Angeles Crest Highway (SR2) Road Guide

This page was last updated in 2005, so some entries might be out of date. Fortunately, Michael Smith updated Gerald Reponen's printed Angeles Crest Scenic Byway Roadside Inventory after Gerald's death, and sent it to me to be linked from this page. It is a .doc document available here:

Angeles Crest Scenic Byway Roadside Inventory (2019)

There are many estimates in the table below, so do not expect that all the the numbers will be accurate to the last digit. Furthermore, whenever the road is changed, such as sometimes occur after fires and avalanches, the mile markers may change. The mile markers below are for the road as of 2005.

The travel times are based on Tom's actual times to about 10 locations on three separate trips, assuming no stops, with the other travel times interpolated using the mile markers, using a constant speed of 38.8 mph. That speed fit all the observed times to within a minute for each. Since Tom is one of the slower drivers on the Crest Highway, your times may be shorter. On the other hand, if you are stuck behind an even slower driver like Jane, your times may be longer.

These travel times to a given location assume travel from the intersection of SR2 and I-210. In many cases, this is not the quickest way to get to the locations on the other end of SR2. From many locations in the L.A. Basin, and all points east, it is much quicker to get to I-15 and take SR138 to the far end of SR2 and then back toward the L.A. Basin on SR2. Two examples:

The numeric "mile markers" in the table come from various sources:

The names given in the column Location and Parking Info are either the place name, or names given by one of the above sources. In particular, the Roadside Inventory is a rich source of names, including numeric ones like 200 and 212, for which the origin is obscure.

Mile markers from sources other than ourselves may have inconsistencies and / or typos. For example, there is a consistent 0.1 mile offset between the numbers we observed in 1999 and the numbers from Schad's 1991 book (Schad's numbers are larger). This offset may be due to a revision in the actual numbers on the road signs. Similarly, mile markers from other sources may date to previous versions of the road, and have similar offsets.

Note that the physical mile markers get reset at the L.A. County / San Bernardino County boundary at the west edge of Wrightwood. Some of the San Bernardino mileage markers are from the call boxes, which are supposed to be on the same mileage marker system, but are clearly not precisely accurate. The L.A. mile markers are in good agreement with our odometer readings, but there are clear discrepancies between the S.B. mile markers, the call box numbers, and our odometers.

The distance from I-210 has been derived from the L.A. mile markers by subtracting 24.57 miles, the mile marker just north of the northernmost I-210 ramp, and from our odometer readings in S.B. county.

When known, the direction of a given location or the parking for a given location is given as to the left or right of the road, assuming one is travelling from I-210.

Please email us with any corrections or additional information.

By the way, we are grateful to CalTrans for their excellent maintenance of this road, which, in our opinion, must have one of the highest rates of rockfall in the entire state!

See also Elevation Profile, and Caltrans Map Showing Mile Markers (be sure to increase the displayed resolution to read them)

Distance
From
I-210
(miles)
Time
From
I-210
(HR:MIN)
Mile Marker
(miles)
Location and Parking InfoRestroom
0.000:01LA 24.54Immediately north of I-210no
0.960:03LA 25.50Cross Foothill Fault near Gould Canyon bridgeno
1.930:03LA 26.47Parking for Gould Mesa Service Road at transformers, on rightno
2.160:04LA 26.70CalTrans gateno
2.310:04LA 26.852000 feet elevationno
2.460:04LA 27.00Enter ANFno
2.680:04LA 27.22First of 3 large turnouts, on rightno
2.790:05LA 27.33Second of 3 large turnouts, view of Arroyo Seco and Pasadena, on rightno
3.190:06LA 27.73Angeles Crest Forest Station, on leftno
3.860:06LA 28.40Third of 3 large turnouts, now blocked, on rightno
4.040:08LA 28.58Slide Canyon Bridgeno
5.050:08LA 29.59Woodwardia Bridgeno
5.480:09LA 30.02Parking for Upper Dark Canyon Trail, on left 
5.940:09LA 30.48Lower Dark Canyon trailhead (CCC Ridge), on rightno
6.110:10LA 30.65Parking for Fire Road 2N80, on left 
6.150:12LA 30.693000 feet elevationno
7.910:12LA 32.45Dewey's Pit [a landslide area]no
8.010:12LA 32.55Burton's curveno
8.060:14LA 32.60Georges Gap, Clear Creek Vista, on left 
9.260:15LA 33.80Junction with Angeles Forest Highway, Clear Creek (Ranger) Station, on left; Clear Creek Information Station, on rightno
9.600:15LA 34.14Switzer Picnic Area, on rightyes
9.960:18LA 34.50Colby Canyon Trailhead, on leftno
11.630:20LA 36.17Beginning of Ladybug Curve; 4000 feet elevationno
13.060:21LA 37.60Large turnout, view of upper Arroyo Seco 
13.840:22LA 38.38Red Box, Mt. Wilson Road, on rightyes
13.960:23LA 38.50CalTrans gate and sand towerno
15.070:25LA 39.61Lone Pine Ridgeno
15.870:25LA 40.41Turnout; view of West Fork and Mt. Wilson 
16.080:26LA 40.62"Trees for Color"no
17.060:28LA 41.60Badger Gapno
18.060:29LA 42.60Junction Barley Flats Road, Upper Big Tujunga Road 
18.460:29LA 43.00Shortcut Picnic Area, sans tables(!), on leftyes
18.760:30LA 43.30Shortcut Saddle, parking mostly on rightno
19.570:33LA 44.115000 feet elevationno
20.710:32LA 45.25Bobcat Saddleno
21.460:36LA 46.00Windy Gap - View of Big 4 peaks (Baldy, San Gorgonio, San Jacinto, Santiago Peak), San Gabriel Wilderness 
22.960:39LA 47.50Charlton Flats Picnic Area, on leftyes
25.160:39LA 49.70Chilao Campground turnoff, on leftyes
25.360:40LA 49.90View of Devil's Canyon 
25.960:40LA 50.50Devils Canyon trailhead on right, parking on leftno
26.060:41LA 50.60Chilao Visitor Center turnoff, on leftyes
26.390:44LA 50.93Newcomb's Ranch, on left 
28.260:46LA 52.80Three Points Junction, Three Points Trailhead, Santa Clara Divide Road, signed only as "To Horse Flats" and perhaps "To Organizational Camps", on leftyes
29.480:46LA 54.02PCT Crossing, parking on right 
29.680:47LA 54.226000 feet elevationno
30.470:48LA 55.01Winston Springsno
30.900:48LA 55.44Avalanche Canyonno
31.120:49LA 55.66Cloudburst Canyonno
31.550:50LA 56.09Panorama Curveno
32.160:50LA 56.70Motorcycle Curveno
32.430:50LA 56.97PCT Crossing, parking on left 
32.560:51LA 57.10Cloudburst Summitno
32.960:51LA 57.50Mt. Waterman Ski Areano
33.160:52LA 57.70Roadside turnout, Buckhorn Peak trailhead, on leftno
33.460:52LA 58.00Buckhorn trailhead for Mt. Waterman hike on right, parking on leftno
33.710:54LA 58.25Entrance road to Buckhorn Campground, on leftyes
34.810:56LA 59.35Snowcrest Ski Area, formerly Kratka Ridgeno
36.130:57LA 60.67Vista Picnic Area, on right 
36.550:57LA 61.09Cedar Springsno
37.060:58LA 61.60Eagle's Roost Picnic Area, PCT parking on right, CalTrans sand shedyes
37.450:59LA 61.99Williamson Rock, parking on leftno
37.860:59LA 62.40Mt. Williamson trailhead, at an unnamed saddle, parking area, on leftno
38.261:00LA 62.80Beginning of two tunnelsno
38.961:01LA 63.50Jarvi Memorial Vista, on rightyes
39.561:02LA 64.10Islip Saddle, PCT parking lot on left, closed SR-39 on rightyes
40.011:03LA 64.55Cortelyou Springno
40.961:04LA 65.50Gated Fire Road on right, (former Pine Hollow Picnic Area on left)no
41.591:05LA 66.13Elly Barno
41.841:07LA 66.38Little Jimmysno
41.861:07LA 66.40White Fir Springno
43.061:07LA 67.60Best snow-melt gully for wildflowers, on right; desert view to northno
43.531:08LA 68.07200no
43.731:08LA 68.27212no
44.101:09LA 68.64Matthew Ridgeno
44.651:10LA 69.19Strawberry Guard Railno
45.061:11LA 69.60Dawson Saddle, parking on leftno
46.061:12LA 70.60Dorr Canyon; desert views, geologyno
46.461:13LA 71.00Whitethornno
47.031:13LA 71.57Broken Wallno
47.441:14LA 71.98Snow Canyonno
47.791:15LA 72.33Jackhammer Treeno
48.181:15LA 72.72Lone Wallno
48.281:16LA 72.82Mojave Desert Vistano
48.821:16LA 73.367000 feet elevationno
49.401:18LA 73.94Icy Springsno
50.261:20LA 74.80Vincent Gap, PCT parking, on rightyes
51.571:22LA 76.11Blue Cutno
52.761:23LA 77.30Grassy Hollow Visitor Center, on leftyes
53.561:26LA 78.10Blue Ridge Summit, Lightning Ridge and PCT parking on left, Blue Ridge Road, Inspiration Point Parking on rightyes
55.361:27LA 79.90Big Pines, on leftyes
56.261:29LA 80.80Mountain High East Ski Resort, on rightno
57.731:30LA 82.27
SB 00.00
L.A. / S.B. County Line
Enter Wrightwood
no
58.031:30SB 00.30S curveno
58.481:31SB 00.756000 feet elevationno
59.061:32SB 01.30Pine Road, Wrightwood, on rightno
59.661:33SB 01.70Lone Pine Road, Wrightwood, on rightno
60.261:34SB 02.30Sheep Creek Roadno
60.461:35SB 02.50Leave Wrightwoodno
61.291:36SB 03.33Stock Pileno
62.161:37SB 04.20Desert Front Roadno
62.461:37SB 04.50Coor Penderno
62.811:37SB 04.855000 feet elevationno
62.961:39SB 05.00Leave ANFno
64.261:39SB 06.20end SR2 at SR138no

Notes

LocationNote
Georges Gap (Clear Creek Vista)Has view of San Gabriel Fault midway up the other side of the canyon. The trace of the fault is given by the contact between light and dark rock, and the line of vegetation caused by water coming to the surface at the fault trace.


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Copyright © 1999-2013 by Tom Chester and Jane Strong.
Permission is freely granted to reproduce any or all of this page as long as credit is given to us at this source:
http://tchester.org/sgm/places/sr2_log.html
Comments and feedback: Tom Chester | Jane Strong
Updated 18 April 2005 (two comments added 8 June 2013; link added to updated roadside inventory on 7 June 2021)