This hike definitely kicked my butt! This was a beautiful hike, but it felt so long. It took about 7 1/2 hours to hike, excluding the time we spent at the top eating. This hike is great with company, I went with my boyfriend and friend. We started at Chantry Flats and came back down the way we came. We didn't do the loop some people have taken while hiking Mt. Wilson. We thought the way down was going to be easier than the way up, but after the hike, we think the way up was way easier. I have some knee issues, due to years of playing lacrosse, so going downhill was a little tough. This hike felt long! It felt like it was never ending. I was so glad I had company because I can't imagine how much longer it would have felt. I think the toughest part of the hike was the last mile making up to the top. There was no shade at the last mile, because of a fire, and it was starting to get hot. We definitely slowed down the last mile because of the heat. The weather was great and the hike was beautiful. There was tons of shade throughout this trail, with the exception of the last mile. We got o Chantry Flats around 8:30, but if I could do it again, we would definitely be there earlier because when we had that last mile to go, it was around 12:00 and it got hot. We are from San Diego, so we had to drive two hours to get there. Also the parking at Chantry Flats is very limited. We actually paid $20 for a private lot. At the top, the view was beautiful, but we could not find the Mt. Wilson sign anywhere. There also was a little cafe that sold food, which was fantastic because we were pretty hungry by the time we got to the top. The food is a little pricey, but it was very good. Overall, this hike was beautiful, it just felt incredibly long.