Mount Burnham is one of the highest peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains.

In 1956, Mount Burnham was added to the list of Signature Summits by the Hundred Peaks Section of the Sierra Club.

Most of the forest on Mount Burnham and along the trail consist of plants native to the region.

Other plants of note include Holodiscus microphyllus, Monardella cinerea, Eriogonum umbellatum, Oreonana vestita, Cycladenia humilis, and the rare, local yellow-flowered Peirson's lupine (Lupinus peirsonii).

The area is occasionally visited by bighorn sheep and a rare mountain lion.