There's something magical about the San Gabriel Mountains, where every road and summit offers a fresh view of LA's expansive backyard playground. Linking up once again with Zack and Vic from Gravel Bike California, we set out to tackle Josephine Peak, one of the many gems scattered throughout Angeles National Forest that are accessible by gravel roads. A short but very sweet ride that we had to share. Here is a recap with photos and route details.

After parking at one of the many small turnouts along Angeles Crest Highway, we pointed our wheels up to find Lukens Road and Grizzly Flats, an 8 mile gravel climb and decent. Riding here in late November the morning temps can be in the 40s, but the rising sun quickly offers comfortable riding temperatures. We did notice much cooler temperatures when finding ourselves on north facing ridges, but none of us needing to reach for a vest or jacket.

From Grizzly Flats, we continued our ascent on the paved State Route 2 to the Josephine Peak Road entrance, but first finding an operating spigot at Clear Creek Fire Station to refill our bottles. The climbs became more pitchy and loose as we made our way up to Josephine Saddle on dirt. Stopping to enjoy the views or snap a photo of the roads below offered welcome breaks. We stopped at the saddle and admired the Strawberry Saddle Trail singletrack to our right, while our course would continue along the north facing slopes of the ridge. As we neared the summit, construction work prevented us from reaching the absolute top – but the road's arc around the peak offered panoramas of the surrounding San Gabriels, reminding us just how vast these mountains really are.

The 8-mile gravel out-and-back on Josephine Peak Road was definitely the most demanding part of this adventure, as it climbs 2000ft over just 4-miles. Two water stops were on course, that can be accessed on the way up or back to the start as both spigots are just off the highway. The route is best experienced spring to fall, as snow can encountered at higher elevations in winter. If you do ride Josephine enjoy the ride, and let us know in the comments which peak in the San Gabriels we should visit next!