How to get there
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Highway 138 leaves Pearblossom and heads east
toward Victorville. Soon you will see a sign directing you toward Valyermo
and Devil's Punchbowl. This highway is marked Longview Road. Turn right
here and soon you will be winding up toward the tall timber country. As the
road slowly ascends into the mountains, you soon leave the joshua trees and
before long you are surrounded by the big pine trees. At 17.8 miles you
will be at Big Pines Recreation Area. Turn right and continue 1.8 miles.
Turn onto the graded and oiled road at the eastern end of Inspiration Point
turnout. (Keep in mind this was written in the mid-1980s and there may
have been road changes.)
Keep right at fork and continue 2.3 miles along the top of Blue
Ridge to the Blueridge Campground. The road affords many breathtaking views
of San Gabriel Canyon as it winds among the pines and you may be able to
see Mt. Baldy in the distance. The road goes through Blueridge Campground
and on 2.6 miles toward Guffy Camp. At the fork, stay to the right on the
main road marked to Prairie Fork. Continue .4 mile and bear left on East
Blueridge Rd. About .1 mile up this road a sign marks the boundaries of
Angeles Forest and San Bernardino National Forest. Continue on another .8
mile to collecting area. There are good places to park here near a forestry
trail marker. The actinolite is found scattered around the entire area on
both sides of the road from the parking area. Large chunks of beautiful
crystals can be found if one scouts the outlying ground. For the trip
home, one can continue on Highway 2, Angeles Crest Highway, for a scenic
trip through the pines and possibly snow, back to the San Fernando Valley
or Azusa.
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