Location: Los Angeles County, California
Barley Flats has a long and interesting history. It became notorious in the 1800s as a hideout for horse thieves and cattle rustlers, but by the late 1800s became a popular area for campers and hunters The peak was named for a variety of wild rye that covered this area and made it appear like a barley field to sportsmen like La Cañada resident Charles Pate, who left an extensive photographic record of the area, and made it a most favored hunting camp and overnight stopover when entering the San Gabriel backcountry, ca 1890’s.
In the 1950s Barley Flats was home to an installation of Nike and Ajax anti-aircraft missiles, guided by a radar installation located on Mount Disappointment. After the missiles were removed, the buildings were used as a Los Angeles County probation camp from 1980-92, then used as a religious retreat named Camp Unity. The buildings were removed in 2020 and the site is a Forest Service Tree Farm. Currently it serves as the staging area for Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Air Rescue 5 Search and Rescue team. One may sometimes find them in operation or doing drills there when hiking.
The peak was on the original 1946 HPS Peak List.
Weldon Heald climbed this peak in 1935.
Location: Los Angeles County, California
Named for a variety of wild rye that covered this area and made it appear like a barley field to sportsmen who made it a most favored hunting camp and overnight stopover when entering the San Gabriel backcountry, ca 1890’s.
Peak was on the original 1946 HPS Peak List. Weldon Heald climbed this peak in 1935.
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