This trail was gorgeous! Super scenic with all kinds of trees, fern , climbing ivy and streams. I loved all the cute cabins along the trail as well. It was a perfect day to hike this trail, the weather got up to 44 degrees F at the summit . We dressed in many layers and never had to deal with the famous bug problem because of the cold weather. There was a swarm of bees towards the top that you have to walk through but they leave you alone. We arrived a few min before 6am and the parking lot became full quickly after . We used AllTrails and followed the loop from Gabrielino trail up to the Sturtevant Falls junction then turned left up to Mount Wilson . The switchbacks after mile five are no joke ! I felt those almost a week later ! We took the Manzanita trail and at the bench accidentally turned right into the Sierra Madre trail instead of left to Winter Creek. A crowd had gathered in front of the trailhead blocking the view of it. Luckily I realized we were off path about a 1/2 mile or so in and had to turn around and get back onto the right trail. Heading into Hoegees camp area we chose to take the upper Winter Creek Trail . We were alone on Manzanita Ridge and Winter Creek Trail for a couple hours compared to the busy Sturtevant Trail side. It was really neat to come out of the trail above the parking lot and see our cars below us. We enjoyed taking to dirt trail down to the parking versus having to climb the paved road back up to it! Overall it was a long but great experience!