Hike-in Required
No
ADA accessible
No
Guided tours
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

The Sunset Ridge Trail is a short, 0.3-mile loop adjacent to Deer Flat Campground that leads to a scenic viewpoint. Adjacent to Deer Flat, 1.2 miles from, and 600 feet in elevation above Crystal Lake Campground, the panorama includes sweeping views of the San Gabriel Canyon, the San Gabriel Mountains and beyond.

The San Gabriel Canyon is enclosed to the east by Windy Gap (7,588 feet), South Mount Hawkins (7,782 feet), Pigeon Ridge, and Burro Peak in the distance. The Santa Ana Mountains loom on the horizon. Behind is Mount Islip (8,251 feet), whose ridge encloses the canyon to the west. At the base of South Mount Hawkins and Windy Gap are Alexander Spring and Big Cienega alongside the winding course of Crystal Lake Road to the eponymous lake and campgrounds.

The San Gabriel Mountains are known as a Transverse Range, a geological feature of Southern California created by the tectonic action of the Pacific and North American plates. Millions of years ago, as it trudged northwest along the West Coast, the Pacific Plate tore off a slice of the North American plate, rotated it 90 degrees, and began to squeeze. This ancient rock of the North American plate, now oriented east-west, began to rise, as it still does, into the San Gabriel Mountains. Without the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles would be climatically unrecognizable: the mountain range traps cool, moist Pacific air and blocks the hot, arid air of the interior west, preventing desertification. Such conditions allow a range of flora and fauna to flourish. Along the rivers of the San Gabriel Mountains are groves of willow, cottonwood, sycamore, and alder. A subspecies of the Leather Oak grows here, the only place in the world it can be found. There are groves of ponderosa pine and madrone. The mountains are home to bobcats, mountain lions, bears, hawks, and the rare eagle or California condor, all within 50 miles and a five-minute walk of Los Angeles.

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Spring
Fall

Congestion

Low

Parking Pass

California Adventure Pass

Pros

Panoramic views of San Gabriel Canyon.

Cons

Road access to Deer Flat Group Campground is currently closed.

Pets allowed

Allowed

Features

Big vistas

Location

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Crystal Lake Recreation Area, San Gabriel Mountains
Angeles National Forest, San Gabriel Mountains
San Gabriel + San Bernardino Mountains, California

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