Waterman Mountain, at , is a prominent peak in the

San Gabriel Mountains The San Gabriel Mountains () are a mountain range located in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, California, United States. The mountain range is part of the Transverse Ranges and lies between the Los Angeles Basin and the Mojave Desert ...

Los Angeles County, California Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the List of United States counties and county equivalents, most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 202 ...

, within the

Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the United States Forest Service is located in the San Gabriel Mountains and Sierra Pelona Mountains, primarily within Los Angeles County in Southern California. The ANF manages a majority of the San Gabri ...

and

San Gabriel Mountains National Monument The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument is a United States national monument managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which encompasses parts of the Angeles National Forest and the San Bernardino National Forest in California. On October 10, 201 ...

. The summit of Waterman Mountain marks the northern boundary of the San Gabriel Wilderness and it is the highest point in the wilderness.

Ecology

During winter and early spring this mountain is packed with snow. Snow may even be found in September lying on Waterman mountain. Spring brings a lot of rain and makes Waterman covered in wildflowers. Summers are hot and dry. The climate here is Highlands/Mediterranean. Partly due to this climate, mixed conifer forests are found on Waterman Mountain, Fauna is greatly influenced because of this climate.

Recreation

Several small ski areas are located on its north side:

Mount Waterman Mount Waterman is a skiing, ski area on Waterman Mountain in the San Gabriel Mountains of the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County, California, above Azusa. The area is located on California State Route 2, the Angeles Crest Highway, a ...

, Kratka Ridge, and Buckhorn Ski Club. The Buckhorn and Cooper Campgrounds are below the peak on the

Angeles Crest Highway The Angeles Crest Highway is a two-lane highway over the San Gabriel Mountains, in Los Angeles County, California. It runs through the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and the Angeles National Forest. With the exception of a section in ...

History

Robert B. Waterman was a pioneer mountain man and a ranger in the San Gabriel Forest Reserve. He, with his wife Liz and their friend Perry Switzer, completed a three-week journey from La Cañada to the

Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is a valley primarily located in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, Kern County, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated ...

and back in May 1889. With this accomplishment, Liz became the first non-indigenous woman known to have crossed the San Gabriel Mountains. It is said that she placed a cairn on this summit and so it was named Lady Waterman's Peak. However, with prevailing attitudes toward the "weaker sex" the name was not accepted and it became known as simply Waterman Mountain. The area was severely impacted by the Station fire in 2009.

References

San Gabriel Mountains Mountains of Los Angeles County, California Angeles National Forest Mountains of Southern California {{LosAngelesCountyCA-geo-stub