San Gabriel Mountains
Updated & Reviewed August 2026
The hike to Big Horn Mine is a fun and relatively easy way to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of Angeles National Forest without a major effort. The trail to Big Horn Mine winds it’s way along the side of a mountain, eventually arriving at the abandoned mine, where you can explore a historic structure from 1895 and grab some iconic photos (with Mt Baldy in the background). I’ll also show you how to visit Vincent’s Cabin on the way back without much effort.
- Distance
- 4 mi
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Total Climbing
- 700 ft
- Time
- 1.5–2 hrs
Gear Fitness clothes or light hiking gear is fine here. Bring a minimum of 1L of water. You can see all the gear I use on a hike like this here.
When Summer and fall are best, trail can be dangerous when covered in ice and snow.
In This Guide
Video
Parking
Maps
This hike is straightforward. You hike straight on Big Horn Mine Road (now a trail) until you reach the mine, then return. It’s a great way to hike in the mountains without doing a big effort.
The Mine
- The mine sits at the headwaters of the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. The water you see here flows through the Sheep Mountain Wilderness to the Bridge to Nowhere.
- Gold was discovered here in 1891 by Charles Tom Vincent while he was hunting bighorn sheep. Vincent had fled to the mountains after killing three men in Arizona, a secret he kept until he confessed on his deathbed. Vincent Gap and Vincent Gulch are named after him, and you can visit his cabin as a side trip (see below).
- The mine operated from 1895 to 1985, producing 3,701 ounces of gold. In 2006 the Wilderness Land Trust bought the land back and returned it to Sheep Mountain Wilderness.
Directions
Warning
If you don’t feel safe in that last section, it’s okay to turn around. Conditions change as rain, snow, and rock slides affect the trail.
Vincent's Cabin
If you make the left turn at the first intersection or take the small trail in the video, it’s only an extra half-mile hike to Vincent’s Cabin. You canvisit the peaceful cabin, seeing how Charles Tom Vincent lived life as a mountain man.
Charles Tom Vincent was originally from Ohio and served in the Civil War, eventually taking up mining in Arizona where he and his partner killed three men who were ransacking their shack. He fled to the mountains, making his way here after spending some time in the High Sierras.
Vincent lived on solitude by choice for forty years, continuing to mine for gold, and selling it once a year in Los Angeles. He was an interesting character. According to an account by his mailman “every afternoon when he came in from work he stripped to the buff and threw a potfull of hot water over his strong, rugged body, regardless of company; so we learned to vamoose. He was strong as an ox, the picture of health, thin and wiry with pink cheeks and snowy white hair. He could and did, walk for miles tracking a deer and he never fired an unnecessary shot. He loathed the city fellers that banged away regardless, when after game.” Vincent passed in 1926.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.