Page Organization To find a book or map you want, first select a category from the choices above, next select a sub-category within those choices. Books are arranged within sub-category by title. The link points to an online review, if one exists. No endorsements are intended, nor has any effort been made to update prices and availability.
If you know of other books on or maps of the San Gabriel Mountains not listed here, please email us with the
information.
- Angeles National Forest
USDA Forest Service, 1995, $4.00
The official Forest Service map, scale 1:126,720, giving land ownership, ANF boundaries, index to USGS 7.5' topo maps, secondary Forest Roads, OHV routes, trails, camps, and features. The back contains an overview of the ANF and recreational activities. See also Index to Secondary Roads on this map.
- Frommer's Great Outdoor Guide to Southern California and Baja
Andrew Rice, 352 pages, 1999, IDG Books Worldwide, $16.95.
Contains bicycling information on a number of rides in the SGM.
- Mountain Bicycling around Los Angeles
Robert Immler, 127 pages, 1990, Berkeley: Wilderness Press, $9.95+.
Contains two rides along the top of Altadena at the boundary with the San Gabriels.
- Mountain Bicycling in the San Gabriels
Robert Immler, 134 pages, 1987, Berkeley: Wilderness Press, $9.95.
34 mountain bicycle rides in the San Gabriels.
- Mountain Biker's Guide to Southern California
Laurie and Chris Leman, 162 pages, 1992, Falcon Press, $16.00.
9 mountain bicycle rides in the San Gabriels.
- Mountain Biking the San Gabriel Mountains' Best Trails
Mike Troy and Kevin Woten, 1997, Fine Edge Productions, $14.95.
- Mountain Biking Southern California's Best 100 Trails
Eds. Don Douglass and Delaine Fragnoli, 303 pages, 1998, Fine Edge Productions, $16.95.
19 mountain bicycle rides in the San Gabriels and Mt. Pinos area.
- San Gabriel Mts. Recreation Topo Map, Western Section, ANF and the Verdugo Mtns.
No author, double-sided map, 1992, Bishop CA: Fine Edge Productions
An information guide to mountain biking, hiking, camping, and four-wheel with trails, trail descriptions, elevation profiles, shaded relief and contours.
- California Camping : The Complete Guide to More Than 50,000 Campsites for Tenters, Rvers, and Car Campers
Tom Stienstra, 800 pages, 1999, San Francisco: Foghorn Press, $20.95
See the chapter on Los Angeles County.
- Camping Southern California
Richard McMahon, 400 pages, ??, ??: Falcon Publishing, $16.95
- Angeles Crest: The creation of a forest highway system in the San Gabriel Mountains
Abraham Hoffman, pages 309 - 345 in Southern California Quarterly, v.50, no.3, September, 1968, Los Angeles: Historical Society of Southern California
Available at Glendale Central Library Special Collections.
- California Scenic Drives
Steward Green, 218 pages, 1993, Helena and Billings Montana: Falcon Press
Pages 165-172 are a road guide to SR2.
- Exploring California Byways II, In and around Los Angeles, Trips for a day or a weekend
Russ Leadabrand, 1971, Los Angeles: The Ward Ritchie Press
Chapter I, "Across the Top of the San Gabriel Mountains", pages 3 to 12
"Fun to explore--anytime but during heavy snows."
- Exploring California Byways IV, Mountain Country, Trips for a day or a weekend
Russ Leadabrand, 1972, Los Angeles: The Ward Ritchie Press
Chapter IV, "Into the San Gabriels", pages 47 to 57
"Close at home for Angelenos, the San Gabriel Mountains offer many fine places for people who enjoy a mountain picnic. There are tall trees, tall breezes and comfortable shady glens."
- Exploring California Byways VII, An Historic Sketchbook, Trips for a day or a weekend
Russ Leadabrand, 1973, Los Angeles: The Ward Ritchie Press
Chapter 5, "A Different Look at the San Gabriels", pages 57 to 68
"If you don't mind dirt roads, if you don't mind dirt roads that climb mountains, if you don't mind lonesome camgrounds, if you don't mind magnificent vistas, then may I suggest this one?"
- See also Geology Field Guide to Southern California in Natural History - Geology
- Guidebook to Rural California
Russ Leadabrand, 1972, Los Angeles: The Ward Ritchie Press
Chapter IV, "Fall Colors", pages 64 to 65
Lists the colorful trees in the Angeles National Forest and where to find them.
- A Guidebook to the San Gabriel Mountains of California
Russ Leadabrand, 117 pages, 1967, Los Angeles: The Ward Ritchie Press.
Available at Glendale Central Library.
- See also Nature Guide to the Mountains of Southern California by Car and On Foot in the Natural History--General section.
- 101 Hikes in Southern California : Exploring Mountains, Seashore and Desert
Jerry Schad, 1996, Berkeley CA: Wilderness Press, $15.95
- 106 Tops in the Angeles Forest
J.R. Bruman, 230 pages, 1982.
A guide to 106 summits, with a guide to hiking each one, including a topo map of each hike
- Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County
Jerry Schad, 328 pages, Second edition, 2000, Berkeley CA: Wilderness Press, $16.95
The "Angeles Forest" section, pages 156 to 304, contains 99 hikes in the Angeles Forest.
See also Updates to Afoot and Afield in Los Angeles County 2000 edition.
- Angeles High Country Trail Map
Tom Harrison, 1 single-sided map, 1998, San Rafael: Tom Harrison Maps
Waterproof plastic six-color trail map with mileage between trail junctions, topographic lines with 80 foot contour intervals.
Note: There is also a Angeles Front Country map which is temporarily out of stock.
- California Hiking - The Complete Guide to 1000 of the Best Hikes in California
Tom Stienstra and Ann Marie Brown, 688 pages, 1999, San Francisco: Foghorn Press, $20.95
About 20 of the 1,000 brief hike descriptions are in the San Gabriels.
- California Waterfalls
Ann Marie Brown, 400 pages, 1997, San Francisco: Foghorn Press, $17.95
This excellent guide to 200 California waterfalls includes 12 San Gabriel Waterfalls, with pictures, descriptions, driving and hiking directions, and ratings. See also SGM: The Waterfalls.
- Day Hiker's Guide to Southern California
John McKinney, 264 pages, 1987, Santa Barbara: Olympus Press.
10 hikes are in the San Gabriels.
- Day Hiker's Guide to Southern California (II)
John McKinney, 271 pages, 1989.
Contains a further 10 hikes in the San Gabriels.
- Day Hiker's Guide to Southern California
John McKinney, 335 pages, 1998, Santa Barbara: Olympus Press, $14.95.
This may be a revision of the 1987 volume I, and hence may contain the same 10 hikes in the San Gabriels. If someone owns the book, please let us know.
- Day Trips With a Splash : The Swimming Holes of California
Pancho Doll, 248 pages, 1998, San Diego: Running Water Press, $18.95
Contains 105 different (about eight in the ANF) swimming holes with descriptions, maps and helpful advice on how to negotiate your walk/hike/climb there.
- Easy Hiking in Southern California : 100 Places Anyone Can Hike This Weekend
Ann Marie Brown, 200 pages, 1998, San Francisco, CA: Foghorn Press, $12.95
Eight hikes in the ANF.
- Favorite Dog Hikes: In and Around Los Angeles
Wynne Benti, 112 pages, 1995, Spotted Dog Press, Inc., $10.95
Contains a section on the San Gabriel Mountains; discusses how much water the dog will need.
- Hike Los Angeles, volume 2
Dennis R. Gagnon, 136 pages, 1992, Santa Cruz, CA: Western Tanager Press
Volume 2 contains high country, foothill, and cityside walks in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains, the San Fernando Valley, and East Los Angeles.
- The Hiker's Guide to California
Ron Adkison, 1986, 260 pages, Helena and Billings, Montana: Falcon Press
Hikes 19-27 on pages 57-79 are in the ANF.
- A Hiker's Guide to California Native Places: Interpretive Trails, Reconstructed Villages, Rock-Art Sites and the Indigenous Cultures They Evoke
Nancy Salcedo, 1999, Berkeley: Wilderness Press, $13.95
Contains three pages of general information on the Shoshone native people of Los Angeles County (Gabrielino to the Spanish), but none is specific to the SGM. Contains two brief descriptions of hikes in the SGM: the first 2.6 miles of the Gabrielino Trail and the one mile Vasquez Rocks History Trail. The map identifies the ANF as the Los Padres National Forest!
- Historic Mount Lowe: A Hiker's Guide to the Mount
Lowe Railway
Paul H. Rippens, 90 pages, 1998.
A pocket-sized guide to carry along on the trail.
- Six Historical Hiking Trails to Mount Wilson
Glen Owens, 1 large folded page, 1999, Arcadia CA: Big Santa Anita Historical Society, $2.50
"An introduction to the trail network of Mount Wilson", this shaded-relief map has writing large enough to read and, yet, is small enough to put in your pocket. It contains notes about mileage, elevation gain and historical information en route, as well as illustrations about where to park and find the trailhead.
- Southern California Peaks
Walt Wheelock, La Siesta Press, 1973, out of print.
- Trails Magazine 1934-1939
Will Thrall, ed., Los Angeles County Department of Recreation, Camps, and Playgrounds, 1941.
Contain well-written articles and photographs on trail history, resorts, people, and seasons as well as lists of hikes and organizations who used the trails.
- Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels
John W. Robinson, 191 pages, Seventh edition, 1998, Berkeley CA: Wilderness Press, $12.95.
See also:
- Southern California Sport Climbing
Anthony Sweeney and Troy Moyr, 206 pages.
Guide includes Williamson Rock and Devil's Punchbowl.
- Williamson Rock Pocket Climbing Guide
Mobius Mayr, 1997.
"Williamson Rock is the most popular sport crag in Southern California. This comprehensive pocket guide outlines completely all the major topos along with difficulty ratings. Includes trail and camping information."