Linking Little and Big Santa Anita Canyons

turtle · Post by **turtle** » Thu Aug 07, 2014 11:55 am

Does anyone know of a good route between Little Santa Anita Canyon and Big Santa Anita Canyon?

The only way I know of is up the Mt. Wilson Trail all the way to the benches at Manzanita Ridge, then down the Upper Winter Creek trail to Hoegee's. At over 4400 feet, this crossing is quite high. (Might as well go over Mt. Wilson!) Are there any good crossings lower down?

The NFS topos on CalTopo and the earlier USGS 7.5 Minute Series topos hint at a trail heading eastward from the Mt. Wilson Trail around 2200, crossing the LSA Creek and heading up a fork of LSA Creek towards the water tank north of the San Olene Communication Site. But I've not seen this trail, and satellite imagery does not support its existence.

The lower reaches of LSA Canyon are indeed quite rugged, so perhaps a crossing is impractical. But it does seem odd that in the heavily trailed and roaded Front Range, to go from the Mt. Wilson Trail trailhead to Chantry Flats requires ascent to over 4400 ft.

walker · Post by **walker** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 12:09 am

I haven't been able to find signs of a trail around that location the times I've looked. (Mostly just peering over the edge of the Wilson trail down into the canyon in that vicinity and also trying to spot traces of something on the opposite wall of the canyon from high up on the Hiker Bob connector trail) That map also shows a nonexistent trail which supposedly would start near Jones peak and the Hiker Bob connecter then contour around underneath Hastings Peak to meet up with the Wilson Trail above Orchard Camp-- (not to be confused with the fire break that does exist and goes up and over Hastings)

It's entirely possible that those mapped trails did exist in back the Orchard Camp days and it's always struck me as peculiar that a currently inaccessible spot on the canyon wall should be named "Lookout Point" with apparently no trail by which to arrive there. Maybe there was a whole network of foot trails for visitors to the camp during the great hiking era.

From the San Olene water tank, you can follow the double-wide fire break along the ridge all the way up to the bench at Manzanita Ridge. Very nice views down into the canyon. But I haven't spotted any easy way to connect from there to the canyon below.

Post by **HikeUp** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 3:59 am

Ditto what walker just said. I've looked from both sides for any sign and can't see anything. If it existed it is overgrown bigtime probably.

I've heard of a route from Orchard Camp up to Lookout Point 3297. Never have looked for it or seen it but there is a report here on this board from someone who manage to find it. Not sure if you could get to Lookout Point then keep going up to the ridge or not. Probably be faster to go all the way up to the bench on the regular trail

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TR: https://eispiraten.com/viewtopic.php?t=1150

David R · Post by **David R** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 3:26 pm

Some thoughts on this:

1. Elevation gain can't be minimized that much as the ridge is at about 3,600 feet high at its low point off the San Olene Fire Road.

2. You can take the Goat Trail from Chantry and then follow the ridge to the bench which is slightly more direct but more up and down then going thru Winter Creek.

3. It is surprising that a route hasn't been cut up from Orchard Camp to Lookout Point and then up that subsidiary ridge. It would allow for a nice mini loop of Little Santa Anita. From my viewpoint, directly hiking on that ridge between the two canyons, I have only seen a lot of nasty vegetation to get through to get down into LSA along the subsidiary ridges.

walker · Post by **walker** » Fri Aug 08, 2014 11:39 pm

The old timers hike to Orchard Camp and don't quite find the trail to Lookout Point. Pretty cool now-and-then photo comparisons. Might give someone a good idea of where to start looking for that trail:

However, doesn't sound like that trail went beyond Lookout Point itself.

Post by **HikeUp** » Sat Aug 09, 2014 7:51 pm

Thanks for the link to the video(s). I recognized "Hiker Bob" immediately (the late Bob Annas). He was a trail maintenance machine for Bailey Canyon and area.

Slowest_Hiker · Post by **Slowest_Hiker** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 1:24 pm

There was once a lower Sturtevant trail. As I understand it, it went from LSA where Sturtevant Dr. is now, up the fire road portion to Lotus and then followed the top part of Camillo. The house at the end of Camillo (723) is newly built within the last couple years but before it was, people used to walk up north of it and then east, and I was told that was part of the Sturtevant trail. You can still see it on Google Maps satellite view.

My Robinson Trails of the Angeles says "Sturtevant Trail: This once heavily trod footpath from Sierra Madre over the ridge into Big Santa Anita and along the west slope to Sturtevant's Camp is gone except for the middle stretch between Hoegee Trail Camp. The lower part, made obsolete by the construction of the Chantry Flat road in 1935, is eroded and blocked at both ends."

(The upper part going by Zion was reconstructed after my version of the book).

That won't help get from LSA to BSA now, and doesn't sound like it went anywhere near Lookout Point, but anyway, a historical note.

Sewellymon · Post by **Sewellymon** » Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:47 pm

No way anybody is goin LSMC to BSMC. But cool video.

I tried to find Lookout Point a few times in the 70's and basically did what those guys did. Must have been a trail that started downstream a tad ... that the key. But it's a bushwhack.