Mount Lukens is a mountain peak of the San Gabriel Mountains, located in Los Angeles County, Southern California.GeographyIt is located in the Sunland-Tujunga community within the northeast corner of the city of Los Angeles, above the Crescenta Valley. The summit, at 5075ft in elevation, is the highest point within the city limits. The summit's elevation makes Los Angeles the largest city with the highest and lowest (sea level) elevation difference in the country.Because of its location, prominence, and proximity to Los Angeles, the summit is dotted with television, radio, and cellular transmission towers. The mountain is also within the boundaries of the Angeles National Forest and Los Angeles County.Name originThe mountain was named after Theodore Lukens, a former supervisor of the Angeles National Forest and later, the mayor of Pasadena, California. Previously, the mountain was known as Sister Elsie Peak. It has been said that she was a Catholic nun who died while caring for the sick during a smallpox epidemic. On the USFS map of 1925, the mountain was shown as Mount Lukens and subtitled Sister Elsie Peak. The identity of Sister Elsie (also referred to as Sister Else) is not certain and the stories surrounding her have not been verified.
