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 Reporter |
Summary: The views to the south from the summit of Mt Islip are nothing short of stunning. You can see Crystal Lake, the front range of the San Gabriels, as well as the San Gabriel river canyon. I had my lunch looking at this vista and felt like I was in heaven. The hike starts out heading up a forest service road for a half mile, then you head left at the signed trailhead to Little Jimmy Camp, one mile ahead. I really like the gently rolling, pine shaded trail into Little Jimmy Camp. The less ambitious in your group can relax in the camp (it has rest rooms and a spring a 1/4 mile away), while the balance of your group heads up to the summit. The summit trail is at the back of Little Jimmy camp (walk past both rest rooms). The summit trail takes you up some switch backs to a ridgeline. There is a junction with another trail at the ridgeline that comes up from Crystal Lake, but you should stay on the ridgeline trail up to the summit. Trailhead: From the 210 freeway in La Canada, take the Angeles Crest Highway (2) and drive 39.5 miles to a turnout on the right, 1.5 miles past the 2 tunnels. There is a forest service road with a yellow gate about 50 foot past the turnout. Head up this dirt road for to the junction with the trail to Little Jimmy Camp. (Lat:34.35167 Lon:-117.83504) Trail Guides for Mt Islip: Day Hikers Guide to Southern California by John McKinney (Olympus Press) Afoot & Afield In Los Angeles by Jerry Schad (Wilderness Press) Trails of the Angles - 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels by John W. Robinson (Wilderness Press) Best Seasons: Summer, Fall User Groups: Hikers, Bikes, Dogs, Horses Ranger Contact: Angeles National Forest 626-335-1251 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Jim Zuber, who has posted 104 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Page 2 of 5 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Eugene on 7/20/2008 Hiked on 06/30/08. Nice hike, as everyone has observed. Little known bonus: There's a natural spring right next to Little Jimmy campground. Comes right out of the mountain and is OK to drink untreated. Continue past LJ about 100 yards rather than taking the trail to Islip peak. You'll come to a small spring, and a big one another 50 yards further. We all had a drink, nobody got sick. The water is cold and delicious! A guy camping at LJ said he's been using the spring for years w/ no problems.
Reviewed by Ron on 6/20/2008 Did this hike today (6-19-08) with the wife, and two boys (10 & 7) Nice warm day with a breeze. Lizards and alot of bugs buzzing around. Took are time with the boys and enjoyed lunch at Little Jimmy and snacks on top. came back through Windy Gap and past the spring. Boys had a great time, this is a pre-hike for Mount Lassen next month. Another great day with the family in the mountains!
Reviewed by SL on 1/2/2008 Went December in knee deep snow. It normally takes me and pooch 2.5 hr, with the snow it took us 5. Needless to say it was way more strenuous then normal. Loved every moment of it. Always love getting above the clouds as we climb towards the peak... it really gives you the sense of being higher then you really are. I would rate this the 5 Star "personal favorite" but without the snow I would go over the other side to Mt. Williamson, more fun for me and pooch there.
Reviewed by Ron on 12/26/2007 Wife and I did this on 12-23-07. First time on this trail and it was made interesting due to the snow. Luckily someone had done this since the snow so we had tracks to follow. Roughly 8-12 inches the whole way which made it fun. Lots of wind but a nice view at the top! Will do this again when it thaws. Saw 4 other people all day.
Reviewed by GT & SB on 8/9/2007 Hiked on 8/4/07; very good trail with nice scenery, though summit views were obscured by haze/smoke. Ninety minutes up; 75 minutes down. Summit is a great place to "kick back" for awhile (after Little Jimmy Campground). Park at the end of the road; about 14 mi. back down the road, pub/restaurant is a good, friendly place to have a "cool one".
Reviewed by Sage on 4/30/2007 Good combination of forest trail and summit. The views are great from along the trail as well as at the peak. Little Jimmy was packed with scouts and on the route up to the peak I ran into two groups of 10 or more people descending, so it was a busy weekend. The last 1/2 mile of the Highway before the fire road was closed, so I had to go on foot up the pavement. On the return, I decided to follow the Islip Saddle Trail as it crosses the fire road, and this was a great choice. Not only did it dump me right out in front of the parking lot where I started, but the saddle itself has an amazing vista as well as a nice green flat. This added an additional ecosystem to the experience. Would do it again. 
Reviewed by CAHIKR on 4/15/2007 HIKED THE TRAIL TODAY UNDER LIGHT SNOW FLURRIES, A GREAT DAY TO BE OUT ON THE TRAIL. IT HAS BEEN 4 YEARS SINCE MY LAST TREK UP TO THIS WONDERFULL PEAK. VERY FEW PEOPLE ON THE TRAIL. I DID MEET A NICE HIKER WITH LOTS OF INFO THAT I HAD QUESTIONS ABOUT. A VERY AWESOME DAY. TOTAL HIKE TIME WITH BREAKS UNDER 4 HOURS.
Reviewed by Dezert Hero on 3/26/2007 Did this hike yesterday with a few good friends. The first mile and the last mile are steep, but nothing too bad if you take your time. The trail still has a few small sections of snow on it, but if you are careful they are easily passed. The entire last mile or so you really dont get a lot of shade, so a hat is recommended. There is some amazing views along the way, but the view from the summit is worth every step of the hike. I would reccommend this to anyone. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||