Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Mt. Lukens hike guide: 10-mile loop, 2,800 ft climb, to LA's highest point at 5,076 feet. Full route, alternates, and tips.
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Links:
- Maps: hikingguy.com/hikes/mt-lukens
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- Patreon: patreon.com/c/hikingguy
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- Subscribe: youtube.com/c/Hikingguy
The Mt. Lukens hike climbs to the highest point in the city of Los Angeles at 5,076 feet, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains about 14 miles north of downtown. The standard route is a 10-mile loop with 2,800 feet of climbing through Deukmejian Wilderness Park and Angeles National Forest, rated hard and taking most hikers 5 to 6 hours.
The loop starts at the Deukmejian Wilderness Park trailhead in La Crescenta-Montrose, passes the 150-year-old McFall Oak, and climbs the Crescenta View Trail past a 1930s flood-control check dam and Dunsmore Creek. About 2 miles in, a stone shelter called the Redoubt marks the halfway point of the first climb, with switchbacks passing over what was once an 1880s vineyard and wine country. The Mt. Lukens Truck Trail leads the rest of the way to the summit's antenna farm, then the loop descends Haines Canyon Road and the often-overgrown Rim of the Valley Trail back through Cook's Canyon to the trailhead.
Two tougher alternates get covered too: the 14-mile, 3,400-foot Stone Canyon Loop from the Wildwood picnic area, crossing the Big Tujunga River and passing Vasquez Canyon and Grizzly Flat, and a 15-mile out-and-back up Mt. Lukens Road from Angeles Crest Highway, past the teepee landmark, for anyone who wants long, steady climbing miles.
Trip planning notes include the park's sunrise-linked gate hours, street parking outside the trailhead, spotty cell service (bring a satellite communicator), no water on trail except Dunsmore Creek, and why November through April beats summer heat on this mostly shadeless climb. Trekking poles help push through the overgrown sections on the Rim of the Valley Trail.
The video also covers the mountain's real backstory: its original name, Sister Elsie Peak, the early-1900s remapping that renamed it after forester Theodore Lukens, and Lukens' friendship with John Muir.
00:00 Why Mt. Lukens
00:20 Route Stats
01:01 McFall Oak
01:30 Crescenta View Trail
02:02 Wine Country History
03:25 The Redoubt
04:35 Truck Trail Climb
05:22 Antenna Farm
06:22 Summit Views
06:44 Descent Begins
07:18 Haines Canyon Road
08:08 Rim of the Valley
09:29 Cook's Canyon
10:09 Best Time to Go
11:33 Water & Gear
12:19 Cell Service & inReach
13:46 Is It Safe
14:25 Naming Controversy
16:57 Stone Canyon Loop
20:55 Angeles Crest Route
22:35 Training Progression
23:07 Support the Channel
Disclaimer:
Some of these links are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. I only recommend gear I actually use and trust.
Mt. Lukens hike guide: 10-mile loop, 2,800 ft climb, to LA's highest point at 5,076 feet. Full route, alternates, and tips.
*Gear I'm Using Now:*
- inReach: hkgy.co/inreach
- Hiking App: hkgy.co/app
- Watch: hkgy.co/watch
- Shoes: hkgy.co/shoes
- Pack: hkgy.co/backpack
- Rescue Insurance: hkgy.co/insurance
*Full Hiking Gear List* (Tested & Not Sponsored):
hikingguy.com/gear
Links:
- Maps: hikingguy.com/hikes/mt-lukens
- Website: hikingguy.com
- Patreon: patreon.com/c/hikingguy
- Monthly Hiking News (free): patreon.com/c/hikingguy
- Subscribe: youtube.com/c/Hikingguy
The Mt. Lukens hike climbs to the highest point in the city of Los Angeles at 5,076 feet, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains about 14 miles north of downtown. The standard route is a 10-mile loop with 2,800 feet of climbing through Deukmejian Wilderness Park and Angeles National Forest, rated hard and taking most hikers 5 to 6 hours.
The loop starts at the Deukmejian Wilderness Park trailhead in La Crescenta-Montrose, passes the 150-year-old McFall Oak, and climbs the Crescenta View Trail past a 1930s flood-control check dam and Dunsmore Creek. About 2 miles in, a stone shelter called the Redoubt marks the halfway point of the first climb, with switchbacks passing over what was once an 1880s vineyard and wine country. The Mt. Lukens Truck Trail leads the rest of the way to the summit's antenna farm, then the loop descends Haines Canyon Road and the often-overgrown Rim of the Valley Trail back through Cook's Canyon to the trailhead.
Two tougher alternates get covered too: the 14-mile, 3,400-foot Stone Canyon Loop from the Wildwood picnic area, crossing the Big Tujunga River and passing Vasquez Canyon and Grizzly Flat, and a 15-mile out-and-back up Mt. Lukens Road from Angeles Crest Highway, past the teepee landmark, for anyone who wants long, steady climbing miles.
Trip planning notes include the park's sunrise-linked gate hours, street parking outside the trailhead, spotty cell service (bring a satellite communicator), no water on trail except Dunsmore Creek, and why November through April beats summer heat on this mostly shadeless climb. Trekking poles help push through the overgrown sections on the Rim of the Valley Trail.
The video also covers the mountain's real backstory: its original name, Sister Elsie Peak, the early-1900s remapping that renamed it after forester Theodore Lukens, and Lukens' friendship with John Muir.
00:00 Why Mt. Lukens
00:20 Route Stats
01:01 McFall Oak
01:30 Crescenta View Trail
02:02 Wine Country History
03:25 The Redoubt
04:35 Truck Trail Climb
05:22 Antenna Farm
06:22 Summit Views
06:44 Descent Begins
07:18 Haines Canyon Road
08:08 Rim of the Valley
09:29 Cook's Canyon
10:09 Best Time to Go
11:33 Water & Gear
12:19 Cell Service & inReach
13:46 Is It Safe
14:25 Naming Controversy
16:57 Stone Canyon Loop
20:55 Angeles Crest Route
22:35 Training Progression
23:07 Support the Channel
Disclaimer:
Some of these links are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you. I only recommend gear I actually use and trust.
