Silver Moccasin Trail

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silver Moccasin Trail
View along the Silver Moccasin Trail
Length	53 mi; 85.3 km
Trailheads	Chantry Flats Ranger Station above Arcadia, CA Vincent Gap near Wrightwood, CA.
Use	Hiking, Backpacking
Highest Point	Mount Baden-Powell (9,399 ft; 2,865 m)
Trail Difficulty	Moderate to strenuous

The Silver Moccasin Trail is a 53-mile trail located in the San Gabriel Mountains, just northeast of Los Angeles. It Begins at the Chantry Flats Ranger Station above the city of Arcadia, California, traversing upward and down through several canyons and along the high ridges of the Angeles National Forest. It comes to its highest point at Mt. Baden-Powell (9399’) after which point it descends to its terminus at Vincent Gap on the Angeles Crest Highway near Wrightwood.

The landscape of the Silver Moccasin Trail varies from lowland chaparral slopes, to oak-lined canyons, to the fir and pine forests of Mt. Baden-Powell, where several Southern California councils of the Boy Scouts of America have placed a monument to their founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell.

The Silver Moccasin Trail started as a series of Indian trails originally created by the local Native Americans (probably Tongva), but its use was continued by Anglo settlers who either hunted or hiked along its route. In 1942, the Los Angeles Area Council of Boy Scouts established a designated route as the Silver Moccasin Trail, and any scouts who completed the hike, usually involving several days travel, were qualified to receive the coveted and prestigious Silver Moccasin Award. Boy Scouts, especially those who are enrolled in “hiking troops,” walk this trail usually as part of a five-day backpack trip.

Silver Moccasin Award for scouts completing the trail hike.

Alternate starting points, or trailheads, have been established for the SMT more than likely due to overuse or overcrowding at Chantry Flats, which has somewhat reduced the adventuresome attractiveness of the younger, less-traveled version. (Note: During most of 2006, Chantry Flats was closed due to a landslide blocking the road. It reopened sometime in August 2006 and was accessible during the 2006 running of the Angeles Crest 100). Some troop leaders even consider the SMT overused and downplay the prestige of completing it as “too easy,” and opt for High Sierra excursions. However, sections of the trail which are only eight to ten miles (12.9 to 16.1 km) in length while reaching the Baden-Powell summit qualify it as a 20-mile (flatland) hike due to gains in elevation which are about 5,000 feet (1524 m). The Baden-Powell portions of the hike are also beneficial for acclimation to altitudes for beginning hikers who may experience mild altitude sickness between 8,000 and 9,000 feet (2438 and 2743 m).

The following segments are listed from the Chantry Flats starting point to the Vincent Gap terminus and show "via routes" and the one-way mileage: