This photo gallery includes species that I have encountered and photographed over the years along the Angeles Crest Highway in the San Gabriel Mountains and on various hikes from the road.. Tom Chester includes these comments in a webpage about the highway: "The Angeles Crest Highway, SR2, is 66 miles long from I-210 in La Cañada to Mountain Top Junction at SR138. The highway was originally envisioned in 1912 as 'the most scenic and picturesque mountain road in the state,' but the need for a road for fire-fighting was at least equally important. Funds were allocated beginning in 1919, construction began in 1929, continuing piece by piece until 1956, except from 1941 to 1946 during WWII. The road is typically closed to car traffic and unplowed between Islip Saddle and Big Pines after the first snowfall (typically October through December, but as late as 2/20 in 2000) until May or June." Past and recent closures have resulted also from fires like the Station Fire in 2009 and the Bobcat Fire in 2020 and from storm-caused landslides. The segment from La Cañada Flintridge at just under 2,000' elevation to the Los Angeles–San Bernardino county line is known as the Angeles Crest Scenic Byway, which is both a National Forest Scenic Byway and an officially designated California Scenic Highway. There are very few buildings between La Cañada Flintridge and Wrightwood save for Newcomb's Ranch, and forest service campgrounds and visitor centers. The high point of the highway is reached at Dawson Saddle where the elevation is 7.903' according to the USGS. Other points of interest along the route include the Mountain High and Mt. Waterman ski areas, and the road to the Mt. Wilson Observatory. Except for the western section between La Canada and the Angeles Forest Highway, the road is usually fairly lightly travelled, but because of its curvy nature and the inclination of many motorcyclists to use it as a racetrack it has been described as dangerous, but driven carefully especially in the spring and fall, with stops here and there to enjoy the piney scent in the air, the prevalence of wildflowers along the road, and the beautiful views to north and south, it is one of the loveliest roads in southern California. Thanks to Bob Allen and Hartmut Wisch for the beetle and butterfly identifications. As always an asterisk next to the common name indicates a non-native species.

Southern mountain lupine
Lupinus albifrons var. austromontanus
Fabaceae

Annual bedstraw
Galium aparine
Rubiaceae

Bajada lupine
Lupinus concinnus
Fabaceae

Whorl-leaf penstemon
Keckiella ternata var. ternata
Plantaginaceae
[Named for David Daniels Keck, 1903-1995]

White-flowered bog orchid
Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys
Orchidaceae

Grinnell's penstemon
Penstemon grinnellii var. grinnellii
Plantaginaceae
[Named for Fordyce Grinnell, Jr., 1882-1943]

Coffeeberry
Frangula californica var. californica
Rhamnaceae