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It’s almost hard to imagine that just 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, you can escape the palm trees and busy streets for an afternoon of snow play. The Angeles National Forest gives way to rocky canyons and spectacular views, but most of all, it gives us Angelenos a day of fun in the snow.

We ventured up Angeles Crest Highway for a day of fun in the snow, on a sunny Wednesday afternoon, after a neighbor told us there was snow in the San Gabriel Mountains. Along the way, we stopped by several vista points before reaching our final destination at Red Box Picnic Area. This is where we got to play in the snow with our pups.

Vista Points - Journey Up the Road to the Snow

When you start driving up Angeles Crest Highway, you’ll come across the Angeles National Forest Highway sign to your right. Shortly after this sign, you’ll reach one of several vista points. If you want to head straight for the snow, you can pass all these vista points. If you aren’t in a hurry, you’ll definitely want to stop at the first one. It’s worth a stop here to see downtown Los Angeles from a distance.

View of downtown Los Angeles during sunset

In the warmer months, you’ll see more hikers, mountain bikers, and campers on this road. We drove through during the summer on our way to the Grand Canyon and we saw several bikers, car enthusiasts, and motorcyclists enjoying this windy road.

As we steadily made our way up, we were going to stop at the Switzer Picnic Area, but the lot was full. It seems to be a sought-after spot for picnicking and there are also restrooms here. We can see why it’s an admired spot as the views here are fantastic. We even saw one family bring their own folding picnic table. For being a fairly popular spot, the parking lot here is quite small compared to the other vista points.

iPhone strap/case Bandolier // coat Express // Sunglasses DIFF Eyewear — iPhone strap/case **Bandolier** // coat Express // Sunglasses **DIFF Eyewear**

Red Box Picnic Area - Where We Played in The Snow!

This is where we made our final stop to play in the snow. Due to the weather, it’s also the furthest we were able to go as the roads were closed off beyond this point. It was definitely hard to find parking inside the dedicated parking lot because everyone was looking forward to playing in the snow as well. We were prepared with our boots and gloves and we saw several families with sleds.

Pom Beanie Express // Reed Sweatshirt Anine Bing // Snow Pants Columbia // Winter Boots Sorel — **Pom Beanie** Express // **Reed Sweatshirt** Anine Bing // **Snow Pants** Columbia // **Winter Boots** Sorel

As everyone was trying to find a spot to play in the snow, we noticed that most everyone didn’t walk too far to enjoy it. We walked another 10-15 minutes past everyone to find an area where the dogs could run around in untouched powdery snow. It was definitely worth the extra effort. Zooey absolutely enjoyed the snow and we were so glad we brought her favorite ball because she was having a blast hopping around in the snow chasing it. Kuma was a trooper and trekked through the snow with her short legs. She seemed to really enjoy eating the snow more than playing in it.

Sherpa Hooded Jacket Athleta // Beanie Urban Outfitters — **Sherpa Hooded Jacket** Athleta // **Beanie** Urban Outfitters

Red Box Picnic Area in Angeles National Forest

Final Thoughts

Barely 30 minutes from the skyscrapers of downtown Los Angeles, the Angeles National Forest is such a welcoming contrast of scenery and weather. Angeles National Forest is L.A.’s wilderness next door—an oasis for hikers, mountain bikers, campers, and snow seekers like us who want to enjoy a day in the snow with our fur babies without having to make a weekend trip.

Some Tips

Dress in layers and wear snow boots, gloves, and hats. Candy wore snow pants and waterproof gloves so that she could run and jump around in the snow with Zooey.
Pack water and food if you plan to stay for hours. We saw lots of families enjoying drinks and snacks at the picnic tables.
We saw one sign that a day pass was required, but we did not purchase one as we didn’t see anyone else with a pass nor did we know where to purchase it. Luckily, we did not get a ticket but if you don’t want to risk getting fined, you can find more information about passes here.
Check the weather forecast. We visited one day when the temperatures were warm and very pleasant. We went again a day later and it was super cold and windy that we only lasted for 10 minutes because the wind chills were unbearable.
Check for road closures before heading up to Angeles National Forest. We visited a couple of days after it had snowed. By then, the roads were cleared for cars to drive without chains or snow tires.