"This is a great hike. In the ascent to the fire Lookout, the road is paved. If you follow the descent of the trail, it gets choppy and it’s hard to distinguish sometimes. Also after the rain, the soil is soft. I would suggest go back the way you went up, unless you have a little more experience. Overall, it’s an easy hike, except on the descent, which would make into a moderate." — Coolguyizzy • Feb 8, 2025

"After wrapping up Winston Ridge earlier in the day, I had time to revisit Vetter. I formed a loop by passing through Charlton Flats Picnic Area and picking up the Silver Moccasin Trail. The Silver Moccasin quickly split off to the Vetter Mountain Trail (the same classic trail I took over 20 years ago). Unfortunately, the old trail suffered quite a bit of fire damage and has yet to be totally cleared. This made it a rather adventurous hike by climbing over downed trees. Once reaching the peak, I was able to see the new fire lookout for the first time. From there, I continued with the loop by taking the fire lookout access road all the way back to Angeles Crest Highway." — MikeTeeples • Apr 24, 2022

"After packing up our campsite at Chilao Campground, we drove the short distance to do this short hike. Once at the top, great views, especially of Waterman Mountain that we had summited the day before. This time the Fire Lookout Tower wasn't manned (it was when I hiked this last summer)." — marc • Jul 5, 2019

"Warm morning, but the hike itself is pretty easy at only 1.4 miles to the top. The volunteer fire spotters at the lookout tower were more than happy to talk about their work and demonstrate the equipment they use." — marc • Jul 28, 2018

"Easy hike to Vetter Mountain. Watch out for the nasty Poodle-Dog bush. They are throughout the area. You can still see traces from the 2009 Station fire. I only saw one person the entire time." — rickb • Feb 5, 2018

"Vetter Mountain is a nice short 4 mile round trip hike up the Vetter Lookout Road. However, I started out traversing the entire Mt. Mooney Road (across the street), summitting Mooney in the meanwhile (2.5 miles one way), then crossing Angeles Crest at Charlton Flats, taking a breather soaking in the sights of huge Ponderosa Pines and Incense-Cedars there, then doing the Vetter Mountain Hike. The hike to Vetter is easy, mostly on asphalt (with the last .7 mi of the ascent on dirt road) to the foundations of the old lookout tower at the summit. The elevation gain during the 2 miles to Vetter alone is about 430'. The grade is mostly gentle, but with a few areas where you will want to catch your breath. There are shaded benches on the summit plateau where you can enjoy the panoramic views of the San Gabriel Mountains. There are several restroom facilities enroute as well if nature calls. Be on the lookout for Poodle Dog Bush which is abundant roadside. It is better to hike towards the middle of the road so as to not accidentally brush against it and get a nasty rash later on. After reaching the top, I did not linger long by the lookout foundations because there were swarms o..." — brianpowell • Apr 1, 2017

"I hiked this peak and Mt. Mooney Mt. out of Chilao campground. I hiked up the road since the trail is still closed. As of 12/2016 the area is still badly damaged from the Station Fire and looks like it will need many more years to recover." — klotito • Dec 3, 2016

"Having been turned away by locked gates from Barley Flats, Vetter, and Bare mountain, I reluctantly walked/jogged up the road to the Vetter summit and destroyed fire lookout. This turned out to be the best views of the days by far. Spectacular views of Mount Waterman and Twin Peaks (much less snow than last weekend!) and Mount Baldy. Didn't get all of the 7 peaks I set out to climb, but I did have another great day in the mountains." — edg • Feb 21, 2016

"The Vetter Lookout is being rebuilt! On Saturday, July 12, 2014, volunteers from the Angeles National Forest Fire Lookout Association formed a liter "bucket brigade" of concrete and finished the pour in under an hour. Over fifty volunteers assisted our contractor making the job quick and easy. Afterward, we all enjoyed a nice potluck lunch while the concrete began curing." — bobbeecher • Jul 12, 2014