West San Gabriel Mountains

The Wilson Canyon Bench is located at 3000 feet at the west end of the San Gabriel Mountains above Sylmar. With a powerful telescope, one can see the Mission Peak Bench in the Santa Susana Mountains above Granada Hills. The San Gabriel range lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert. It is one of the Transverse Ranges, running primarily east and west (transversely) in contrast to the north/south orientation of the vast majority mountain ranges in the Western Hemisphere. Most of the San Gabriel Mountains, including the location of the Wilson Canyon bench, are within the boundaries of Angeles National Forest. The San Andreas Fault forms the northern border of the range, while the San Fernando Fault complex forms the southwestern border. Mount San Antonio (10,064’) is the highest peak in the range, while Mount Wilson (5710’), site of the numerous historic telescopes is its most famous summit.

Newhall Pass separates the San Gabriel Mountains from the Santa Susana Mountains to the West. At 4004 feet, Sylmar (San Fernando) Peak is the highest point at the western end of the San Gabriels. The western San Gabirels have an extensive flora and fauna. Elevational and microclimatic variation contributes to numerous habitats that support a wide range of ecosystems. Chaparral dominates the southern slopes, while oak/fir woodlands dominate the summits. Riparian ecosystems are found in the numerous canyons of these mountains.

The San Gabriel Mountains are a large and extensive system of mountains, but on this website we focus only on extreme western portion of the range north of Sylmar and south of Santa Clarita. This is the home of the Wilson Canyon bench, and although this is a very interesting and diverse area, very little literature exists compared to the higher, broader and more traveled portions of the range to the east.