Big Tujunga to Strawberry Potrero and Josephine Peak

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Geological Significance · Spring · Views · Wildlife

This route offers an opportunity to see the stunning geology of Strawberry Peak passing through meadows and oak forests on the way to a peak with expansive views of the front range. There are several loop options available for further exploring.

Adventure Pass required at the trailhead. There are restrooms, tables, trash cans but no water. Colby Ranch Road has numerous potholes but is suitable for passenger vehicles.

Starting from the Colby Bridge Trailhead, proceed up the road about 1000 feet to where it makes a bend. Watch for a sign that marks the start of the Strawberry Peak Trail #12W05. Leaving the road it makes a series of short switchbacks then steadily climbs through chaparral and oak forest that is recovering from the 2009 Station Fire. There are a few strands of bigcone spruce that survived the fire in some gullies but many, unfortunately, succumbed to the inferno. As the trail ascends through 2 long switchbacks views to the north of Mt. Gleason and Pacifico Mountain come into view.

After 2 miles the trail turns south and passes through a drier section of darker colored rock. To the east are the higher summits of Waterman Mountain and Twin Peaks in the San Gabriel Wilderness. The impressive north side of Strawberry Peak comes into view as the trail contours gently along the side of a ridge. It then comes to a junction with a spur to the right down to Camp Colby, a private retreat (permission required). Continue another 0.2 miles to a junction with the Colby Canyon Trail #12W23. The Strawberry Peak Trail continues to the left past a register box and climbs up to Lawlor Saddle in 2 miles where a spur trail leads to the summit.

For this route, turn right onto the Colby Canyon Trail #12W23. The trail passes through several small depressions and then enters a large one dotted with Coulter pines and some oaks. This is a good place to linger and admire the massive rock face that was created by a slide. There are several scientific articles about the Josephine Mountain intrusion found online that can describe the formation of these nearly vertical layers of metamorphic rock. For those who desire a less challenging adventure, this is a good place to turn back.

The trail continues past a large boulder and a seasonal spring then climbs up a few switchbacks. There are good views of the rockfall created by the slide. Water percolates from the depressions and emerges out at a gushing spring in Camp Colby. The trail then contours around the mountain through an oak and bigcone spruce forest coming to a saddle with a water tank. The popular mountaineers route to Strawberry Peak with some thrilling class 3 pitches starts about 100' to the east. The Colby Trail continues on down to Angeles Crest Highway.

Turn right onto the Josephine Saddle Road #2N64.A which connects with the Josephine Peak Road #2N64 in 0.5 miles then follow the popular road to the summit of the peak in another 2 miles. On clear days the ocean can be seen over the LA basin along with much of the Big Tujunga watershed.

You can return the same way or, with an easy car shuttle, go down either the Colby Trail or Josephine Peak Road back to Angeles Crest Highway.

Chaparral consisting of chamise, ceanothus, yerba santa, yucca. Wooded areas consist of live oaks and bigcone spruce with a few Coulter Pines. Bears, deer, bobcats, coyotes can occasionally be seen. Watch for some poison oak in the Strawberry Potrero area. Watch out for rattlesnakes.

The lookout tower on Josephine Peak was destroyed by a fire in 1975. The trail from the Colby Bridge Trailhead was restored by volunteers in 2023 after being impassable for many years.