Manzanita Ridge

For being a ridge, there is not much of a view from here. But there is a bench here that provides a nice place to rest for a while… on your way to Mt Wilson. You will see the Mt Wilson antennas from here though.
From the Mt Wilson Trail that starts from Sierra Madre it is 5.2 miles to this bench. And from the bench it is another 2 miles to Mt Wilson at 5,710 feet.

4.5 stars for the workout. This is no beginner’s hike, so be prepared for a tough hike. It is about 10.5 miles round trip from the Sierra Madre starting point. The trail is mostly single file and smooth without many loose rocks under foot, but there are areas that are a bit rocky that you must maneuver over.
The first ¹⁄₃ of the hike is basically unshaded, so go early in the morning to beat the summer heat. The latter ²⁄₃ is mostly wooded with dappled sunlight. The hike starts with a fairly steep incline right off the bat. After 1+ miles, you will see a sign directing you to go left up the hill to reach Manzanita Ridge in 3.9 miles. You will then reach Orchard Camp and see a sign to continue on for 1.9 miles. This is the part that is really tough, especially the last mile I would say. It is pretty much straight up with a very steep incline most of the way. You will know you have reached your destination when you come to a landing with the infamous Manzanita bench!
Views are nice but not spectacular. Take a breather here, then go back down, OR brave another 2.4 miles to Mt Wilson…
parking — free residential street parking

This is the 5 ½ mile mark going up on the Mt. Wilson Trail.
If you make it to the «bench» where the signs are, you are little over 2 miles from reaching the top of Mt. Wilson. The Mt. Wilson Trail will soon merge onto Mt. Wilson Toll Road after Manzanita Ridge but it will split again. You’ll have to stick to the right to stay on the Mt. Wilson Trail to reach the parking area of Skyline Park where the Cosmic Café and the observatory are. If you stay on the Toll Road, you will end up by the outer gate of Skyline Park by the towers.
It’s quite a challenge reaching this point but if you get this far you might as well go all the way to the top, I say!

Great and challenging trail. The toughest part is between Orchard Camp and Manzanita Bench. I have one complaint about the signage. At the base of the trail it says 3.5 miles to Orchard, and 7 miles to Mt. Wilson. At Orchard the sign says 2 miles to Manzanita, and 3.5 to Mt. Wilson. So far So good. When you get to Manzanita the sign says 2.25 miles to Mt. Wilson, not the 1.5 you would expect, making it a 15.5 mile round trip, not the 14 miles that the sign at the base suggests. Having hiked it, it felt more like 15.5 than 14.
Anyway, Manzanita bench is a nice place to stop and rest. We had a picnic lunch before deciding whether to head back or push on to the summit. We kept going and were glad of it. Took a full 8 hours to complete the round trip, but we were slow.

One of the oldest trails (Mt. Wilson Trail) in Southern California, which is accessed from Manzanita Ridge. You can either continue up to Mt. Harvard and eventually to Mt. Wilson or return via Upper Winter Creek, which drops you into Chantry Flats. People who hike to Manzanita Ridge, typically get there via the Mt. Wilson Trail, starting in Sierra Madre. It’s about a 11 mile out and back with roughly 3700 feet of ascent.

Hiked 1÷8÷12
So originally wrote this as my review of the Mt Wilson hike. but I didn’t do the full Mt Wilson hike… and looking now, I didn’t do the full Manzanita Ridge hike either… just a 1.5mi or so shy. (same start point, but only 3.5 miles up)
Def a more difficult hike. There are some steeper areas and it’s a steady, if not steep incline the whole way.
That day my friends and I only did ½ of the full trail to the summit. We started from the trail head on Mira Monte (street parking). We headed up 3.5 miles (about 1.5 mi before Manzanita Ridge) and then did 3.5 mi back down. We started around 9:45am just before 10, took about 1.5−2 hrs to get up and then about 1 hr to get down (jogging down hill).
I enjoyed the hike. Take your time. Bring water and a hat/​visor. There are some areas of the trial that have no shade. With the full SoCal sun and the steepness of that trail, this could be killer. Luckily this Sunday there was a nice cool breeze so these areas weren’t so bad. But there isn’t always a breeze.
There are slippery areas from fallen leaves and lose gravel. But The trail is well maintained. The recent winds had blown down a few trees but it looks like park services have cleared out trail and cut the trunks that blocked the paths.
There are dogs on this trial, but people seem to be very considerate and they don’t leave a mess. This trail can get pretty busy and the street parking crowded.

The Old Mt. Wilson Trail is one of the best trails you can hike during the cooler winter months in California.
The hike is about 10.5 miles, with a 3500 ft gain in elevation. Great for those who love liking like us PHP’s.
You start off at Manzanita Ridge and and hike your way to First Water. From there you can go down to the falls or continue up to Orchard Camp. From Orchard Camp, hike the ridge up — 10.4 miles round trip with 3,500′ elevation gain/​loss (Shorter hike options: First Water — 3 miles rt with 980′ elevation gain/​loss and Orchard Camp — 7 miles rt with 1,990′ elevation gain/​loss)
Great views and an awesome workout for the legs. Its a real but burner. You will be about 2 miles from Mt. Wilson, so you can continue on if your still ready to roll.

Mostly adding additional comments:
At Orchard Camp you’ll want to go left at the Winter Creek junction (the trail is signed toward Manzanita Ridge/​Mt Wilson).
Once at the bench you can continue on to Mt Wilson if you wish (left as you face the bench, also signed). It’s another ~2 miles to the summit, but the grade eases up. There was water on the summit as of ~ 1 month ago (continued availability likely subject to CA budgetary constraints).
Logistics: No nightly trail closures or need for an Adventure Pass, although Sierra Madre has overnight parking restrictions.
Map: Tom Harrison’s Mt Wilson map
This is in my standard rotations of trails. Nice single track + somewhat grueling climb = fun in my book

The Old Mt. Wilson Trail is one of the first trails (maybe the first) developed at least a 100 years ago. As with many of the trails, it became a sort of tourist destination, setting up lodging and camping areas about halfway up (now called Orchard Camp, although back in the day referred to as Halfway House due to being halfway to Mt. Wilson).
The hike I’m describing goes up about ¾ of the way to Mt. Wilson. 10.5 miles, 3500 ft gain in elevation. Not for beginners.
You begin the hike at the intersection listed. Follow up the pavement of the Mt. Wilson trail road and on the left just about a turn you’ll see the trailhead. Follow this dirt path. The first 1 ½ miles is basically uncovered and decently steep, about 1000 ft gain. You’ll arrive a fork with a sign for ‘First Water’. Head down the right and relax around the stream and rocks for a bit. I suppose there would be more if it rained once in a while.
When your finish, head back up and keep trucking toward Orchard Camp, which is another 2 miles and 1000 ft ascent away. This section is covered, but don’t go frolicking off the path as there is a bit of poison oak.
After over a mile or so you’ll come to a bend in which you’ll turn right, although it also seems possible to turn left. Going left goes down a little canyon that eventually climbs up and out, onto a connector trail that actually heads up to between Jones and Hastings Peaks as described in the Bailey Canyon hike.
Anyways, turning right, you’ll go a bit further and notice a small trail on the right. This opens up quickly to an apparently old helipad that may be worth checking out for some views.
Continue up, and you’ll reach Orchard Camp. Rest a bit and eat something, as the final ¹⁄₃ will be strenuous. Continue up the path in which you’ll hit a series of steep switchbacks, finally hitting a straight away that continues ascent along the side of the mountain. Watch out of the trail around here as some parts are loose, and last time I went, there were some fallen trees covering part of the trail you’ll have to walk over.
After about a mile you hit Last Water, which, well really there isn’t any water now, but still, it’s a landmark. After this point, you’ll really notice a change in the plants. The last portion is steep, but finally you will hit an opening with a newly built wooden bench. This is your final destination.
Return the way you came. Enjoy