Winter Creek Trail #11W20

Dogs Leashed

Features Fall Colors · Views · Wildlife

An Adventure Pass is required to park at Chantry Flat. The lot fills early on weekends. Please don't cut switchbacks, as it causes trail damage and harms natural resources.

There is often confusion over the names for the trails in the Winter Creek Area. Officially there is the Lower Winter Creek Trail #11W15, Upper Winter Creek Trail #11W23, and this one that connects the two other trails with the Mt. Wilson Trail #11W22. It begins at the junction with those trails and steadily climbs, steeply at times, up a series of long switchbacks. Fortunately, it is well shaded with oak, bay and maple trees, and an impressive grove of bigcone spruce.

As it approaches a ridge, there is an unsigned junction with a trail leading to the top of the ridge. This was the old trail that used to follow portions of the ridge and had a section on the hotter south side. Fortunately, it was rebuilt on the cooler north side (right turn) and gently climbs up to a saddle with a bench ending at a junction with the Mt. Wilson Trail #11W22.

From the junction it is about 2 miles to the top of Mt. Wilson. There are many fine loop opportunities when combined with the Sturtevant Trail #11W16 and Gabrielino Trail (NRT) 11W14.

The trail is shaded by oaks, bay, maple, and bigcone spruce trees. Nice manzanita bushes and currants grow along the way. Watch for abundant poison oak. Deer are often seen. Bears are shy around people.