Hiking Trail Guide: Mt Williamson

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Mt Williamson

Distance
5 miles

Elevation
1600 feet gain

Difficulty
4/10

City
Valyermo ,CA (93563) 38.57 miles from you Weather Map

Trailhead
From the 210 freeway in La Canada, take the Angeles Crest Highway (2) and drive 38 miles to the Pacific Crest Trail parking area on the left side of the road (just past the 2 tunnels). This area is called Islip Saddle. The trailhead is on the left side of the parking lot, just behind the rest rooms.

Description

I enjoyed this hike up the slopes of Mount Williamson. You traverse through a somewhat sparse pine forest with spectacular views of the desert to the north and bear canyon to the south. I particularly liked the are near the summit with lush green vegetation in addition to the pines. From the summit, you can see the rippled earth along the San Andres fault off to the north east.

The trail heads up the sloops at a moderate rate for about 2 miles where you hit a junction at the ridgeline and then heads up to the right to the summit. There is one short section with about 200 foot of elevation gain near the top that I would rate strenuous. The summit has a short 100 yard side trail that leads up to it on the left. The trail continues past the summit along Pleasant Ridge for a mile or so, which is an option for those that want to extend their hike a bit (I mistakenly took this route not realizing I had already passed the summit!)

Map / Directions: