Winter Creek Trail #11W20

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.