05/24/2026
This was such a great hiking experience π₯Ύπ² I did a loop trail from Crystal Lake to Mt. Islip.You can drive to the Islip Ridge Trailhead to start the hike. Itβs a little farther from downtown, so there were fewer people around πCrystal Lake is a classic alpine lake with a deep blue green color It looked absolutely beautiful from a distance. The lake itself is not very big, and it only takes a few minutes to walk around it.After passing Crystal Lake, the trail became a steady uphill climb β°οΈ But the higher I went, the fresher the air became and the cooler the temperature felt Even the mosquitoes that were everywhere lower down became much less noticeable.This was my second time visiting Mt. Islip. From the summit, you can not only see the entire Los Angeles skyline but also the distant snow covered mountains and the ocean The feeling was incredibly peaceful and refreshing.The rest of the hike was basically a fast downhill run πββοΈ The entire hike took about five hours, and I would consider it a moderately difficult trail.
