State Scenic Highway 39 39
State Scenic Highway 39 is a scenic drive in California. Within California it covers roughly 30 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along State Scenic Highway 39 with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
State Scenic Highway 39 climbs San Gabriel Canyon from Azusa into the San Gabriel Mountains, a former through-route now gated partway up. North of Azusa, the highway leaves city streets behind and winds along the canyon wall on sidehill viaducts, passing two large reservoirs and dams over 22.6 miles before reaching a locked gate near the Crystal Lake Recreation Area, closed since a landslide ended through traffic to Angeles Crest Highway. Below the gate, a side road, East Fork Road, follows the East Fork of the San Gabriel River past small campgrounds to Heaton Flats, the trailhead for the popular Bridge to Nowhere hike and the summit of 8,007-foot Iron Mountain. The San Gabriel Dam, 500 feet high, backs up a reservoir used for groundwater recharge, flood control, and small-scale hydropower. Eligible for California's State Scenic Highway System, the route packs a rise from roughly 2,000 to 6,000 feet into just a few miles near its upper end.
- Azusa into the San Gabriel Mountains
- 22.6 miles to a locked gate
- San Gabriel Dam and reservoir
- East Fork Road / Bridge to Nowhere
- Iron Mountain (8,007 ft)
- eligible for CA Scenic Highway System
Plan a drive on State Scenic Highway 39 →
About this drive
This is a scenic drive — a road worth taking for the views and the journey itself rather than the quickest line between two points.
Where to Stay along State Scenic Highway 39
7 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of State Scenic Highway 39.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.