Driving the scenic California State Route 39 to Crystal Lake in the San Gabriel Mountains. Highway 39 is one intimidating beast. It's a mountain pass with incredible scenery. You have no option but to enjoy it's incredible alpine scenery. Highway 39 is located behind Mt Baldy. This drive takes your out of Los Angeles and into the Alps. Highway 39 is a meandering road with a pristine surface, views for miles, and a natural lake at the top. There are few places on this globe where you can wake up at, or near, sea level and then drive up an alpine road that takes you up well above 6000 feet. Los Angeles has three such roads: Cloudburst Summit on Angeles Crest Highway, Crystal Lake on Highway 39, and the top of Mt. Baldy Road. Highway 39 separates itself from the others because of the pristine road surface, limited vehicle traffic, and a meandering route that mirrors roads in the Italian Alps.
East Fork Road, located in the San Gabriel Mountains above the city of Azusa, California, is a road that gives access from State Route 39 into East Fork and other small townships, including Camp Williams, and Julius Klein Conservation Fire Camp 19.
The road begins at Route 39, passing over the San Gabriel River, and follows the east fork of the river, crossing a number of small streams. The terminus is Heaton Flats, which has a campsite, a toilet facility, and trails that lead upstream and to the summit of Iron Mountain, 8,007 feet (2,441 m) above.
Along East Fork Road there are extensive fire-fighting facilities which are staged to combat the many fires that break out among the foothills above Azusa, Glendora, and San Dimas every year. The road is located within the Angeles National Forest and is managed by the United States Forest Service.
The United States Forest Service states that all mining operations, including gold panning, are illegal along the East Fork; however, as mining and prospecting are a historic relic of California's heritage, enforcement of the mining laws is infrequent and gold panning continues along this stretch of the road (which offers easy access to the river). Some of the sites of the area's mining heritage can be accessed from the road by visiting the site of "Eldoradoville", a mining town with three stores and six saloons that was established in 1859 and washed away in the flood of January 18, 1862.
East Fork Road was initially planned as an outlet from the Los Angeles Area to State Route 2 and includes a "Bridge to Nowhere" that was abandoned after a flood; a later plan included two never-used tunnels on the aborted Shoemaker Canyon Road. #scenicdrive #roadtrip #nature #travel #scenic #scenicview #travelphotography #mountains #exploremore #scenicroute #landscape #roadtrips #beautifuldestinations #sceniclocations #roadtrippers
