Drives California
Angeles Crest Highway
CA-2, La Cañada Flintridge to Newcomb's Ranch · San Gabriel Mountains, California
Los Angeles' mountain road: CA-2 climbs out of La Cañada Flintridge into the San Gabriel Mountains, trading the city for pine forest and long views. The highway is closed beyond Newcomb's Ranch for storm repairs, so for now this is an out-and-back.
- Distance
- 26 mi
- Drive time
- 50 min
- Climbing
- 6,900 ft
- Highest point
- ≈ 5,500 ft
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The drive
From I-210 the highway climbs past the Angeles Forest Highway turnoff to Red Box, where Mt. Wilson Road branches off toward the observatory, then runs on through Charlton Flats and Chilao to Newcomb's Ranch, the historic roadhouse at 5,340 feet that has long been the riders' informal headquarters.
Newcomb's itself has been closed since March 2020, so there's no food at the top. Beyond it, damage from the storms of late December 2025 has closed the highway as far as Vincent Gap, and Caltrans gives no timeline for reopening. The far eastern end, from Wrightwood to Vincent Gap, is open, and is a drive of its own.
Stops along the way
- Red Box Where Mt. Wilson Road branches off; about 4.5 miles up it are Mount Wilson and its observatory.
- Charlton Flats A picnic area just off the highway.
- Newcomb's Ranch The historic roadhouse at 5,340 feet, closed since 2020. The highway is closed a few miles beyond it: turn around here.
When to go
The western end of the highway is open all year, though winter storms can bring snow and closures higher up. The section east of Islip Saddle normally closes every winter from mid-December to mid-May; in 2026 storm-damage repairs have closed the road from just east of Newcomb's Ranch to Vincent Gap, with no reopening date.
Good to know
- It isn't a racetrack. In early October 2026, search-and-rescue teams answered four motorcycle crashes here in a single day, one of them fatal, and the CHP runs speed enforcement on the road.
- An Adventure Pass ($5 a day) is needed to park at many sites in the forest, but not to drive through or to stop briefly for photos or restrooms.
- Tractor-semis with three or more axles are banned between I-210 and the Angeles Forest Highway.
- Fill up before you leave La Cañada Flintridge.
More drives
- Skyline Boulevard CA-35, Highway 92 to Saratoga Gap · 26 mi · Twisty
- Big Sur, Highway 1 CA-1, Carmel to San Simeon · 89 mi · Sweeping
- Tioga Pass Tioga Road and CA-120, Crane Flat to Lee Vining · 59 mi · Sweeping
Free to plan and drive with a signal. Carve Apex downloads the whole route for driving with none.
Sources: Caltrans road conditions, Caltrans: SR-2 winter storm repairs, Wikipedia: Angeles Crest Highway, Wikipedia: Newcomb's Ranch, USFS Adventure Pass. Distance, time, elevation and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-06.