CNPS San Gabriel Mountains Chapter

Colby Canyon

The Angeles Crest Highway meanders its way across the San Gabriel Mountains, and Colby Canyon is one of the many canyons that it goes by. The Colby Canyon hiking trail starts from the small parking lot on the highway about a half-mile beyond Switzers, a few miles before the turn-off to Mt. Wilson. The primary destination for this trail is Strawberry Peak, the tallest mountain in the southern part of the San Gabriels. Before reaching the long, steep zigzag pathway up towards Strawberry Peak, the canyon rises relatively gently, and the trail is an easy one, all the way to a group of sycamore trees that serves as a comfortable picnic area. It's a delightful canyon to walk through, and doesn't take too long, at least for this lower part. There is water in the creek for much of the year.

Click on the thumbnails to see higher-resolution images, 640 x 480 pixels.

A. IN EARLY SPRING (March 2008)


A typical view from the track, looking further up into the canyon	Looking down to a small waterfall in the bottom of the canyon	Martin's paintbrush (Castilleja applegatei var. martinii) is common in the shady areas along the track.

Sycamore grove	Sword fern (Polystichum imbricans) near the sycamore grove	From the track, looking back down the canyon, towards Los Angeles	Growing in a rock crevice, Coville's lip fern (Cheilanthes covillei)	Elegant rockcress (Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata)

White snapdragon (Antirrhinum coulterianum), a tiny flower on a tall stem, easy to miss		Spreading larkspur (Delphinium patens). The key is the white part with middle blue/purple stripe.		Blue dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)

Purple nightshade (Solanum xanti). It occurs in several places along the track.		Chaparral Whitethorn (Ceanothus leucodermis))	Along the track through Colby Canyon	View into the canyon from near Angeles Crest Highway

B. IN SUMMER (June 2008)


Caterpillar Phacelia (Phacelia cicutaria var. hispida)	Sticky Monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus)	Parry's collinsia (Collinsia parryi)	(Rose Snapdragon (Antirrhinum multiflorum)	Heartleaf Penstemon (Keckiella cordifolia)