I was too cheap to pay FIVE BUCKS to park at Mount Wilson so I decided to park at the base of the mountain in front of Lizzie’s Inn in Sierra Madre and hike over 7 miles on to the top! If you are a cheapskate like me, then be sure to turn your wheels when parking since it’s on a slight grade or you will get a ticket that’s a lot more than parking. Don’t ask me how I know.

I used the Old Mount Wilson Trail and was thinking, it must be a fairly mellow trail if they were able to bring up the first telescope to the observatory at the peak. Well not exactly. It’s not super hard but any means but not a walk in the park either.

I went on a weekday a few months ago and forgot to post till now. Saw a few deer near the beginning. It was heavily trafficked especially the section to Orchard Camp, which used to be an old resort but was destroyed years ago and all that is left now is a pile of ruins. It is roughly half way to the summit and a great spot for a break. Many people turn around at this junction and the remainder of the hike is moderately trafficked. This section is a moderate hike. The first two miles or so had little shade but afterwards there was some shade.

At about 6 miles in, you will join with the old Mount Wilson Toll road for about half a mile then go on a single track trail to the peak. This is the hardest section of the hike.

After reaching the summit, I wondered around a bit and took the fire road on the way down for a different view.