Wildflower Locations in the San Gabriel Mountains

Wildflowers grow in open, exposed, and/or disturbed places. With time, perennial shrubs and trees gradually take over available space and light.

In the San Gabriels Mountains, blooming plants can be found most of the year. The higher elevations are best for wildflowers in August and September. Flowers on the north-facing slopes will bloom later than those on the south-facing ones.

For more information about bloom period, see Bloom Identification Guide for the San Gabriel Mountains: Plants Blooming in 2000 and 1999.

For more information about which plants are growing where, see:

• Observations of Plants Blooming in the San Gabriel Mountains, With Locations, 2001
• Seasons of the San Gabriels and San Gabriel Mountains Leaf Log

For information about plants blooming elsewhere, see Plants blooming now outside the SGM.

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Places to look for wildflowers

1. Recent burns either controlled (prescribed) or wildfire for the "fire followers"

   Locations

   (as of March 2003)

   • San Francisquito Canyon; closed for rehabilitation
   • San Gabriel Canyon, Curve Fire 2002; closed for rehabilitation, but some tours are offered
   • Glendora Ridge Road, Williams Fire 2002; road closed to cars, but you can hike
   • Hwy 2 where the fire crossed the road; presently under winter closure

   (as of June 1999)

   • Glendora Ridge Road near the western end
   • Lightning Ridge

   Links

   • From Ashes To Wildflowers! A Promise Of Renewal Springs From Destruction
   • Fire on the Hills "The wind starts in the dry heat of the Great Basin..."
   • Oaks and Mycorrhizal Associations "Fire is a natural occurrence in Mediterranean ecosystems. Oaks have ways of dealing with it..."
   • California and Southwestern U.S. Chaparral "This community contains the most flammable type of vegetation found in the United States..."
   • Vascular Plants of the Undeveloped Areas of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona "On July 28, 1989, a wildfire began on the edge of a new housing development in the hills south of campus, and spread over more than 80% of the undeveloped area..."

2. A water source: a seep, spring or snow melt gully

   Locations

   • Springs: Mt. Baldy Road between the tunnels and also San Gabriel Canyon Road, SR39, just beyond Falling Springs where the road narrows and then makes a sharp bend
   • Seeps: near Switzer Picnic Area and also Mt. Wilson Road just after the turn from Red Box
   • Snow melt gullies: Angeles Crest Highway, SR2, between Islip Saddle and Vincent Gulch Divide; burned September 2002

3. A road scrape, scarifying some seeds, exposing others - most roads, especially at bends or where there are signs saying, "Watch out for falling rocks"

   Locations

   • Turnouts like trailhead parking lots or vista points
   • Fire roads like the Mt. Wilson Toll Road or San Olene Fire Road
   • North of the tunnels on Mt. Baldy Road

   Links

   • Trajectories of Succession on Restored Roadsides in Southern California

4. A rock slide or talus slope (disturbed) or where a trail has been rebuilt

   Locations

   (as of March 2003)

   • new landslides have been reported near Mt.Waterman, Big Rock Creek Road and Vincent Gap

   (as of June 1999)

   • Sam Merrill Trail - newly rebuilt
   • San Antonio Falls Trail - many talus slopes and rock falls

5. A rock wall (undisturbed) where ledges are found; the cliff-hanging plants grow in the crevices or cracks in the rocks

   Locations

   • Mt. Wilson Road
   • Glendora Ridge Road just west of Cow Canyon Saddle
   • Angeles Forest Highway south of the bridge over Mill Creek - not easily accessible but very visible
   • Angeles Crest Highway south of the Woodwardia Bridge
   • San Gabriel Canyon Road north of the East Fork turnoff and also south of the West Fork Bridge

6. Edges
   • Inside of trails where the rocky soil has slipped down the mountain
   • Inside of roads which get more water, sometimes a little gully, which collects water, forms between the road and the slope
   • Of habitats where two kinds meet, like the meadows and the forest at Buckhorn Campground
   • Of streams as they dry up like Eaton Canyon Wash where the trail crosses the bouldery, dry stream bed

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If you know of additional places to find wildflowers in the San Gabriel Mountains, please send me an e-mail message

Go to:

• Plants Blooming Now in the San Gabriel Mountains
• Field Guide to the San Gabriel Mountains: Current Conditions
• Hikes in the San Gabriel Mountains

Copyright © 1999-2003 by Jane Strong.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to me at this source:
http://tchester.org/sgm/conditions/blooms/wildflower_locations_sgm.html
Comments and feedback: Jane Strong
Last update: 10 March 2003.