WrightwoodCalif.com Forum
Public Forums => Outdoors => Topic started by: dontlitter on May 18, 09, 01:05:19 PM
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Hi everybody, i'm a long time visitor and lover of Wrightwood and the San Gabriel Mtns in general.....
Wondering if anybody knows the conditions down at Lupine right now? Is there a lot of insects down there or no?
I want to go to Lupine for the three day weekend. How busy do you think it should be down there? Will a Saturday morning arrival be too late to snag a camp site?
Thanks in advance!
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Blue Ridge Road was closed at the Gate near Guffy the weekend before last and you could not get down into Lupine. The road was in very bad shape and was in need of the Engineers clearing and "blading" the road.
Whether that was done last week or not, I'm not sure.
They usually get the roads all open by Memorial Day Weekend. I've never known Lupine Campground to be full except during Hunting Season in October and November because of the remoteness of the campground.
I'll make contact with those who know and will let you know for sure.
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Much appreciated !
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I know Guffy has fire pits - does Lupine have campfire pits ?
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The road is open to Lupine. Yes, it does have campfire pits and you are allowed to use gas or propane stoves with a valid Campfire Permit.
Some portions of the stream should be running, but without water purification you should bring your own water.
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Is the road open only to a little past Lupine or can you drive all the way to Cabin Flats?
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The road between Lupine and Cabin Flat was washed out years ago and there is no plan to clear it. 4WD is not an option either due to the many trees fallen across the area.
You'll have to park at Lupine and hike into Cabin Flat... it's an easy hike in and back.
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BTW, just got word the road has just been graded and is open into Lupine.
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See ya'll folks in wrightwood !
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Just so y'all know, it is illegal to drive beyond Lupine to Cabin Flat or anywhere else beyond Lupine for that matter. We were backpacking there about a month ago and several 4WD vehicles passed us on the road, heading toward Lupine. When we got to Lupine, we ran into three rangers who told us all of the vehicles had been given tickets. They confirmed it is illegal to drive on that road beyond Lupine. Just so no one gets caught unawares!
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The road is safe from me because I still don't have a clue where Lupine is. ???
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What was the reason for never re-opening the road between Lupine and Cabin flat? I know the outhouses burned down at Cabin flat (last time I was down there the W.C. was just kind of sitting there in the open like an outdoor throne) but it's still a nice drive. One of the few places with water.
Chris: if you take Blue Ridge road from Inspiration Point about 6 miles to Guffy, then stay on the road that veers to the right, continue for about three more miles down and you will be at Lupine. A very nice drive (or walk) actually.
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What was the reason for never re-opening the road between Lupine and Cabin flat? I know the outhouses burned down at Cabin flat (last time I was down there the W.C. was just kind of sitting there in the open like an outdoor throne) but it's still a nice drive. One of the few places with water.
There was (don't know if there still is) a population of mountain yellow legged frogs (endangered species) upstream (downstream? I can't remember) from Cabin Flat. In order to avoid a "jeapordy opinion" from USFWS, the district decided to close the camp ground at Cabin Flat and close the road just beyond Lupine. That reduces the number of people in the area and the likelyhood of impact to that frog population. It also avoided having to put a closure order on the area and keep everyone out.
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The road is safe from me because I still don't have a clue where Lupine is. ???
Well, you can drive up Blue Ridge Road from Inspiration Point past Blue Ridge Campground. Go east toward Guffy. Stay on Blue Ridge Road and then take the fork going down to the right. It takes you to Lupine Campground on the south side of Blue Ridge.
http://www.crystallake.name/maps/RIN190.JPG
http://www.crystallake.name/maps/RIN181.JPG
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K9luvr
Thank you for the explanation.
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Nolena and bootsmiles, thanks for the directions! I'm completely geographically challenged.
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Is there a maintained trail going from Lupine to Cabin Flat or do you have to follow the wash? I was there a week ago and couldn't find a trail and found it a little hard to walk on the uneven terrain in the wash. What is it, about 2 miles from Lupine to Cabin Flat?
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Just so y'all know, it is illegal to drive beyond Lupine to Cabin Flat or anywhere else beyond Lupine for that matter. We were backpacking there about a month ago and several 4WD vehicles passed us on the road, heading toward Lupine. When we got to Lupine, we ran into three rangers who told us all of the vehicles had been given tickets. They confirmed it is illegal to drive on that road beyond Lupine. Just so no one gets caught unawares!
Yes that is correct you will be cited for driving a vehicle beyond Lupine Campground and it's being monitored. There were discussions about opening it up for OHV use however the status is remaining closed as K9luvr points out.
There is no trail per say beyond Lupine. You can proceed on foot and follow the wash westerly then veer north west around the fallin trees over to the old road leading into Cabin Flat. Good ankle support boots are recommended due to the rocky terrain much like in Stockton Flats. Basically you can follow the path that the Jeeps have been driving and you can't get lost. :-\
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That is correct. The road to Lupine is unmistakable. If you find yourself in an area that doesn't look like a road, you are most certainly not on the correct path. Go back until you find the road. After leaving Lupine, it is not too far through the wash (less than a mile) before the road veers off to the right, out of the wash. It is a really nice hike in cooler weather! Beware wild animals if you're backpacking. They got all our food one time. :o
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Sorry, that should have been "the road to Cabin Flat...."
That is correct. The road to Lupine is unmistakable. If you find yourself in an area that doesn't look like a road, you are most certainly not on the correct path. Go back until you find the road. After leaving Lupine, it is not too far through the wash (less than a mile) before the road veers off to the right, out of the wash. It is a really nice hike in cooler weather! Beware wild animals if you're backpacking. They got all our food one time. :o
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I was reading on the forest service webpage recently that Lupine Campground has been closed due to endangerment of the yellow legged frog or some such creature. Does anyone know if that is true? Does that mean the road down there won't be opened after the snow melts?
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http://www.socalcamping.com/000angeles/lupine.html
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That's pretty much the same information I've already seen. Does anyone have any firsthand information? The campground was open to vehicles last year, so when did this happen? Cabin Flat is also listed as closed for the same reason but it's been closed for years. What happened? Did the yellow legged frog all of a sudden migrate towards Lupine?
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Lupine is NOT closed because of the Yellow-Legged Frog. It is now closed due to SNOW.
Lupine was closed in the past because of the Yellow Legged Frog. CDFG wanted to determine if this species was endangered because of human interaction, or whether it even existed in the canyon. After several years they determined that there were no Yellow Legged Frogs in the area. At that time a major fire blew through the area. Even though the campground would have been opened, the Lupine Campground remained closed for several more years because of the danger of burned trees falling. Once those trees were felled and the canyon was made safe, the campground was opened.
It has been about 4 years since the campground has been opened. It will open again this spring once the snow has melted and the road can be traveled into the canyon.
The only area in our area of the Angeles National Forest that is now closed due to the Yellow Legged Frog is the Williamson Rock area. The temporary closure for THAT area will run until at least December 31, 2010.
Cabin Flat is no longer a campground accessble to vehicles because of all the felled trees and the stream having washed out the road. Cabin Flat is technically "decommissioned" as an official campground. People can walk in, but We don't maintain it, so officially, we don't call it a campground anymore... and the rules of developed sites don't apply here anymore either. That means no campfires allowed!!!
We have found, while patrolling the area that Jeeps and 4x4 vehicles are able to access the area. This is currently against the law and violators have been cited.
There is talk of possibly making this an OHV route in the future.
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Lupine is NOT closed because of the Yellow-Legged Frog. It is now closed due to SNOW.
Lupine was closed in the past because of the Yellow Legged Frog. CDFG wanted to determine if this species was endangered because of human interaction, or whether it even existed in the canyon.
The chytrid fungus is killing most of the frogs, and has nothing to do with human interaction with the exception that some say the CDFG is helping spread the fungus by not properly decondaminating their equipment.
http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/1524/origin-frog-killing-fungus-probed (http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/1524/origin-frog-killing-fungus-probed)
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Great! That is a beautiful area and my husband and I love using Lupine as a base for backpacking trips. We weren't looking forward to adding that long, steep hill into our backpacking equation. I guess the Forest Service just hasn't updated their website. Thanks for the updated info!