The Angeles Crest Highway, State Route 2, is the road that Los Angeles riders talk about with a lowered voice. It climbs out of the foothills above La Cañada into the San Gabriel Mountains and runs along a high ridge for more than sixty kilometres, with tight bends, steep drops and views over the whole basin on a clear day. The road was completed in the 1950s, cut into the mountainside by engineers who had to deal with rockfall and landslides from the start, and it has never entirely stopped being a problem.
The scenic core is the central stretch, where the road reaches its highest points at around 2,000 metres. Here, pine and fir take over from chaparral, and the air is cooler and smells of resin. Snow falls in winter and the road can close, and in summer the heat of the valley gives way to something close to alpine comfort. The ridges ripple away in layers, blue and grey, and on exceptionally clear days you can see the Pacific. The San Gabriels are young, steep mountains, still rising, and the rocks are broken and prone to slide, which is why the road is often damaged.
Conditions matter more than usual. Wildfire has hit the range repeatedly, and long sections of the highway have been closed for months or years after fire and flood damage, so check with the state transportation department before planning a ride. When it is open, the surface can be uneven, with patched sections and gravel on bends, and the road is narrow in places. Speeds are enforced, and police patrol on weekends because of the number of crashes. Ride well within your limits, and respect oncoming cyclists and cars.
La Cañada Flintridge on the south and Palmdale and the high desert on the north are the places to fill up, and a full tank is essential. The mountains are cool and the sun can be strong, but afternoon wind can be fierce, so layers are wise. Cellphone coverage is poor, and it is good to carry water and basic tools.
Go early on a weekday if you can, when the traffic is light and the light is soft. On a Sunday, the road becomes a procession of bikes and cars, and the pleasure thins.