----. ------r-' ------· ------72 Hike #52 TRAILS OF THE ANGELES One Hundred Hikes 73 Sam Merrill Trail-Altadena to Echo Mountain Nothing but ruins :remain today. To commemorate 24 what once was here, 4¼ bronze plaque is embedded in 5 miles round trip; 1400' elevation _gain -cement n-e1-t theto o)d inclinebullwheel. Among the foun· Classification: Mo,derate dat.fons,young Coulter pjnes anci incense cedars, planted Season: Novembe:r-May by conservation groups in 1941 and 1948, are growing tall. Topo maps: Pasadena, Mt. Wilson This trip takes you up the Sam Merrill Trail to Echo Mountain, gives you a guided tour of where once stood the White City, and returns you the same way. 'FEATURES If lit wer-e not !o-r t'he efforts ,of a han-OlfoI of public­ DESCRIPTION s_pi.i.itced and :sent.imen(t:.al Pata((lenaand Att.ad,ena cid�zens, Drive tothe north end of Lake Avenue in Altadena and ) theMou 1lllt Lo�\e1?ailwey would h·e ail baatforgottentoday. park alongside the road. To your right (east.), marked by a "f;h.ese people Illfl'<',e giwen &el!:Ay,;,{ tiae ir' tUirilieiarrnd i:effort in sign painted on a stone pillar, is the beginning of the Sam -.r:est.0.-atiiwe prn j,_ e-ct.s, :ev.ralbl!ing::ttGm a ,1/1£. w[siwr t4Jlrefo,-"e som� Merrili Trail to Echo Mountain. ) ,if t�:s bygor�:e ,era wtnm es.b!ce tetu,s ra!.ld tr&1fa,yi dunbed Follow the trail east alongside a fence, then rlown high on the itntDuI'lte.in.. \ , across Las Flores Canyon, and up the eas�- sbpe of fie 0,!ll'e 'Of these •v.ohrntee.r 'e.ffort'SW/&5' tb.e co:r:.s'.trm:Uon Md canyon. After three zigzagg;r!g miles, JO\.! reach L'1e ·:dge maintemmtMount Lowe Railway, incline bed,descending 1300' intoRubio Canyon. (Do not Echo Mountain was knownas "The White City." Perched descend the incline; footingis looseand it is dangerous.) on top were two hotels-Echo Mountain House and The East of the Echo Mountain House .site, 100' down the Chalet-a powerhouse, a machine shop, a dormitory, a ridge, is the site of theChalet. Nothing remains of this first reservoir, a small zoo, the Mt. Lowe Observatory and, so it "hotel. The Mt. Lowe Observatory,housing a 13-inch tele· would not be forgotten after dark, the world's most power­ scope, was located behind Echo Mountain, ¼ mile up the ful searchlight. Allbut the searchlight were painted white, ridge. Directly below the observatory was the reservoir. clearly visible from the valley below. To reach the White : {Several sections of the trailwere washed out following the City, tourists were hoisted up the cable incline in "White -Pinecrest frre in 1979 and heavy rain in February 1980. Chariots." 'Volunteer work has now made the trail passable, but ' Through a series of fires and windstorms,· the White -proceed with care. Inthe event new washouts occur on the -' City was destroyed-Echo Mountain House frrsq1900), precipitous middle section, proceed direc�y up the ridge , then all but the observatory (1905), and finally the obser­ from the powerline crossing, hal{way· .up, to Echo Moun· vatory itself (1928). The incline was abandoned in 1938. tain, steep but not difficult.) • ..l . ·. · _ ' . ' f' -·.:·... ---7-����-!'---��--��-