Wonderful hike to the top of Parker Mountain where there is the foundation of an old fire lookout…read moretower. We only saw one other person on the hike today. Beautiful views at the top!

A nice, easy hike on a pretty decently maintained dirt road. 2 mikes uphill outgoing and 2 miles…read moredownhill back. Nice views and the foundation left of the fire watchtower. No shade so not advisable on hit da.

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.

Great fishing spot and and a calm little run it has an amazing view of all palmdale i go there oftenread more

Beautiful but windy day! Everyone was so nice and said good morning. So many cute dogs and…read moreducklings on this day. Great view of the city and there's parking!

I stopped celebrating New Year's Eve years ago because of the loud fireworks that affected all my…read morepets, and started a tradition of exploring a new trail every January 1st with my pups. This year, we headed toward Lake Elizabeth and began exploring the canyon trails. These trails were perfect! We started on Forest Road, right by the lake, and got onto Pacific Crest Trail. The trails are slightly bumpy in some spots and sandy in others, but overall, it wasn't too rough for my dogs. We spent about 1.5 hours trail driving before stopping for a hike. It was incredibly quiet, safe and peaceful. Some areas of the trail are quite narrow, but others have extra space to park and enjoy the view. It's a fantastic spot for hiking, off-road driving, and a picnic. The views of the mountains and lake are beautiful ! This review is not specific to the Grass Mtn but it is in this area and these trails will get you there. I loved this trail, will definitely be back and recommend it for any outdoor or off-road enthusiast. Happy New Year, everyone!

The shortest path to Grass Mountain is via the Pacific Crest Trail. The starting point is 0.6 miles…read moresouth of San Francisquito Canyon Pass on San Francisquito Canyon Road. We didn't take this route. Instead, we opted for the slightly longer and less steep version that starts at San Francisquito Canyon Pass where Leona Divide Fire Road intersects then heading 2.8 miles northwest with a 900' elevation change. Getting to the top is easy to follow due to the eponymous grassy field, pine and juniper trees, and cell towers at the summit. The buried power line in the road is another clue due to dozens of Edison pull boxes in the trail and the separate fire break that the soft and sandy road skirts. The wide fire break and unground electrical conduit shows a major effort to limit forest fires in this area. Perhaps authorities are being extra cautious to avoid another disaster in the same canyon where the St. Francis dam collapsed in 1928 resulting in 400+ fatalities. The treeless trail meant repeated views of the wind farms in the western Antelope Valley and San Francisquito Canyon with the town of Green Valley as the centerpiece. I'm interested in going back in the spring to see if color patches of the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve are visible. The peak was windy on our visit which I'd guess that is common. An unexpected bonus were the uplifted rock formations where the bulldozing that created the road exposed swirls of sedimentary layers. The open gate allowed access for vehicles to drive to Grass Mountain but passing could be tricky since the road is mostly the width of one big truck. We crossed paths with only one pickup truck which meant for a peaceful and undusty hike. Just barely within the boundary of the Angeles National Forest, a $5 Adventure Pass (or equivalent) is customary when parking on National Forest land.

Thanks to the foresight of Los Angeles County, the Antelope Valley is dotted with many wildlife…read morepreserves intended to maintain the native plants and animals that inhabited the land prior to mass development and agriculture. This preserve, named after the nearby community of Neenach (which itself was named after a town in Wisconsin, which iself was named "Neenah" from the Native American language of Hoocak and means water), preserves a beautiful stand of the threatened Joshua Tree and thriving Juniper trees. I was privileged to attend the first scheduled program on the site by conducting plant surveys with other folks interested in preserving nature. Access is easy; parking is readily available and free right next to the Preserve. Admission is also free. This would be a great place to visit for a quick hike, to take nature pictures, to walk the dog and for birdwatching (one of our party saw an owl!). It's obvious that some folks have unfortunately used this spot for partying and dumping trash, but it's not as bad as elsewhere. There were quite a few wildflowers blooming, although there would likely be many more in years with more rain. Great place to relax and enjoy nature. .

Beautiful hike near the intersection of the 2 and the 39. Parking lot and pristine trails are…read morewell-maintained. Well worth the drive up from the Los Angeles basin. Check traffic, weather and fire status; the forest is extremely flammable at the moment. Bring water, snacks and first aid kit. An Adventure Pass is required to park within Angeles National Forest. Be prepared for a work-out and some beautiful views.

This is a strong 4 star hike...near Mount Baden-Powell and similar in many ways. Use the All Trails…read moreapp to get directions. Parking and the trailhead is on Hwy 2. We took the 210 to the 2 Hwy near La Canada Flintridge and it took us about 50 mins and 40 miles of twists and turns while sharing the road with motorcycles and high performance cars that are testing their cars handling. You will pass the parking area for Switzer Falls (see my review for that one) and you will pass the Red Box parking area you can use to do the Strawberry Peak hike (see my review haha) and still will need to continue on Angeles Crest Hwy for about 25 more minutes. If you want you can continue tpass the main parking area for the Islip saddle about one mile to the east and find some parking on the side of the highway that will allow you to take a shortcut trail that connects with the main trail but is about .4 miles shorter, so .8 miles RT...you can see the start of the trail near the metal barrier blocking any traffic on the access road. The first .6 miles is pretty steep and then you connect to the main trail and head left to the Little Jimmy Campground which is 1.1 miles and pretty flat. When you reach the campground it gets a bit confusing with intersecting trails. Don't stop here, continue on for about 1.5 miles to reach the Mt. Islip peak. The 3rd mile is the steepest and you will gain about 550 ft and pass the 8,000 ft elevation level and come to a fork in the trail that is well marked and you will make a right to go about .2 miles to the peak. It was 3.2 miles to the peak and 6.4 miles RT using the shortcut starting area that I mentioned in the first paragraph. At the top is the ruins of a small structure, some concrete squares, and a plastic and metal box with some notebooks. There is no sign with the name and elevation of the peak but it is about 8,250 ft. above sea level. There are some great views, not quite as great as Baden-Powell. This is a moderate hike, definitely not hard. We completed the hike in 2.5 hrs with no running. There are parts that are exposed to the sun, but equal amounts that have shade. I loved that we only came across 6 total people while hiking. I just hate that it takes so long to get here and especially the amount of driving the incredibly curvy Hwy 2.

A Nice local Spot for a Walk or Run to get your steps in…read more This is a great place to go for a walk or run. The main path is dirt, with grassy areas inside the loop which is perfect for jogging, walking, or just getting outside. There is also a smaller, paved field nearby, connected by a dirt path. Shade is limited, so it's best to bring a hat or visit during cooler hours. There are drinking fountains, a small outdoor gym setup, and public restrooms available. The space is also used for games and can easily accommodate groups. Parking is limited, but you can usually find a spot - except during events or games, when it can get crowded.

Nice and clean park and they were a great host for the Quartz Hill Soccer tournament. The fields…read moreare a bit uneven, but they had food vendors and cleaned their portable toilets every few hours. It was so much better than I expected. Perfect weather in March.

This is one of the best campgrounds in the area. The drive there is about 15 miles on bumpy dirt…read moreroad. (We could not find the shortcut route) that's 5 miles. So we followed some signs from Lake Hughes Road and ended up driving on an old road that had another (dirt) road steeply ascending up a grassy mountain. We later passed a nice place called Bear Campground but it was full. We also saw a sign for Atwood Meadows Campground and turned there. The road got too washed out, but we hiked down and it was also nearly full (apparently it was a jeep and ATV group using all these sites). We finally arrived around sunset and found the campground to be fairly quiet compared to the other camps. We got a site down a mountain slightly, under a gigantic pine tree. Some large oak trees were also dotted around the site. This area also has a water spigot but it was shut off (it's overgrown with weeds and has a lot of bees). Just bring your own water because the spigot may be off. We were originally staying for 2 nights but stayed for 4 nights and went back to Atwood meadow and did a hike to a gorge (15 miles on the dot - very overgrown in one section but we found a better way back that was much less overgrown)

Came camping this Saint Patrick's day weekend, first off make sure you have a high clearance…read morevehicle because I used my Honda Accord, a slightly newer model and it was insane getting up here ...so unless you have a jeep, a truck, or huge balls then don't try it.. other than that great, great place ! Only saw one other group of campers and they seemed to be day camping so we ended up being the only ones for a night and a day.. on Saturday like we saw only two more campers but that was all, pretty nice and quiet. There was lots of wind so secure your tents well! Lots of free firewood everywhere and the pacific crest trail is super near, word of advice try your hardest to get a hold of a map. Strongly recommend if you have an off road vehicle the road here will probably be loads of fun ! Just be very careful and safe on the way up ! I do not recommend RVs or a small car like I did because it was very scary, the roads are not pavement at all.. there more of a back road feel, very uneven, and can be very dangerous. Also the toilet isn't that bad, kind of smelly but it's a toilet..There is NO running water at all so bring extra ! Mostly clean, lots of wood chips, stumps, and logs , some left over items from a previous camper but it was an axe and rope, which ended up being useful so it was okay. Grab a adventure pass for the night at the 711 in Lake Hughes only $5 a night, not sure of where else to get get them honestly.. drive safe !