Trail Review: Strawberry Peak
Parking: Red Box Picnic Area, Forest Rte 2N24, Palmdale, CA 93550. Adventure Pass Required for parking.
Distance: 7.2 miles out & back
Strawberry Peak is a great hike if you are looking for a bit of a challenge. Its length, its numerous peaks and valleys, and the steepness of some of those inclines all make it a bit more difficult than some other hikes in the Angeles National Forest. But if you are up for the challenge, it is very much worth it.
The trail starts just across from the Red Box Picnic Area, on the north side of CA-1. The picnic area has parking but it does require an adventure pass so make sure you plan ahead or you may get a ticket. Also, be extremely careful when crossing CA-1 to get to the trail because both directions of the road are curved and make it hard to see vehicles approaching. When you feel like it is safe to cross, I'd recommend running.
The morning we arrived for this hike, there were some low hanging clouds that looked really cool in the distance and the views even from the parking lot were really nice:
This view is pretty constant for the first section of the hike which brings you above but stays close to CA-1. But eventually, the trail turns left and you head away from the road and further into the mountains. This part of the trail has the most shade and tall foliage surrounding the trail.
At about the 1 mile mark, you'll come upon a sort of crossroads at a widened area of the trail. The extremely steep path to the north technically leads up to Mt. Lawlor. The path that heads up a hill to the south doesn't appear to go anywhere and may just be a lookout point. The trail you want to go on is to the north west and follows a ridge around the side of the mountain.
You'll follow along the ridge for another 1.5 miles or so. Up until this point, the incline is pretty easy or just flat, so getting to this point shouldn't be too hard. The hard part comes when you reach the intersection of the Strawberry Peak trail and the Strawberry Meadows trail. They've conveniently put a sign up to point you toward the peak which is the lefthand path.
From this point on, it's going to be a lot of ups and downs with some pretty steep sections that'll need to be taken slowly. It felt like an accomplishment each time we reached a small peak because getting up each hill really is a workout.
As you approach Strawberry Peak, you're going to see a false peak. It really does look like the highest point and you'll think you're just about there, but when you do get there, you'll quickly realize you have one more section to go before really getting to the finish line. If you go knowing there's a false peak, hopefully it won't be so much of a shock when you realize you aren't finished yet...
After all the hard work of getting there, you'll have the reward of a nice open space at the peak to enjoy the 360 degree views. There's one spot at the top where people have placed some signage and that is of course the most crowded area at the peak. But there are other, more spacious areas to utilize and relax at if you don't want to be on top of other hikers. The signs do make for some good photo opportunities, though.
Enjoy the beautiful views. You may even be able to see Los Angeles in this distance, between some peaks. We couldn't because of those low clouds, but on a clear day, you should be able to see something. When ready, head back the way you came and get ready for a couple more minutes of cardio as you go up and down those hills on the way back.
Bottom Line: A challenging hike that is well worth the effort. The first half is relatively easy but the second half is difficult with many steep hills. And there is definitely a false peak!
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