Urban Backdrops in Southern California: A Clear View of the San Gabriel Mountains

One of the nice features of city living in much of the west, especially California, is that mountain views are never far away.  When the skies are clear, many of the inland cities surrounding Los Angeles have exquisite views of the nearby transverse ranges.  Closer to the Pacific, the mountains drop off in height compared to slightly further inland, but they are still quite a wonderful background to look out on from a porch.

Now I admit, this view is cheating a little bit.  The foothill freeway (California 210) is a bit elevated and open, but many of the communities near the foothills tend to have excellent views for the most part.  The street below, for instance, is developed and well-planted (including that rather interesting cellular tower), and  yet the San Gabriels still manage to dominate the sky.

Looking north from Monrovia, California

The mountains, in addition to being so aesthetically pleasing, provide a nearby refuge from the heat and artificial landscape of the valley floors.  While they might not look very lush from the valleys below, they are densely vegetated ecosystems of chaparral, and higher up, pine and oak forests.  There are canyon roads which can take valley dwellers up into this different world of lower temperatures (including winter snow), cleaner air, and a more natural looking landscape.  Sadly, the views from the higher ground are no better than those from the valley if smog happens to be thick (hence the title of the post).  In former times, the view below might have included a bit of the Pacific Ocean and the coastal ranges heading towards Mexico.

Mt. Baldy road, near the very top

Still, they are a lovely slice of the natural world sitting among a densely-developed urban area.

Pinus Lambertiana

Most cities in North America are fortunate to still have something wild in the lands surrounding them, even if they are not nearly as dramatic as this.  The San Gabriels have been recognized as such a treasure from the earliest days of conservation in the United States, making this particular urban backdrop something of a model for urban greenbelts and wildland preservation.