miles and connect to Mount Burnham and Baden-Powell. So you can definitely make this a short hike to a long hike pending which route you want to take. I think you can even go further out to like South Mount Hawkins and Mount Islip if you have time. The trail is straightforward. Once you reach the ridge, you will see a PCT sign. If you go left, that is to Mount Burnham and Baden-Powell. You want to go right towards Little Jimmy Campground. You will see a split with no posted sign. Go right to Throop Peak, if you stay left, that's PCT to Little Jimmy Campground and to Mount Hawkins. The view from Throop Peak is beautiful. Once done, someone mention there is a trail that will meetup back on PCT. But I could find it, so i went back down the same trail and hop back onto the PCT trail. The trail is easy to follow till you get to another split. The trail going right and downhill, that's PCT. The trail going left up the hill, that's to Mount Hawkins. The view at Mount Hawkins is nice, there isn't a plaque like Throop Peak has, but I found a pile of rocks that previous hikers posted when on top of Mount Hawkins. You will hike back down the way you came up for a nice 6 mile RT. I would suggest a map of the area, just in case. I like naturalatlas.com As always pack accordingly to the weather and have fun.

Beautiful spot in nature with many campgrounds nearby…read more The largest pinecones I've seen in southern ca. were here-cool! In the summer they do kayak and paddle board rentals here. Plenty of picnic tables. Great spot for some day use to get out in nature.

I enjoyed this lake a lot. Came here on a Saturday and got here around 3pm. It was super busy and…read morewhen we arrived the parking lot was full. I was directed to go across the street and walk down. Parking was $10 per car and across the street it was free. However, it's a walk from the parking across the street. They also have a yearly pass which is $30. They also have bathrooms close by. We fortunately found parking and unpacked and went down to the lake. There's plenty of space for a lot of people. You can fish, swim and even kayak. There is also a spot to rent out equipment to do all that. We brought our own boats for kayaking. The lake isn't too big, you can go down the whole thing within 10min or less. Very small but it's very calm and beautiful. My family loved it. It's a great spot to hang out and relax. We'll come back again if we're ever in the area.

They closed the road just past mountain high, which is 5 miles from the trailhead. You can park…read moreoutside and the hike will add an extra 10 miles to the already challenging 9.5 mile hike up the mountain. There is an elevation gain of 4000ft. Views totally worth it!

Tremendous hike, Mt. Baden-Powell is a newer addition to the Six Pack Peak Challenge. Quick…read morerundown, the hike is 8 miles total starting from Vincent Gap off of Hwy 2. Four miles up almost 3,000 feet elevation gain, & 4 miles back down. A lot of the trail is shaded by trees, once you've gone up around 1,000 feet up the mountain you'll start to get some good views of the antelope valley & the rest of that surrounding area. This hike is a bit challenging, but not as difficult as nearby Mt. Baldy, or Cucamonga. The multiple switchbacks makes the decent down easier to get through. There are a few other trails that lead to Baden-Powell like Dawson Saddle, but the most know is from Vincent Gap, you can look that name up by gps & get directions to the start of the trail. Like most of the big trails you'll need to have an adventure pass displayed for parking so you don't get a ticket. When you make it to the top you'll have some awesome views. There are a lot of nice picture here that people have posted at the top, but none of them do justice to what it's like to experience it in person.

I'm a big fan of abandoned places as I claim to see the beauty in destruction and desolation. Not…read moreonly are these spots adventurous; but they tell stories in their own defunct ways. My love for deserted spots stems from my childhood growing up in a poverty-stricken ex-steel mill city. Los Angeles isn't necessarily a playground filled with a plethora of abandoned places (as real estate is, although pricey, in demand) but there are some 'cool' places to see. How does an abandoned ski lift sound? Neat? It sure is... So where is this abandoned ski lift, you ask? In the Los Angeles National Forest and it's a bit of a drive to get there. First of all, you generally have to take the 210 to the 2 which is the main freeway going through the heart of the forest. And go through the heart of the forest, it does! This freeway is insanely scary as it is mountain-edging and and has more curves and turns than even the usual LA canyon roads. Not to mention, it is so high up that you get stuck in the marine layer/clouds. I drove at 9am and it was so scary I wanted to cry and there were times I had to drive 20 mph because you truly can't see more than two feet ahead of you. Good luck if your car breaks down. And this isn't just a morning thing... it was like this in the afternoon, as well. Once you get high enough to drive out of the Marine Layer... the views are gorgeous! You won't feel like you are in LA anymore and rather in a state like Colorado or the PNW. High mountain peaks and alpine woods abound: tall pines EVERYWHERE! The air is fresh and crisp and everything seems untouched by the LA smog. It's certainly worth seeing. Campgrounds and picnic areas will start to pop up as the 2 freeway in this area is part of the Pacific Crest Trail (that's right... you will see hikers a la Reese Witherspoon-style in the movie, "Wild". So let's discuss the actual ski lift, shall we? Kratka Ridge ski lift is located past the actual spot where a GPS takes you. Look for the Vista Picnic Area (there is a sign) which is a gravel shoulder parking area. This DOES require Adventure Pass parking (you can get a month pass for $5) but other than that... just pull over. You are immediately at the side of a large hill/mountain and you simply follow the single trail up. The initial trek is moderately difficult as it is steeper than it looks and the altitude gets to you. I workout daily and hike often but it was a workout for my lungs because you are higher than most are used to (you are about 7, 500 feet above sea level!). I even went home with some altitude sickness. But the environment and views are worth it: tall trees and pines, a constant roar of wind (but not too cold surprisingly), large rocks, and unusual plants opening up to stunning, take-your-breath away views of the the National Forest and LA down below. Again... you HAVE to see this! Lots of photo ops! Once at the top of the hike (it's really not that long. About 1.5 miles); you can't miss the abandoned ski lift. The rotting wood structure stands like an imposing fort with the actual lift chairs (single-person chairs) and cables still attached. It's very neat and cool to see but also sort of sad. Everything is clean with no garbage or spray painted vandalism (let's keep it like that, folks) and you can see far away to the Coachella Valley. A picnic table and flat spot (no shade) is also located near the lift. Interestingly, people still actually go up to this spot to ski and the snow in the winter gets deep. Certainly something to check out if into that sort of thing! Despite the crazy 2-freeway drive; Kratka Ridge is worth hiking whether you are into abandoned spots, amazing views that make you feel removed from Los Angeles, or both. You won't regret it! Just get ready for the altitude!

Great place to hike and see a deserted ski lift site. I was six years old when I first saw this…read morerunning. Now I'm 66 years old and have skied the Rockies in Wyoming down to Mammoth, still going strong. I wish my cat Wotan could come along, but he's a stay at home cat.