Vetter Mountain, Mountain summit in Angeles National Forest, California, United States
Vetter Mountain is a 5,911-foot (1,802 m) summit in the San Gabriel Mountains of Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County. The Silver Moccasin Trail crosses its eastern slopes, and the summit holds a ground-mounted BC-3 type fire lookout cab overlooking Mount Wilson to the south and Mount Pacifico to the north.
The Vetter Mountain fire lookout, a ground-mounted BC-3 type cab, was built in 1937 and stayed in service until 1981. Volunteers restored it to operation in 1998, but the Station Fire destroyed it on August 31, 2009. Volunteers began rebuilding on July 12, 2014, using the original 1930s design, and completed the new structure in 2020.
Ramona Merwin, a USFS fire lookout, staffed the tower from 1953 until its closing in 1981. The lookout was a ground-mounted BC-3 type cab, and its volunteers later kept watch from a temporary post at the base of the steps after the 2009 Station Fire.
The summit can be reached via multiple hiking trails, with some starting from Charlton Flats or accessible from Angeles Crest Highway. Fall and spring offer the best conditions for hiking, when weather is cooler and visibility is clearest.
The mountain marks a natural transition zone between low scrub chaparral vegetation and conifer forests at higher elevations. This vegetation shift becomes clearly visible as hikers ascend and the landscape gradually transforms along the trails.
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