Mt. Disappointment via Billy Riley Trail

From the 210 Freeway in La Cañada, take California Highway 2 north 14 miles up into the San Gabriel Mountains. Make sure you have your National Forest Pass (sold at REI or Ranger Station) or your Interagency Pass because they have started checking parked vehicles. At the Red Box Picnic area, make a right onto Mt. Wilson Road. About 1,000 up the road and onto the right is a pull-off and dirt parking lot. Up this road, there is a gate with additional parking. This is where the Bill Reilly trailhead begins.

The trailhead is in the apex of the corner behind the parking areas in a gravel gully going up a series of switchbacks. It is not well marked, but you can spot the switchbacks in the loose rock by finding the gabions (cages with rocks in them) holding the trail back. This section is steep so take your time to pace into the hike. The trail is easy to find even in the dark. It rises through Scrub Oak and Manzanita forests as it rises 1,000 feet up onto the plateau. At the top the trail comes out onto the service road. Head left until you see the helicopter pad. To the right is the road to the peak.

Follow the road up to the shortened peak. The military knocked 50 feet off the top to make room for a Nike missile site during the Cold War. Explore the missile pad and rock outcropping on the western face. It offers panoramic views for hundreds of miles above one of the steepest and most prominent mountain faces in the world. Make this trek before sunset, and chill long into the night as the western granite gives off heat from the sun, warming you even though the temperatures drop.

Bust open your IceMule Pack Cooler and share a few Eagle Rock Manifesto beers. The California views here in summer go on forever!

NOTES:

• Dogs are permitted on a leash
• Must have an adventure pass displayed in your vehicle for parking