Littlerock Juniper Hills, CA

Take one of the numbered streets south off Pearblossom Highway and keep going, and the road starts to climb out of the desert flats into the juniper-dotted foothills. The two ends feel like different places. Down near the highway, lots are flat and homes sit closer together, within reach of the town's gas stations and markets. Up the slope, houses of all ages sit on hillside acreage at the end of long driveways, with the Angeles National Forest rising behind them. Big Al's Pizza on Avenue T is the takeout call, El Novillo Market handles meat and Mexican groceries, and Charlie Brown Farms on the highway is where visiting relatives always want to stop for jerky and old-fashioned candy. In summer, Peaches.LA by Tenerelli Orchards on 82nd Street East sells fruit picked right on the farm. The hills are the draw for anyone who likes to be outside. Devil's Punchbowl Natural Area, just to the east, has a nature center and trails through its tilted rock, and it stays open around the clock. Pearblossom Park on 121st Street East is the nearest county park with a lawn, a longer drive out along the highway. Wildfire is part of living here, and the recovery is still visible. The 2020 fire that swept out of the mountains left gaps along some hillside roads, so new construction and cleared lots still share the view. In return, the upper streets of Littlerock and Juniper Hills get a front-row seat to the San Gabriels, with the whole valley spread out to the north.