Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Mt. Wilson via Sierra Madre?

Hi all,
I'll be doing Mt. Wilson next Saturday. I've done it many time the Chantry Flats way, I'll be trying it the Sierra Madre way, off of Mt. Wilson Trail Ave. It's about 7.5 miles one way and 4500 elevation gain.

My question is, what are the trail conditions like? Rocky, or smooth most of the way? Many thanks.

Not bad at all ...
The trail is a bit steeper and more exposed at the beginning, so start early. Also, it's quite steep after Orchard Camp until after Manzanita Ridge. If you use poles, break 'em out for this route. This is a reeally good training hike .. enjoy,
...tg...

This is a great training hike, I went up to Orchard Grove, 4 miles into it, 3 weeks ago, but turned around when there was a sudden cloudburst. This is my favorite way to do Wilson, but I agree, start early and be sure to park on Mira Monte Ave., not Mt. Wilson Trail Drive. I parked there once and was ticketed $70 because it's a "private drive."

Also be on the lookout for rattlesnakes, I've seen them on the lower parts of the trail, where the tall grasses grow near the trail. After that, I've never seen any.

I think you'll really enjoy the hike, it's a great workout and good prep for Whitney in the summer. Have fun.

Great hike! I decided to try it out this morning. Conditions were good even following yesterday's rain, not too muddy. Nice and sunny on the way up to kill the morning chill. Once I reached the toll road there were patches of hail pellets, and the top of Wilson had 2-4 inches of fresh snow, and it was very foggy. It was like entering into another world. Awesome day for a hike!!!

Candace thanks for the tip on not parking on Mt. Wilson Trail, on the way back down I noticed a ticked on one of the cars that were parked on that drive.

Hey Zinge, I was up at Wilson today myself, left about 8:50, took me 5:37 for the whole trip. Were you the guy coming down in the long pants and hat, or the guy with the ponytail? Or perhaps neither, but I saw very few people going all the way to the top today. Conditions up there were like a wet sponge, extremely foggy and I thought *very* cold. But a great hike nonetheless.

For anyone in the LA area who is going to hike Whitney for the first time this summer, I recommend the Wilson hike from Sierra Madre. Of course there's no altitude training, but it's a good training hike, 4400 feet in 7.4 miles, not bad at all. The trail conditions are great, not rocky except in spots, nothing like the hell of Mt. Baldy.

Candace,
I'm thinking we crossed paths close to the top? I was wearing tan pants and a blue hat. I left about 7:30 and and got back to my car around 2:35. I spent about an hour or so up on top wandering around checking out the telescopes and trying to locate the high point. So when I started down would be just about the time you were nearing the top. I took a side trip up Mt. Harvard so you must have passed me at this point. Judging from your times I must have come down right behind you.
Do you have any other suggestions for local training hikes? I'll be doing Whitney for the first time on June 9th and need to log as many miles and as much elevation as possible before then.

Zinge: When hiking before I go to Whitney, my favorites in the Angeles Forest are Mt. Baldy via any route, Cucamonga peak, & Baden Powell from Vincent Gap. The first two are easy to drive to and the last you have to get to from the Angeles Crest highway 2. Good hikes with a reasonable elevation rise (about 3200 - 4000 feet) Obviously San Gorgonio or San Jacinto are higher with a larger elevation rise (5000 feet on any trail to San Gorgonio and San Jacinto from Idyllwild) but they are further away if hiking Mount Wilson is convenient and close.

If you're looking for real workouts in the San Gabriels, Iron Mountain should be on your list. I refer to the Iron Mountain that connects via a ridge to Mt. Baldy, not the one in the Tujunga Canyon area.

The standard hike from the East Fork Ranger Station goes from 2000' to 8000' in 7 miles, but there is some up and down, so the real round trip elevation gain is close to 7200'. The net gain in the last three miles going up is 3500'. It's a nice peak with great views and hardly anyone goes there (presumably for reasons I've already listed).

Zinge: Iron mountain is a real brute of a hike, I think it's harder by far than Whitney, though the altitude isnt comparable, of course. It's 15 miles round-trip and 6,000 elevation gain, April, early May and October are the best months to do this, don't try it in the summer, it's much too hot. It's hike #86 in Robinson's "Trail of The Angels" book.

If you can bear repitition well, Mt. Wilson is good training. You can also do Wilson from Altadena and that is harder than the Sierra madre way you did on Sunday. The Altadena hike is 18 miles roundtrip with a elevation gain of 4,500 feet.

I'd also attempt Baldy via the village church way in May (or any other route). Mt. Baden Powell is very easy and only 8 miles, but if you add on the Islip loop you can get more mileage out of it.

Zinge: Whenever this comes up I notice two trains of thought. Many people just try to get out and do small hikes, building gradually until they head out to Whitney. They know Whitney will be long and hard (mostly due to the 22 miles at high elevation), but know they can do it based on their hiking experience. I certainly don't do hikes harder then Whitney before I go. I just try to hike often and get some "elevation" to help with the adjustment. Higher peaks like Mt. Baldy, San Gornonio and San Jacinto are better for that.

Others seek for hikes that are so hard that Whitney will seem not that hard by comparison. Obviously Iron Mountain is like that, as is Baldy from Baldy Village. If you can do those types of hikes, training is not going to stand in your way.

Either way, go on multiple hikes that you enjoy and Whitney will be a good experience.

I tend to agree with RichardC. I am not big on the idea of training hikes. I just like hiking, and tend to go for hard ones. If you want to do Whitney and you are enjoying hikes that are harder than Whitney, it will be no problem. If you are training to build up to Whitney, doing harder hikes is not a particularly sensible approach.

Anyone know how long the road to Chantry Flats/Santa Anita Canyon will be down?

That's my favorite way up to Mt. Wilson. 90% of the way you're in shade... and you might even see wild trout along the way.

Thanks for all the tips and ideas. I think I will try Iron Mtn. this sunday, before the temps get up too high. Besides I feel like punishing myself. I enjoy hiking and don't mind the shorter hikes, it's just with my schedule(between work and school) I only get Sunday to hike so I have to cram as much hiking as possible in one day.

Chantry Flats is only closed at night, from 10:00 pm until 6:00 am. I drove it the last 2 Saturday's and it's open, though washed out in places and in crummy condition. If you want to go up there in the daytime, you're fine.

Thanks, Candace! I was told a couple weeks ago the road was still out and would remain that way for awhile.

Here is what I have found from hanging out at the Portal over the years during hiking season. Most people who hike Whitney for the first time have significant anxiety. The macho type of guys won't admit it, but anyone with sense will admit to it. They will say this when you're sitting on the patio of the Portal Store. The honest ones always wonder if they have trained enough, are fit enough, how will the altitude affect them, etc.

Doing hard training hikes like San Jacinto, San G., Iron Mtn. and Baldy give the first timer some level of confidence, and that's important to allay their trepidation, right? It's like when you first run a marathon. If you've put in long weekly mileage and done a few 20 mile runs, you know you can finish the marathon without suffering. A hike like Whitney for a fit person is much harder mentally than physically. When the mental battle is won, then it's cake after that.

I honestly don't believe that doing simple hikes like Mt. Baden Powell are going to prepare anyone for Whitney the first time. (Assuming that's all they're doing). I agree that these hikes are scenic, nice and fun, but in strict "training" terms for preparing for Whitney, isn't it better to be throughly prepared than just opt for hikes that are nearby or merely scenic?

I've seen so many unprepared people doing Whitney over the years and I can't imagine how painful it must be for them. You see them sprawled on the switchbacks, utterly spent, and then they have to descend all the way back down to the Portal, probably in agony. Had they attempted something like San G. and washed out on that, they would have known, "I am not ready for Whitney, gotta go back to the drawing board."

My mother in law did Whitney a few years back and had to hike past what she described as an overweight man who rangers were trying to revive from an apparent heart attack. I believe she said that this was just above Lone Pine lake.

Not to scare anyone, but some level of physical fitness, planning and training is required for this hike. If you can hike the mount wilson trail from Sierra Madre to the top and still have a little gas in the tank at the end and if you plan wisely (acclimate for altitude, do it in two days rather than one etc.), you should be able to do Whitney

I do Mt. Wilson a lot, by various routes. IMHO, none of them are half the effort/difficulty of Whitney.

Hiking Mt. Wilson is good exercise, and lots of good exercise is needed to prepare for something like hiking up Whitney. But, if you want hikes in the "if I can do this I can do Whitney for sure" category, I'd suggest something like San Gorgonio via Vivian Creek, San Jacinto from Idylwild, or Baldy from Baldy Village. Hikes like Mt. Wilson help get ready for those.

My two cents... even if you don't have mountains or hills to train on, just carrying a full backpack on a 20+ mile hike will help get your legs ready.

Being on your feet that long is great preparation for Whitney... doesn't matter if you're walking uphill or downhill.

Just finished with this hike a few hours ago. On the way up, I passed a couple of crews repairing parts of the trail that had gotten washed out. I must say, they did an excellent job.