| Mount Lukens | |
|---|---|
| Sister Elsie Peak | |
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Mount Lukens
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| Elevation | 5,066 ft (1,544 m) [1] |
| Location | |
| Location | Sunland-Tujunga California, United States |
| Range | San Gabriel Mountains |
| Coordinates | [1] |
| Topo map | USGS Condor Peak |
| Geology | |
| Type | Summit |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike from Deukmejian Wilderness Park in Glendale[2][3] |
Mount Lukens is a mountain located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California in the United States.[4] Located in the northeast corner of the city of Los Angeles, the summit is the highest elevation within the city's limits.[5] The peak reaches a height of 5,066 ft (1,544 m) feet above sea level making Los Angeles the city with the highest and lowest elevation (sea level) difference in the country.[6] Because of its location, prominence and closeness to Los Angeles, the summit is dotted with television, radio and cellular transmission towers.[4] The mountain is within the boundaries of Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County.
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The mountain was named after Theodore Lukens, a former supervisor of the Angeles National Forest and later, the mayor of Pasadena, California.[7] Previously, the mountain was officially called Sister Elsie Peak, named after a Catholic nun who allegedly died while caring for the sick during a smallpox epidemic. On the USFS map of 1925, the mountain was renamed as Mount Lukens subtitled with Sister Elsie Peak.[8][9]
Mount Lukens is in an area that was affected by the wildfires of 2009 known as the Station Fire, the largest blaze in the history of the Los Angeles County.[10]