Home › Forums › Ask a Question › Mt. Wilson in snow
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December 30, 2016 at 1:17 pm #87400Kelly CParticipant
I have not done Mt. Wilson yet, but have been told it is not a good idea in the snow. Is that true? I was planning on going Sunday the 1st, and it’s supposed to be raining/snow through tomorrow night.
December 30, 2016 at 7:33 pm #87407Jeff HesterKeymasterIt’s very unusual that there would be much snow on Mt Wilson. The snow level woul have to be well below 6,000 feet. It’s generally okay to hike year round, but on those rare occasions after a big snowstorm, you might want to wait a day or two.
December 30, 2016 at 10:47 pm #87412Kelly CParticipantThank you Jeff. I appreciate the quick response. I’m going with a couple other people, who have done Mt. Wilson a few times already. They said that we’re all good, so I guess that means I’m all good too. Thanks again.
January 1, 2017 at 7:54 pm #87458EricParticipantI was just there today! There is a little bit of snow off-trail, and there was some ice at the parking lot at the observatory, but nothing to be concerned about.
January 1, 2017 at 8:29 pm #87461Kelly CParticipantYes. We did do Mt. Wilson today too. Probably saw you. No snow on the trail, and a little snow/ice at the observatory area.
January 4, 2017 at 4:34 pm #87564Dean DParticipantI held off going today because there was rain in the forcast. It wasn’t until the afternoon and we could have made it up and back, but better safe than sorry. Was planning to reschedule for Friday when there’s no rain in the forcast. Do the trails close 24 hrs after a rain or should I be ok to go?
January 5, 2017 at 9:08 pm #87601Jeff HesterKeymasterI held off going today because there was rain in the forcast. It wasn’t until the afternoon and we could have made it up and back, but better safe than sorry. Was planning to reschedule for Friday when there’s no rain in the forcast. Do the trails close 24 hrs after a rain or should I be ok to go?
Do you live in OC? 🙂
No, the trails up Mt Wilson do not close when it rains. They can get slippery though — so bring trekking poles and shoes with decent tread.
January 6, 2017 at 9:07 pm #87665Dean DParticipantVery close to OC I can walk a mile and I’m in La Habra.
Wilson Trail Update. It wasn’t so wet or slippery. No poles, used my regular hiking shoes.
I don’t know if other SoCal hikers have encountered this issue, but Chantry Flat Road was CLOSED today. We got there just as an employee was pulling up (actually we beat him there, he pulled up behind us @ 6:30). We thought he was going to open the gate, but he informed us due to rain, there was debris on Chantry Flat Road and it was Closed. He said to check with Sierra Madre PD to find out when it would be open. Instead of turning around going home, determined to summit we drove about a mile West and picked up the Mt. Wilson trail (parked on the street, No adventure pass needed).
The hike was the same mileage (14 round trip.) but instead of starting at 2070 ft that Chantry flats is, we started at 960 ft making it a total of 4750 elevation gain. It was significantly Strenuous. Not knowing what to expect it was a fantastic alternative. Local community members maintain the trail, it was very well kept. Unlike the inner route, much of the LA basin can be seen most of the first half of the hike.
Exactly 1/2 way there are ruins of Orchard Store that was built in the early 1900s by Don Benito Wilson. It was a resting point and “fruit stand” available for workers who were packing material up to the peak. All in all a fantastic Day!
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