I was excited to hike Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak. It kind of came on a whim when a friend and I were both going to be in the Pasadena area but didn’t want to just drive to Pasadena then drive home. Why not hike Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak?
It’s been such a long time since I’ve been hiking. Why? A full year of marathon training, having fun doing other things, and a lot more swimming. There is only so much working out one can do, although I am looking forward to getting back into hiking sometime soon.
My experience at Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak:
- Distance: 4.4 miles
- Elevation Gain: 1600 feet
- Trail type: out and back
- Strava
Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak Trailhead Address:
Mount Wilson Red Box Road & Mount Disappointment Road, Angeles National Forest, Altadena, CA 91001
Trailhead coordinates: 34.25455, -118.1021 (34° 15′ 16.4″N 118° 06′ 07.55″W)
We arrived at Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak around 8:30 AM. There were a few parking spots at the trailhead, but not many. There are many more about 1/3 mile down the road. We opted to park down the road at the Red Box parking area and walk the extra distance. That parking area does have room for about 20-30 cars, but even that fills out. It was nearly full when we left around 11 am. The walk up is on the side of the road, with no shoulder, which does feel slightly dangerous, but there are minimal cars going up that direction.
Gear Used:
We nearly missed the start of the Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak trailhead, which is located just before the barrier on the road. It’s a super narrow and steap start, and you think: is that really the start of this hike? You immediately start climbing a lot. With 1600 feet of elevation gain for 2 miles, you know it’s going to be steep, and it was. It felt like it was never-ending. Luckily, there isn’t any scrambling. At about 1.3 miles, you’ll hit the road again, which is slightly less steep. There were several points we took quick stops to catch our breath. 1600 feet of gain is not easy, but luckily there is no scrambling like nearby Strawberry Peak.
From there, you walk up about a half-mile more, and then you’ll see turnoffs for Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak. To be honest, Mount Disappointment did feel like a disappointment, with San Gabriel Peak being the “cooler” of the peaks.
At the top of San Gabriel Peak, you’ll get a beautiful 360-degree view of Los Angeles as well as the San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles Crest Forest, and even Mount Wilson. It was crazy to me that Mount Wilson was so close, yet that hike is 15 miles, and Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak are “only” 4.4 miles. But hey, that’s what happens when you start higher up. Mount Disappointment Peak is actually a facility for the US Army Corps of Engineers and also has a helicopter landing pad, but the view from San Gabriel Peak is slightly better (hey, I said, what I said). Seriously, though, both have unique reasons to go there.
The way down is much easier, as you are basically going downhill the entire time. It took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get up from the lower parking lot and 1 hour to get back down, which was good because we were running late. We saw many more people coming up while we were going down, so it might be better to start a bit earlier. We were actually in a hurry to get down because we had our appointment in Pasadena at noon, luckily we easily made it. (Pasadena is about 30 minutes away from the Red Box parking lot).
As far as weather, when we went in January there was a little bit of snow and ice on the sides of the trail. I heard the week before the trail was nearly covered. So do your research about recent weather conditions before going out there in the winter, the trail might have snow. Regardless, with the steepness and occasional loose rock I do recommend a good pair of trail or hiking shoes.
Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak Conclusion:
If you are looking for a fun pair of peaks to hike that are challenging but not overly long, Mount Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak are a great choice. You get the views of Los Angeles without the longer hikes. We didn’t see a single person when hiking to each of the peaks. We did see a lot more people as we were coming down, and when we got back to the parking lot around 11-11:30, the 30 car lot was nearly full. So keep that in mind, it is a popular hike!
You can see all hikes here.
Questions for you:
- What is your favorite hike in Los Angeles?
- What is your favorite hike overall?
that name caught me, Mount Disappointment?….but fun huh? I like the challenge…I keep looking at those that call themselves sky runners, some of the mountain tops they get to are unreal