Part 58: Champions of Angeles Crest Highway – Stories from the Racetrack in the San Gabriel Mountains
Published December 31, 2023, Last Updated January 1, 2024
Photo of the Angeles Crest Highway Tunnels by author (GoPro Hero 11 Black).
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By Zachary Ellison, Independent Journalist
Where will I be on the last night of 2023? On Angeles Crest Highway of course, but I won’t be there alone, and the Highway I travel is both the source of consternation to many and as I discovered in interviewing off-record three champions of ACH there are many questions about the future. Earlier this year, Fodor’s Travel magazine put the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument on their “No List 2024” citing “Trash Production” declaring that a “lack of oversight and environmental awareness has led to the deterioration of what should be a natural oasis for Los Angeles County.”
If you ask most people what they think of Angeles Crest, the 66 mile route built from 1929 to 1956 that forms the backbone of the Monument crossing its highest elevation, they will tell you that it is dangerous. The Monument was established in 2014 by President Barack Obama, and has been essentially overlaid over the Angeles National Forest to give additional protections and distinctions, but without any additional funding or transference. Proposals to further expand the designation have faltered, and yet life goes on at a daily basis with people of all types safely accessing its splendor. I’m not sure about an “oasis” but if you ask me it’s a true paradise.
Sadly, not everyone treats these special places so well as I learned from interviews with three champions of the Angeles Crest Highway whose names you will know if you’ve traveled the route in the last two years. Dion Noravian is a commercial and real estate broker in Glendale who maintains miles 49-56 in the “upper” section of the Highway currently open as part of Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway-Program. Valerie Botta is the founder of the Takataka Club, the world is Swahili for trash, and leads a mighty crew of 10 every Tuesday morning from 8:00 am – 9:00 am cleaning up the heavily used “lower” section of ACH where the commuters race through for record times.
Last, but not least, I spoke with documentary filmmaker Mark Mutti, who operates Landmark 717, which honors the California State Landmark number for the ANF. I hope to speak with more people who access and work in these areas as this new series of articles proceeds on the issues faced in this most difficult of terrains. One thing I know about independent journalism is that once you put something into publication, more people start to come forward with their opinions and stories. In speaking with these three stellar individuals, some common themes emerged as part of their deep and broad wisdom of management and culture in our San Gabriels.
None reported finding any gruesome discoveries, even as the Highway has made local and national headlines for its reputation for crime and as a dumping ground for bodies. The recent case on July 22 of the botched robbery turned murder of Jesse Munoz by gang members associated with MS-13, established in Los Angeles with deep roots in El Salvador, was shocking and disappointing. Sadly it wasn’t the first sign of this violent gang on the Highway, as Los Angeles Times journalist Matthew Ormseth wrote in “A place to sleep, part and kill: Abandoned L.A. buildings become MS-13 gang ‘destroyers’” the body of Raylynn Josephine Deanne Hernandez was discovered by a motorist on Christmas Eve 2017. The tragedies are real and stunning.
Documentary filmmaker Mutti maintains a list of the roadside memorials of the forest as part of his Landmark 717 project, the number totals 18 and there are several more yet to add. No one seems to know the exact total number of deaths on Angeles Crest much less for the great Forest, which includes lands ranging from Wrightwood to Castaic. The Highway which runs from La Cañada Flintridge is presently closed in two sections, from Red Box where it meets the Mount Wilson Road and to where the recently opened bypass access intersects with the Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road coming from the Angeles Forest Highway. On the map it looks like a spiders web.
For the inexperienced, traveling through these routes can be disorienting, and especially so at night when high-beams are essential. I asked Caltrans about their strategy for managing access this Winter when we hope to see more snowfall, which will draw significantly larger numbers of visitors for what’s known as “snow play” including at the infrequently opened Mount Waterman area where the efforts of Noravian become essential to keeping the roadsides clean. Everything on the pavement belongs to Caltrans and as both Noravian and Botta described the area “over the side” is Forest Service responsibility. Caltrans doesn’t know when the closed sections will reopen when requested for comment, and I’m working on getting exactly what you need to do to bring a taco truck up there solid. Definitely going to happen!
In January 2022, California announced a new $250 stipend as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program and additionally they provide equipment and trash pickup for the litter that is collected. Botta estimated that the Takataka Club averages 2,000 bags per year. The biggest problem, illegal dumping by contractors hoping to skirt the fees associated with proper disposal at legal dump sites. Noravian for his part mostly finds vehicle debris as well as the detritus associated with a sudden increase in usage for winter recreation – diapers, plastic pieces and food waste. He recently described how litter left overnight at the now closed Newcomb’s Ranch building was strewn around by black bears. Noravian got the gig by simply approaching Caltrans there one day.
Wildlife in the San Gabriels is so often unseen, but it’s there, and it’s essential at night to slow down to avoid the increased risk posed particularly by deer. For my part, I’ve only seen bears near Crystal Lake at Highway 39 coming up from Azusa, which used to intersect with the Angeles Crest at Islip Saddle until the geological forces of the rugged San Gabriel’s did their part. The sections currently closed, both that between Red Box and Shortcut Saddle, and from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap are among the most dangerous for rockfall due to the overhanging mountain edge.
In the “lower” closed section, one night just a few years ago before the winter storms of last year took out the roadway, one night I had veer into the opposite lane to avoid falling rocks, and in the “upper” closed section I’ve seen a yellow Lamborghini disabled on the side by the granite rockfall that is so sharp it can easily pop a tire. In these sections, going slow is essential, because as one popular YouTube video from January 2014 shows a lucky driver going through the two tunnels at an unsafe speed before missing the turn and tumbling off the roadway wrote, “I was on the world's worst roller coaster that could only end with death, or so I thought.” Wonderful!
Many others have not been so fortunate, and the head-on collisions with other vehicles can be even more dangerous. A common sight to see motorcyclists leaning into the curve over the double-line and people tailgate with extra viciousness, if there’s one rule to be aware of in the mountains, it’s to use the turnouts, and when someone yield’s to you be sure to flash your blinkers in appreciation for the courtesy. It’s not just the speeders though, it’s also the people who drive recklessly slow below the speed limit impeding others and those who travel at night without working headlights who are problematic. Additionally, in this era of high gasoline prices, the filmmaker Mutti routinely encounters people out of gasoline along the commuter route through to the Mojave desert communities through Angeles Forest Highway.
There’s an old rule in the mountains for recreation, always go up with your fuel tank full, and bring extra warmth, food and water to survive the night if you need to do so. People don’t always follow these rules though, and getting a tow truck up there can be difficult to secure and afford. One night I came across a man sitting in a car with a busted tire at Islip Saddle where Highway 39 meets ACH, it wasn’t a cold night, but he was dressed in nothing but shorts, and seemed desolate and uncertain about how to get his vehicle off the mountain. He didn’t know when the tow would come or the cost.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff stopped by, the man had refused by offer of a satellite message from my Garmin InReach Mini 2 and he had no food or water, after accepting two Clif bars from me after much debate, and declining assistance from law enforcement we simply stood there and talked under the Moon as I kept my girlfriend in Altadena waiting. I’m not sure what happened to the man, or even why he had been up there, but he was like so many to whom the mountains have been a place of refuge, a home away from troubles below in the city. That’s why I love ACH so much.
The Angeles Crest Highway is our playground, and for so many a racetrack! The historic Newcomb’s Ranch with its diner which served for so many car enthusiast as a gathering place closed in March 2020 having been constructed in 1939 and having served as a hotel, general store, gas station and even for a period as a brothel. The historic structure and the adjoining support buildings and lands are now owned by Kennedy Wilson, an international real estate company headquartered in Beverly Hills with David Lukan as the Listing Agent. Current asking price for the place: $5,185,500.
There’s been a lot of speculation about what the future plans for the location are, and whether it’s possible to even revive a business with a roadway subject to closure from Caltrans based on weather conditions. As the property has sat, it’s now simply an outdoor gathering place for regulars, who used to include the likes of comedian Jay Leno, and the parking area has been marked with the burnouts so commonly seen at turnouts along the highway. This activity along with the perception that it promotes other vandalism is the source of much controversy. Everyone has a strong opinion!
I’m not sure that the owners would even disclose their intentions if asked, and request for comment to Kennedy Wilson went unanswered, and some follow-up investigation is needed. At present, the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument lacks a dedicated visitor center. Skelton staffing for the Forest Service limits availability at other locations directly along the highway including at Clear Creek where Angeles Crest meets Angeles Forest Highway. The visitor center at Chilao is perhaps the most active such location in the forest along with those atop Mount Wilson. I’ve heard you can even do yoga now in the area, which sounds like a quite enticing proposal.
Everyone agrees there’s some problems that need to be addressed, but it’s a question of how we do it for the most part to keep the highway open and off the Fodor’s No List in 2025. There is impressive potential in the 14,800 strong private “Angeles Crest Highway” Facebook group administered by Emin Kure and Aldo D’Auria created in October 2017 to create the type of highway we all want to enjoy. For now, that’s it from your new Angeles Highway Correspondent. If you have a story to share about the Highway or Forest, I can be reached at zachary.ellison@gmail.com or by cell phone at 310-415-4253 including using Signal and WhatsApp for free consultation.
Link: Fodor's No List 2024
Link: Landmark 717 Webpage
Link: Taktaka Club Instagram
Link: Angeles Crest Highway Facebook
Link: Caltrans Adopt-A-Highway Program
Link: Angeles National Forest
Please support my work with your subscription or for direct aid use Venmo
Zachary Ellison is an Independent Journalist and Whistleblower in the Los Angeles area. Zach was most recently employed by the University of Southern California, Office of the Provost from October 2015 to August 2022 as an Executive Secretary and Administrative Assistant supporting the Vice Provost for Academic Operations and the Vice Provost and Senior Advisor to the Provost among others. Zach holds a Master’s in Public Administration and a Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Policy and Planning from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. While a student at USC, he worked for the USC Good Neighbors Campaign including on their newsletter distributed university-wide. Zach completed his B.A. in History at Reed College, in Portland, Oregon and was a writer, editor, and photographer for the Pasadena High School Chronicle. He was Barack Obama’s one-millionth online campaign contributor in 2008. Zach is a former AmeriCorps intern for Hawaii State Parks and worked for the City of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation. He is a trained civil process server, and enjoys weekends in the great outdoors.
