The toll road can be long but you do avoid the sun for about 4 miles in.. after that the exposure to heat can be rough.  The final stretch is tough but doable.  Bugs last couple miles but nothing a bug net can’t fix.

Mt. Wilson offers some great rewards at the top such as a visitor center, observatories including one that you can actually go inside to explore if you have the fuel to climb three sets of stairs. You can also hike an extra half mile to get to the overlook to take a picture with the sign.  On our day we got fantastic backdrop of Mt. Baldy with its beautiful snow cap peak.

Additionally, the Cosmic Cafe was open so it was nice to have a refreshment before making the way back to trail head.

It was nice to take a breather at the cafe under the shade to take in all the views.