GPX Tour to Mt. Baldy

THE CLIMB FROM 800 FEET TO 8000 FEET or

IF IT'S 100 IN THE VALLEY, IT'S 70 AT THE RESTAURANT

GPX will use the route of the 2013 Escape to LA Tour for a day of driving the "Twisties".

Azusa is where our fun and history begins.

As the most productive gold mining area in the San Gabriel Mountains, it began in the 1840's. It had a mini-boom during the Depression as many men tried to scratch out flakes from the river bed. To this day weekend gold hunters can still be seen with shovels and pans.

During World War II one of the reservoirs (Morris Dam) was used to test airborne torpedoes. Easily seen from the road is a steep concrete ramp that simulated the drop of a torpedo from a plane into the water where the propeller sped them away to check survivability. They must have done a lot of testing as American torpedoes were not very reliable at the beginning of the war.

Morris Dam

The historic Crystal Lake Café and Trading Post has been serving the campers and fisherman since 1934.

Crystal Lake

Further up the East Fork is the US Forest Service's Experimental Forest. Established in 1933 with 17,000 acres and working with major California universities, its research reports over the years have covered flood control and watershed utilization, vegetation and water quality effects, fire effects and slope stabilization and many more.

If you had continued straight to the end of East Fork Road it would take you to the trailhead to "The Bridge to Nowhere". It was an ill-fated attempt to connect the San Gabriel Valley to Angeles Crest Highway. The road washed out twice and was abandoned but the bridge stands tall. But, we take a "180" onto Glendora Mountain Road instead of going to the trail.

Bridge to Nowhere

More recently Glendora Ridge Road is part of the route used by the Tour of California Bicycle race that finished at the Mount Baldy Ski Lift.

Chair Lift

There is a $5.00 parking fee when buying it online. $10.00 if you wait to buy it on site.

Ride Chairlift #1 to the Top of the Notch Restaurant to complete your mechanically assisted climb from 800 feet to nearly 8000 feet.

After lunch, ride Chairlift #4 back down, for a spectacular scenic view.

Top of the Notch

This is a “Rain or Shine” event.