Mount Wilson Trail Race Sierra Madre, CA   May 24, 2025

As one of the oldest trail races in California, the Mt. Wilson Trail Race takes you 8.6 miles from Kersting Court in Sierra Madre to Orchard Camp and back. The elevation gain is over 2160 feet on a winding course that changes regularly due to fire, earthquakes, and erosion. 

The first trail to Mt Wilson was made by the Gabrielino Indians and was used by them when they carried timber from the mountains for use in the construction of the San Gabriel Mission in 1771. The original “Mt. Wilson Trail” was built in 1864 by Benjamin I. Wilson, known as “Don Benito.” In 1889, Harvard College established the first observatory on Mt. Wilson. The Pacific Electric “Red Cars” established their route to Sierra Madre in 1906 until 1950. Literally thousands of people rode the cars to Sierra Madre to hike the Mt. Wilson Trail.

Largely through the efforts of a few dedicated and ambitious Sierra Madre residents, the Sierra Madre Historical Wilderness Area was established by declaration of the City Council on January 24, 1967 and dedicated January 27, 1968. On October 12, 1993, the Sierra Madre City Council included the Mt. Wilson Trail on the Sierra Madre Register of Historic Cultural Landmarks.