El Nino is starting January off with a promising beginning for snow play in Angeles National Forest for this year. As of this writing, Mt. Baldy is reporting 18″ of fresh snow with the possibility of 12″ to 18″ more overnight. Looking forward to breaking out my snowshoes, I started checking out the various websites I visit to get a sense of what is going on in the forest prior to deciding on where to go. Thinking that list of websites might be helpful to others, I added it to my hiking links page and listed them here below. I expect to add several hikes to my Snow Hiking in Los Angeles Series this year. Be safe and I hope you enjoy this snow season.

I haven’t made it to the snow yet this year. Here’s a shot of me on Mt. Baldy in December of 2012.

Road Conditions: To know what roads are open and where I might need chains (I do carry them in my car all winter), I go to:

L.A. County Department of Public Works Road Closures Website for roads other than Angeles Crest Highway 2 (e.g Angeles Forest Highway, Big Tujunga Canyon Road, Glendora Ridge Road etc).

Caltrans Website for Angeles Crest Highway 2

By the way, as of this writing, chains are required one mile east of Newcomb’s Ranch on Highway 2 to Islip Saddle where the 2 is closed for winter. Parts of Big Tujunga Canyon Road and Angeles Forest Highway are closed.

Weather Forecasts And Reports For Various Peaks:

Mountain Forecast.com This link is to San Gabriel Peak to get you to the drop down menu for peaks in Angeles National Forest/San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. You also need to choose one of the elevation links to get the forecast. I selected the peak elevation for this link. There are enough peaks with weather forecasts to get a good general idea of what the weather will be like on peaks not listed.

Waterman Mountain Website: Winter ski area that gives snow reports and updates ski conditions. Summer mountain bike area and professional disc golf course. Also, a good source to get a sense of what the snow conditions will be in the forest in general at elevations around 7,000 to 8,000′.

Mt. Baldy Ski Lift Website: Winter ski area that gives snow reports and updates ski conditions. Summer scenic rides, restaurant, events, and tent cabin rentals.