Angeles Crest Highway: Western SR 2
The western approach of SR 2, climbing from La Cañada Flintridge into the San Gabriel Mountains as far as the Upper Big Tujunga junction.
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Western section only. Closures farther east prevent a through-drive to Wrightwood. Check current access · Reviewed 2026-09-09
Planning the drive
This is the western approach to Angeles Crest Highway from La Cañada Flintridge, ending at the Upper Big Tujunga junction in this catalog. It gives you a defined mountain outing from the LA side. The next section toward Newcomb’s Ranch has its own road page so you can assess it separately.
Check the current Caltrans SR 2 report before planning any extension toward Wrightwood. Closures farther east can interrupt a through-drive even when the western approach is usable. Angeles Forest Highway and Upper Big Tujunga are separate connections with their own road pages; check each leg rather than assuming a line on the map means the whole loop is available. Caltrans: current SR 2 conditions
Roads to connect
- Angeles Forest Highway · N3The separate road branching from Angeles Crest at Clear Creek.
- Upper Big Tujunga Canyon RoadThe connector at the eastern end of this selected section.
- Angeles Crest Highway · to Newcomb's RanchThe next mapped SR 2 section; check current access before continuing.
Driving notes updated .
Road shape
- Length
- 17.7 mi
- Bends
- 87
- Switchbacks
- 18
- Bends per mile
- 4.9
- Turning per mile
- 515°
- Curviest rank
- 60of 168
Measured from the OpenStreetMap centreline at a 20 m sampling step — road shape only, not a safety or speed judgement. How bends are counted.
Elevation
- Total climb
- 4,365ft
- Climb per mile
- 247ft
- Highest point
- 4,814ft
- Steepest grade
- 6%
Sampled every 100 m from USGS 10 m elevation data, a public-domain federal dataset. Total climb counts vertical change in both directions, so it does not depend on which way you drive. How elevation is measured.
Speed limits
Varies
Unverified
No posted limit has been verified for this selected section. Follow current signs.
No posted limit has been verified for this selected section. Follow current signs.
Posted signs always govern. How speed evidence is handled.
Sources
Difficulty 2/3 (Winding) is our editorial rating of width, bends and sightlines; “Medium speed” describes character, not a target speed. Full method. Identified from:
- Reddit, r/Touge · Attention all who live in and around Los Angeles
- Angeles Crest Christian Camp · Directions via Angeles Crest, Angeles Forest and Upper Big Tujunga
- Caltrans · SR 2 highway conditions
- OpenStreetMap road data (48 ways in this trace)
Reviewed 2026-09-09. The trace shows selected road sections, not a navigation route.
Roads nearby
Distances are approximate straight lines between road centers, not driving distances or direct connections.