Wild places > Southwest: Regional Map

Condor Peak Potential Wilderness

Managing agency: Angeles National Forest

Size: Approximately 17,873 acres

Location: Los Angeles County, near Sunland and Tujunga.

Description:

• Historic range of the California condor
• Key watershed - Big Tujunga Creek and the Los Angeles River
• Santa Ana sucker, arroyo toad, arroyo chub, pond turtles, California gnatcatcher (endangered); Swainsons's thrush occur in Big Tujunga Creek just beyond boundary
• The bordering Big Tujunga Creek is an Area of High Ecological Significance

In John Robinson's Trails of the Angeles, the author describes the area west of Condor Peak. "Trail Canyon cuts a deep swath from Iron Mountain and Mendenhall Ridge to the Big Tujunga. Steep, chaparral-blanketed ridges close it on both sides, and the great arched head of Condor Peak looms high on the eastern skyline. The canyon is a lush and verdant oasis in the semi-arid front country of the San Gabriels. An all year stream travels its length, shaded most of the way by magnificent alders, sycamores, canyon oaks, and, higher up, big-cone spruce. Tiger lilies and emerald-green mosses and ferns sprout along the creek side. The delicate ribbon of Trail Canyon Falls, two miles up-canyon, swishes 30 feet into a cool, ever-dim sanctuary of alder and fern." Mr. Robinson calls this trip the best in the Big Tujunga. No less spectacular is the rugged Fox Creek lying at the foot of Condor's eastern flank. North facing, steep coniferous slopes fall into the canyon floor. The creek bottom is lush and numerous falls can be found as the creek moves past Fox Mountain and falls into the Big Tujunga reservoir.

Access:

• From the 210 , exit Osborne Blvd in Sunland, follow signs to Angeles National Forest and Little Tujunga, west on 3N17.
• From Hwy 14 west, exit Soledad Canyon Rd- south to OHV 3N37
• From the Pacific Crest Trail / North Fork Saddle Camp Ground, follow 3N17 as it heads west.

For more information, please contact:
Tim Allyn
Sierra Club
3435 Wilshire Blvd. #302
Los Angeles, CA 90010-1901
Phone: (213) 387-6528 x202
Email: tim.allyn@sierraclub.org