Crystal Lake Campground

Crystal Lake Campground sits inside the Crystal Lake Recreation Area of the Angeles National Forest, reached by driving twenty-five miles north from Azusa, California on Highway 39 through San Gabriel Canyon. The first-come, first-served campground spreads 120 sites across six paved loops at about 5,539 feet elevation. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring, and the on-site Crystal Lake Cafe and General Store sells hot food, snacks, and firewood. From camp, trails climb to Mount Islip and Windy Gap, and a mile-long hike reaches Crystal Lake itself, where fishing is allowed but motorized boats are not, making it a mountain basecamp above the Los Angeles basin.