Hike So Hard, Park Rangers Want to Fine Me. First They Gotta Find Me

Vetter Mountain Lookout

On November 11 I proved my bad boy status by hiking up to the Vetter Mountain Lookout. Why am I a bad boy, you ask. Well, it turns out this trail is closed. Ladies, please, not all at once. Reckless bad boy aside, this trail ended up being an easy hike with amazing views at the peak.

Getting there is simple. You just take the 210 to the 2 and drive up the 2 for 24 miles. You will see the Charlton Flats picnic area sign on the left. Pull into the area and follow the road left until you get to a closed gate. Park along the side of the road and the trail head is marked by a sign. Just to the right of the trail head sign is a sign that warns hikers that the trail is closed to all and violations are punishable. Not everyone is such a daredevil as me and I am not suggesting that anyone go out on the trail. I take no responsibility if you do decide to hike this trail and end up with a hefty fine. 

The hike up to the peak is only 1.4 miles and the first mile of it twist and turns through valleys between hills. The trail is very overgrown and not kept up. There were a few moments when I had to move fallen trees out of the way in order to proceed. Again, the trail is technically closed, so I can't blame the park rangers for not cleaning it up. A lot of the plants have thorns on them and I got scratched up pretty bad. It's been 5 days and I'm still finding random scratches......manly scratches. Ladies, ladies, I'm trying to write a blog here.

For comparison, these plants were coming up to my chest.

I did some research and as far as I can tell the trail is closed due to some fires that ravaged the area a few years ago. This is to be expected in the San Gabriel mountains and is not my first encounter with an area where the trees were burnt. I read a website at Vetter mountain and one of the comments mentioned how the trail used to be full of pine smell but the smell is gone. This makes me sad for I would have loved to have seen the massive pine trees. In stead, what I got was this.

Now don't get me wrong. It was beautiful in it's own way but nothing compared to the forests of Switzer Falls or Waterman Mountain. I kept walking until I reached a dead end. It looked like the trail narrowed and went up the side of a steep hill but just ended. This didn't seem like it could be the end of the trail and I certainly didn't see any lookout tower. I decided to climb the hill to see if the trail veered off. I spent 15 minutes working my way up this hill by climbing rocks and grabbing burnt branches. When I finally made it to the top there was not trail in sight. I was extremely disappointed, especially after all the extra work getting to the top of the hill, just to reach a dead end.

If this doesn't look like a pathway to you then you are right.

I took a few pictures from the top and decided to just head back home. About 4 minutes on my way back I realized that I had made a wrong turn. I had turned left up a river bank where I should have stayed right on the trail. I felt really stupid but it is important to remember that I'm still an amateur. I started back on the trail having wasted a good 25 minutes. I was immediately rewarded for my perseverance because turning the bend revealed jaw dropping views of the mountains.

I continued up the switchbacks which are much steeper than the first part of the hike but nothing compared to some of the switchbacks I have tackled on previous hikes. Towards the peak you can finally see an outhouse and the Fire Lookout Tower. At the peak there are a few dirt roads that lead around the area and even steps to help you get up to the top. The view from the top is amazing and totally worth the first part of the hike.

Vetter Mountain Lookout Trail is a very short, easy hike with a huge payoff. If this trail was not closed and well maintained I would highly suggest it for beginner hikers who want something easy but still want great views. It is short and can easily be finished in an hour and a half, provided that you don't get lost. The last part of the trail is much more interesting than the first part but it is worth the journey. I imagine it was a beautiful place to hike before it was burned down.

I want to finish this post with a thanks to my readers. I honestly have no idea who reads this blog but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy the hikes. Which brings me to my next point. If you want to join me on a hike then please let me know. I'm been doing a lot of solo hikes which is pretty dangerous and I wouldn't mind the company. Also if you have any trail suggestions then please let me know either in the comments or facebook. I'll finish this blog with some advice that I have heard for new hikers. If you are like me, and have trouble with some of the steeper parts of the trail. You can train for it by walking up stairs without using the handrail. I have no idea of this is true but it sounds like a good idea to me.

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