I have been doing a lot of hikes on the Mt. Wilson Trail recently working on a plant list for the trail, and I have been surprised by the floral abundance that is in evidence right now. The rains we had in March appear to have germinated a great number of things. The Mt. Wilson Trail is one of the historic old trails leading into the front range of the San Gabriel Mts, and it is 7.5 miles from the trailhead to the Mt. Wilson observatory complex. The trail begins about 3 blocks from my house so it's very convenient for me to walk up it. A few years ago a connector trail was created that goes from the Mt. Wilson Trail over to the trail leading up to Jones Peak (see above photo) from Bailey Canyon Park in Sierra Madre. The loop from the trailhead of the Mt. Wilson Trail over to Bailey Canyon Park is about six miles in length. This photo gallery is from that whole loop and thus includes only a portion of the Mt. Wilson Trail. Jones Peak is named after Charles Worthington Jones, the first mayor of Sierra Madre, who served from 1907 to 1914 and died at the age of 99 in 1967. Bailey Canyon is named after Mr. R.J. Bailey who homesteaded there in 1875. Non-native taxa are indicated by an asterisk next to the common name. |