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Mount Wilson
Hiking Trail
Hard
13.56 mi
4,900 ft
Towering above the Los Angeles metro area, Mount Wilson is a formidable—but rewarding—objective.
Mount Wilson towers above the Los Angeles metro area, soaring to a height of 5,712 feet above sea level. This height is impressive because the mountain literally does rise from sea level! Hikers can climb the entire height of Mount Wilson on beautiful singletrack hiking trails beginning right on the outskirts of Altadena.
The climb to the mountain top is steep and strenuous. Blocky rock steps are at times so massive that you may be forced to scramble up them. Some sections of trail are extremely narrow and feature steep drop-offs down the mountainside. Other sections of trail provide beautiful dirt to hike on, dipping into deep forest, and then breaking out into scrub oak with beautiful views of the city below.
All things considered, Mount Wilson isn’t an extremely dangerous trail by any stretch of the imagination. The most challenging aspect of conquering the climb is the distance and the elevation gain. If you seek to climb all the way to the summit and hike back down, you must be just as prepared as you would for a remote peak hike in the Sierras, even though you begin in suburbia.
That said, there are ways to shorten this hike, as a paved road runs all the way to the summit, where the Mount Wilson Observatory is located. You could easily set up a shuttle so you only have to do the hike one-way—either uphill or downhill, depending on your preference.
However you choose to tackle Mount Wilson, you’re in for a rare Los Angeles hiking gem! Written by Greg Heil
Mount Wilson towers above the Los Angeles metro area, soaring to a height of 5,712 feet above sea level. This height is impressive because the mountain literally does rise from sea level! Hikers can climb the entire height of Mount Wilson on beautiful singletrack hiking trails beginning right on the outskirts of Altadena.
The climb to the mountain top is steep and strenuous. Blocky rock steps are at times so massive that you may be forced to scramble up them. Some sections of trail are extremely narrow and feature steep drop-offs down the mountainside. Other sections of trail provide beautiful dirt to hike on, dipping into deep forest, and then breaking out into scrub oak with beautiful views of the city below.
All things considered, Mount Wilson isn’t an extremely dangerous trail by any stretch of the imagination. The most challenging aspect of conquering the climb is the distance and the elevation gain. If you seek to climb all the way to the summit and hike back down, you must be just as prepared as you would for a remote peak hike in the Sierras, even though you begin in suburbia.
That said, there are ways to shorten this hike, as a paved road runs all the way to the summit, where the Mount Wilson Observatory is located. You could easily set up a shuttle so you only have to do the hike one-way—either uphill or downhill, depending on your preference.
However you choose to tackle Mount Wilson, you’re in for a rare Los Angeles hiking gem! Written by Greg Heil
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Mt. Wilson trl to Orchard Camp | 3.45 mi | 2,001 ft | 11.0% |
| Sierra Madre to Manzanita Ridge | 5.01 mi | 3,179 ft | 12.0% |
| Mile 1 | 0.96 mi | 646 ft | 12.7% |
| Mt Wilson Trail Climb | 0.30 mi | 240 ft | 14.9% |
| Mile 2 | 1.01 mi | 564 ft | 10.5% |
| Mt Wilson Trail Climb | 0.38 mi | 344 ft | 17.0% |
| Auburn Ave Climb | 1.14 mi | 817 ft | 13.6% |
| mile 3 | 1.00 mi | 466 ft | 8.3% |
| Mt Wilson Rd Climb | 3.97 mi | 2,972 ft | 14.2% |
| Unnamed Rd Climb | 0.34 mi | 279 ft | 15.3% |
| mile 4 | 1.00 mi | 663 ft | 12.5% |
| Mt Wilson Trail Climb | 0.91 mi | 689 ft | 14.2% |
| Mile 5 | 1.00 mi | 866 ft | 16.3% |
| Mile 6 | 1.00 mi | 610 ft | 11.5% |
| Final Push | 0.83 mi | 584 ft | 13.2% |
| Mt Wilson Trail Climb | 0.63 mi | 509 ft | 15.2% |
| Mt Wilson Descent to Sierra Madre | 5.52 mi | -4,357 ft | -14.9% |
| Mt Wilson Trail Climb | 0.20 mi | 135 ft | 12.1% |