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Angeles National Forest

The United States Forest Service (ANF) is in both, the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains, and is mainly located inside of Los Angeles County, which is located within southern California. A majority of San Gabriel Mountains National Monument is managed by the ANF. It was incorporated and established in 1908, turning out to be the first National Forest located in San Bernardino, including some areas from the prior San Gabriel National Forests and Santa Barbara. The headquarters of Angeles National Forest can be seen in Arcadia, California. Covering an area of approximately 700,176 acres it protects large regions of land and wildlife throughout the area.
Geography
The forest can be found north of the Greater Los Angeles metro region. Because of the short distance for downtown, it is a popular destination to get away from the busy city life for a few hours, or camp for the weekend. Although most of the forest has you in L.A. County, there are small areas which go east into San Bernardino County, and another section in the west is in Ventura County.
Areas of Wilderness
The Angeles National Forest consists of five different areas that has been designated as national wilderness areas. Of these five regions, two (Sheep Mountain and Cucamonga) expand into San Bernardino National Forest.

  • Magic Mountain
  • San Gabriel
  • Cucamonga
  • Pleasant View Ridge
  • Sheep Mountain

The San Gabriel Forest Reserve was introduced in December 1892. The San Bernardino Forest Reserves was introduced in February 1893. The Santa Barbara Forest Reserve was introduced in December 1903. In 1907, they became National Forests, joining together just over a year later in 1908. The Angeles National Forest is now registered as being the first of its kind in the state. It is the home of many different wildlife, such as bobcats, cougars, gray foxes, coyotes, and black bears.
Most of the roofed parking locations require an adventure Pass in order to park. These can be purchased online and from the visitor’s centers, and also from local merchants. It has been declared by Los Angeles County Contractors that it is not necessary to obtain the Forest Pass if you are only intending to be on county-maintained roads. On July 26th, 2013 the Broken Blade’s campgrounds were closed down, including Pima Loops and Twisted Arrow due to the discovery of a squirrel that was infected with the bubonic plague.
Station Fire
Over the years, there have been many wild fires, however, one of the most notable was in August 2009 when an arson fire started and burned over 161,000 acres and lasted over a month before being controlled and put out. What is known as the Station Fire was the worst in the history of L.A. County.