Horse Flats is a region of the San Gabriel Mountains in the

Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) of the U.S. 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 Gabriel Mounta ...

north of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. It is known for its US Forest Service campground (open April 1-November 15) and for the excellent granite

bouldering Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help se ...

near the campground. It is off

California State Route 2 State Route 2 (SR 2) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It connects the Los Angeles Basin with the San Gabriel Mountains and the Victor Valley in the Mojave Desert. The highway's southwestern end is at the intersection of C ...

. The elevation is . Closed in the winter months. In the campground is Mount Hillyer Trail, which connects to the

Silver Moccasin Trail The Silver Moccasin Trail is a trail located in the San Gabriel Mountains, northeast of Los Angeles. It begins at Chantry Flat Recreation Area above the city of Arcadia, California, traversing upward and down through several canyons and along the ...

History

In the nineteenth century, the area was used by

Tiburcio Vásquez Tiburcio Vásquez (April 11, 1835 – March 19, 1875) was a Californio ''bandido'' who was active in California from 1854 to 1874. The Vasquez Rocks, north of Los Angeles, were one of his many hideouts and are named after him. Early life T ...

and his gang as a hideout and corral for their stolen livestockJohn W. Robinson, ''The San Gabriels'', pp 21-22, Big Santa Anita Historical Society, 1991.

References

{{reflist

External links

Horse Flats Bouldering website
Climbing areas of California Landmarks in Los Angeles San Gabriel Mountains