With a brief respite in the extremely high end-of-summer temperatures, we headed up to the Angeles National Forest to explore a different peak in the San Gabriel Mountains. It had been a while since I had hiked a peak in the Angeles, an activity that I long missed. We found a 6.5 mile hike that would take us to the ecological transition zone from the forest flora of the San Gabriel Mountains to the desert scrub of the Mojave Desert. Our bags packed with water and plenty of snacks, we headed up Angeles Crest and turned onto Angeles Forest Highway with the intention of submitting Rabbit Peak.
We started our hike from Monte Cristo Campground, a first come, first serve campground with 19 campsites, vault toilets, and picnic tables. Typically there is also piped water; unfortunately at time of writing, there is no water due to a pump issue. Hopefully this will get fixed soon. After applying plenty of sunscreen, we walked through the gate and onto the trail.
The first two miles or so starting at the fire road were relatively- and deceptively- flat. There was little water in the creek on the day of our visit, and there were parts where the trail had been washed out due to previous winter rains. Still, this stretch made for a fairly easy hike, even as we were hopping over rocks. It seemed that the AllTrails rating of ‘hard’ was perhaps a little undeserved. After all, rabbits are nice and calm, so this hike should be too.
Welp, I have been reminded that I should not doubt the algorithm- or the reviews. After the first two miles, we took a hard left up the trail, heading toward the power lines along the service road where the climb became more pronounced. This was also not a bad trek; indeed it was kind of reminiscent of the Monday night Henninger hikes we used to take. But this was short-lived. We came to the power pole, and found that to continue the hike up to the peak, we would be following something that was more like a herd path through scratchy plants. We also found evidence of the changing ecological zones. Forest turned to low, scratchy shrubs and a number of yucca plants.
We began the slow trek up, making our way through sand and loose rocks. As I had worn my comfy linen shorts for this hike, I was getting scratched by the low plants. The hike up the peak was also very exposed. Even with plenty of sunscreen and my trusty hat, I was still getting a lot of sun. I will say though, we found a number of colorful quartz rocks as we hiked up the peak, which helped me to stay motivated.
After the long, arduous trek up, and what felt to be a false peak, we came to the summit. The peak was marked by a circle of rocks which had a hiker sign and a register in a can. We signed the small notebook and enjoyed a much-needed trail snack and plenty of water.
After resting for a while and taking photos, we started the slow trek down. As the mountain was steep and the loose rocks slippery. we took our time so as not to fall. This was especially true around the sharp yucca plants. We eventually made it to the power pole and what would have been the faster part of the trek back to the campground. Unfortunately, at this point my energy had been spent. The day had become quite warm and the hike was harder than we had anticipated. I was on the struggle bus on the way back to the car.
We made it back, myself a little worse for wear. A nice couple in one of the campsites provided us with some water, and we blasted the air conditioning in the Subie. I was experiencing an exertion headache thanks to the heat and the strenuous nature of the hike. Though only 6.5 miles, it was definitely an arduous trek. Strava registered a 1795 foot elevation gain, most of which was in the mile up to the peak. While it was fun to explore a peak I had not visited before, there were some lessons learned on this adventure.
Some things to consider:
The hike to Rabbit Peak can be done as a 10-mile loop taking hikers to three other peaks- Granite Mountain, Roundtop, and Iron Mountain- in the San Gabriel Mountains. This loop is considered strenuous. We hiked it as an out-and-back from Monte Cristo Campground, with the summit being just over three miles. The hike to Rabbit Peak alone is considered hard.
I feel the hike up would have been more enjoyable had I been in a mindset for a difficult hike. It also would have been good to have better clothing for the trail conditions. my hiking pants or leggings would have provided more protection from scratchy branches than my shorts- which offered no protection.
More water would have also been a good idea. We had enough water for the hike itself, but we didn’t have much left for the drive back to La Canada. I would recommend twice the amount of water and some salty snacks. I did feel significantly better after having some McDonalds fries and a medium drink with plenty of ice.
The hike is very exposed in most parts, but especially going up the peak itself. Sun protection is a must on this hike.
Adventure passes are required to park anywhere within the Angeles National Forest. These are $5 per day, or $30 for an annual pass. If you plan on visiting other national lands over the course of the year, I recommend purchasing an America the Beautiful pass. At just $80 per year, it’s a great deal to visit many national parks and other national lands.
Monte Cristo Campground is a first-come, first-serve campground. The fee for a campsite is $20 per night. It can be a nice base camp for many Angeles adventures.
It is easy to lose the trail up to the peak. In some ways, there isn’t much of a trail. We had AllTrails running to be sure we were heading in the right direction up to the summit.
In spite of feeling a bit tired and out of practice, the trek to Rabbit Peak was a good learning experience. This hike reminded me of the importance of both conditioning and mindset in preparing for what is considered a difficult hike. Preparation definitely makes for a much better experience. And with how expansive the Angeles National Forest is, there are many trails of varying difficulty levels for conditioning and meandering. Just pick a happy trail and go!
The Cranky Camper 