Wilson Canyon Trailhead - #WilsonCanyonTrailhead

Socal - Los Angeles County - Sylmar NickNames: #WilsonCanyonTrailhead wilson canyon

I-210 (Pasadena Freeway) west
exit @ Roxford St. and make a right.

I-210 (Pasadena Freeway) east
exit @ Roxford St. and make a left.

this immediately curves into Olive View Drive
Pass the first stop sign, (olive View Hospital is on your left) the Wilson Canyon Park entrance is on your left 1/2 a block from the stop sign.
Take this road to the top and veer left to the Wilson Canyon Trailhead!!.....Park on the dirt, lock up and enjoy!!,... the L.A. County Police and Rangers keep this area pretty secure:)
Thomas Guide page: 482

26 Review(s)14 Photo(s)Login

• Trail UpdateWilson Canyon Sylmar-Fresh Rain on 1-22-2012 has firmed up the sand on the lower trail. Trail is still somewhat soft but the best condition I have ridden it in a couple of years. Only 2 horses have been up it since the rain. The weather was incredible .
  steel guitar a 51 year old Weekend Warrior riding a 2006 Stumpjumper Classic from Granada Hills

  Posted:01/21/2012

• Trail UpdateLos Pinetos-I just did this trail. It's a shame that the city of Sylmar doesn't maintain the trails like the city of Burbank. It is fun though once you get to the top .
  Julio ortiz a 45 year old Cross-Country Rider from Sylmar

  Posted:09/22/2011

• Trail UpdateWilson Canyon-If you want a nearly impossible ride with 4.5 miles of climbing in sand/soft dirt followed by swarms of gnats, this is your ride. In the past, the first 1.7 miles were a little soft because of the horses. We found only a couple of segments of hard pack today and the rest was sand and soft dirt. We had never experienced a gnat swarm as we did at the top, by the rest room. This road will need some major work before we do it again.
  old gringo a 58 year old Cross-Country Rider

  Posted:09/06/2010

• Trail UpdateA Newbie's Perspective: Bad-I went there last Sunday (5/31)and it was pretty bad. Real sandy and the brush is very overgrown. It looks like the renewed post-fire brush growth is pretty healthy. It appears that the city is doing some construction (water project) at the trailhead. The place is pretty secure though as I saw Rangers patrolling as well
  SFVNewbie a 34 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Giant Boulder

  Posted:06/02/2009

• Trail UpdateOlive View-We rode here on June 7. The bottom two miles are really sandy and loose but the road improves after the turn-off for the equestrians.
  old gringo a 55 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Gary Fisher Paragon

  Posted:06/07/2008

• Trail UpdateBack Of Olive View-The rains and wind have not helped the lowere part of this trail. We rode it today, 11/22, and it is still really sandy on the lower part. After the first couple of miles, it's great.
  Old Gringo a 55 year old Cross-Country Rider

  Posted:11/22/2007

• Trail UpdateConditions Aren't Too Good-The whole lower half of the climb behind the hospital is very soft. Deep dirt/sand like conditions make climbing this pretty ugly. The road does improve a bit the higher up you go.
  Lots of horses around too.

  
  Dirtshark99

  Posted:08/10/2007

• Trail UpdateParking Fee-There IS a fee to park inside the gate, and the Rangers DO check. Leaving your car alone for a couple hours in this area is kinda risky, however, so save the fee and park on the street. With a little exploring, you can find the route up the bridle path (east side of the hospital complex) and around the south and west sides of the dam. Keep an eye open for horses, even at night - I once surprised two equestrians just before 9PM. Of course they didn't have lights, and I heard their jingling bits before I actually saw them. Horses don't seem to like halogens.
  ScottR1

  Posted:02/11/2007

• Trail UpdateParking-Park on the street. Your car is safe there. I ride this at night all the time and never a problem.

  
  Dirtshark99 a 44 year old Cross-Country Rider

  Posted:02/09/2007

• Trail UpdateParking-Is payment required for parking? I noticed at the bottom of the hill there was a sign that said parking was $3. It also said that a ranger would check to confirm payment, or something to that extent. I didn't notice anything mentioned about a price for parking in the directions to the trailhead. Any help on this subject would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.
  morphious4 a Weekend Warrior from Saugus, CA

  Posted:02/07/2007

• Trail UpdateMtn Lion Encounter - 1-18-06-Click on or go to my post below for long-winded details.

  http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=158893

  As a quick aside, the forest service decided to get the dozer out again to "improve" the singletrack connector trail immediately behind Olive View. No more singletrack, for now. Little loose in many spots, for now.
  lmnop2 a 32 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Fisher Sugar 3+ from Sylmar URL: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=158893

  Posted:01/18/2006

• Trail Update11-13-05 Ride-Rode up to Fire Camp No. 9 today. Beautiful conditions, only a little bit of wind to deal with.

  Suprisingly, the Forest Service has decided that now is a good time to do some maintenance along the Wilson Cyn fireroad. A front end loader has graded from the top down to just past the halfway mark, and is likely to go all the way to the bottom in the days ahead.

  With the rain last week, the top is super smooth and hard packed, for now. What was always a fast descent is really fast, no ruts or erosion to contend with. Should stay this way until the next series of rains.
  lmnop2 a 32 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Sugar 3+ from Sylmar

  Posted:11/13/2005

• Trail UpdateOlive View-We rode from the single track in back of the hospital to the top on 10/28. The bottom was a little chewed up from the horses but the fire road was in perfect condition to the top and 3N17 was also in great shape. We rode to the towers above the fire station.
  Gringo a 53 year old

  Posted:10/31/2005

• Trail UpdateOlive View-We rode this one today, 4/2. The bottom part of the trail in back of the hospital has dried out and, other than a few ruts and some sand, is is pretty good shape. The fire road to the top is in excellent condition as is the road at the top (3N17?). We went all the way to the towers above the fire station.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Ride distance: 19 miles Elevation change: +2,400'
  Singletrack=5% Dirt Road=75% Paved Path=20%
  Gringo a 52 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Ellsworth Isis from Chatsworth

  Posted:04/02/2005

• Trail UpdateRode this last night. The bottom section directly behind the hospital is pretty bad. Lots of thick mud and ruts. The amount of horse traffic has torn it up a lot also. Once you get up on the main fire road, its not too bad. a few small slides and ruts. There are about 4 or 5 small creek crossings along the way up. In the 15 years I've been riding this trail, I have never seen so much water. Lots of frogs croaking and hopping along the road. :-) At the bottom it was a fairly warm night but by the time we got to the top, it was cold, rainy, foggy and just plain nasty.
  
  Dirtshark a 42 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Landshark from Santa Clarita

  Posted:03/04/2005

• Trail UpdateWilson Canyon/Los Pinetos-Did this ride today starting at the hospital. Started
  at 8:15 which was way too late. The first two miles
  have lots of loose sections but then it improves.
  Went to the County fire station then down the
  paved road.
  Ride rating: Advanced
  Ride distance: 20 miles Elevation change: +2,300'
  Singletrack=10% Dirt Road=50% Paved Path=40%
  Gringo a 52 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Ellsworth Isis from Chatsworth

  Posted:09/25/2004

• Trail UpdateRode this on Sunday. Parked behind the hospital at 6:30am and did 5 laps consiting of climbing to the saddle and back down to the car. Aprox 50 miles total and not quite sure of the total elevation gain. Its good training for the 12 hours at the summit. Total ride time was 6 1/2 hours.
  The road is starting to get soft in a few spots about half way up but other than that its in good condition.
  
  Dirtshark a 41 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Landshark from Santa Clarita

  Posted:08/04/2004

• Trail Updatethe fire did NOT pass through the saddle. Was up there last night and it came close. Lots of new fire breaks. The fire stopped on the ridgeline of viper, missed the Los Pintos cyn, and continued eastbound
  Dirtshark a 42 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Landshark from Valencia

  Posted:07/23/2004

• Trail UpdateFire...-This one is also being effected by the fire. The fire passed right through Wilson Saddle.
  Steve K a 17 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Mongoose XR-100 from Canyon Country (Santa Clarita), CA

  Posted:07/18/2004

• Trail UpdateFire...-This one is also being effected by the fire. The fire passed right through Wilson Saddle.
  Steve K a 17 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Mongoose XR-100 from Canyon Country (Santa Clarita), CA

  Posted:07/18/2004

• Trail UpdateWilson Canyon-I couldn't find the trailhead from the parking lot so I
  rode back down and took the single track in back of
  the hospital. Some spots were a little muddy or
  sandy, but most of the trail is okay.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Ride distance: 11 miles Elevation change: +2K
  Singletrack=15% Truck Trail=85%
  Gringo a 51 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a Ellsworth Isis from Chatsworth

  Posted:12/10/2003

• Trail UpdateGood-i forgot to update this trail last time I rode it. It is very similar to the San Fernando Viper, and is especially great downhill from Fire Camp #9. It is challenging and steady downhill.
  Ride rating: Novice
  Ride distance: 7 miles Elevation change: -800ft.
  Truck Trail=100%
  Steven K. a 16 year old Weekend Warrior riding a Mongoose XR 100 from Canyon Country, CA

  Posted:08/14/2003

• Trail UpdateLos Pinetos Trail (Sylmar)-Park behind Olive View Medical Center, look for signage (Los Pinetos) for start of trail next to wash.
  I ride this trail 1 or 2 x per week. It starts off as a short single track (approx 1/2 mile) then joins fireroad for climb to top (4.5 miles total). Descending options include advanced single track ride down or returning down fireroad. Current conditions are sandy due to lack of moisture. Watch for hikers and horses when descending fireroad.
  Ride rating: Intermediate
  Ride distance: 4.5 miles Elevation change: 1500??
  Singletrack=10% Dirt Road=90%
  xdodgersfan a 30's year old riding a giant ac

  Posted:09/18/2002

• Trail UpdateWilson Canyon Sylmar-Once i am at the saddle, i stay on the trail to where the pavement takes you back downhill behind Veterans Park. It is an easy loop with a killer pavement downhill at the end.
  L.C. Sylmar, 37, riding a 93 Marin
  Truck Trail=100%

  Posted:06/02/2000

• Trail UpdateLos Pinetos Trailhead-This can be accessed via/ Wilson Canyon Park.>>
  Take the above mentioned ride, and head left when you come up on the fire road, when passing the water tower, veer left, you will again 1/4 mile down need to veer left again... ride another 1/2 mile and you'll see the abandoned corral and trailhead here!! Too bad its not sposed to be open ....You will now notice you also access this string of trails from the street here, DON't,... you'll get a ticket for tresspassing just by parking there.. silly, but true!!

  The trails here are for equestrians, but the nice recent morning moisture has made this entire area a little more packed!! early mornings have been VERY pleasant!
  I have fund even more single track, and back trails that have made these runs more enjoyable.... NOTICE: BE SURE TO STAY OFF OLIVE VIW/UCLA MEDICAL CENTER PROPERTY< the rangers and police are not to friendly to cyclists trying to get into "restrictrd areas",... there are plenty of single track and trails for us to abuse otherwise, so dont worry bout it!! If ANYONE needs some help with navigating this area or any other Q's on these traiheads, feel free to email me..
  Ride rating: Novice
  Ride distance: varies Elevation change: 500' - 1000'
  Singletrack=10% Dirt Road=40% Truck Trail=50%
  KRASP a 25 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a XCR-3000 from Sylmar, Cali.

  Posted:05/24/2000

• Trail UpdateWilson Canyon Truck Trail-from the Wilson Canyon Trailhead, follow the road after the gate till it ends and takes you under the arched oak!! take this trail up a bit and you will before you know it be on the Wilson Canyon Truck Trail, this leads you to the Santa Clara Truck Trail, and over to the May Canyon Truck Trail (Thomas Guide pps 4461 and 4462) There are loads of cool side trails and singletrack throughout!!:)
  Ride rating: Novice
  Ride distance: varies Elevation change: 2-3000'
  Singletrack=17% Dirt Road=2% Paved Path=1% Truck Trail=80%
  KRASP a 25 year old Cross-Country Rider riding a XCR-3000 from Sylmar, Ca.

  Posted:05/08/2000