Wrightwood is a small mountain town at the eastern end of the Angeles Crest, tucked into a wooded valley at about 1,800 metres and ringed by peaks that carry snow in winter. It is a quiet place of cabins, pine trees and one main street, a town that serves skiers in winter and hikers and bikers in summer. The air is clean and cool, the smell of pine and woodsmoke is strong, and after the long climb from the desert or the ridge, it feels like another country.
The town sits close to the San Andreas Fault, which runs along the base of the mountains, and the ground here is quietly active. The fault is responsible for the steep escarpment that makes the San Gabriels so dramatic, and the valley below shows how the land has been lifted and torn apart. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the area, and hikers walking from Mexico to Canada often stop in town to resupply, which gives the cafés and shops a pleasantly scruffy, well-travelled feel. A ski area, Mountain High, sits on the slopes above and runs through winter.
For riders, Wrightwood is the mountain edge, the point where the high road meets the desert plain. From the town, State Route 138 drops toward the high desert and the Cajon Pass, with open bends and long views across the Mojave. The other way, State Route 2 climbs west into the high country, though it can be closed by snow or fire damage, so check conditions. The roads around town are good, and traffic is moderate, with a rush of weekend visitors in summer and winter. Watch for ice in the shade in cold months, and for sand and gravel on curves.
The town has about four and a half thousand people, with fuel, a grocery store and a handful of cafés and restaurants serving breakfasts, burgers and pizza. Piñon Hills and Phelan, in the desert below, are larger and have more services, and they are alternatives if Wrightwood is crowded. Many places close early, particularly out of season.
Keep a warm layer on, because the temperature can be thirty degrees lower than in the desert. In summer afternoons, thunderstorms build over the peaks, and the sky turns purple. On a clear evening, the sunset over the Mojave is spectacular, with the plain glowing orange below the dark mountains.