Mount Wilson experts...

What is the best, maybe "smartest" route down the Darkside from the Observatory....keeping in mind that we have a 2 hour & 15 minute window to get back down into Arcadia for our 2nd shuttle pick-up.

We've done this ride one time before but it's been about two years and we had some locals we followed so we didn't have to pay attention to the route we took. Here's what I do know....
1) We started out on the Rim Trail
2) We popped out at the Chantry Flats TH parking lot and then rode down the paved road to our pick-up spot, essentially one block over from W Foothill Blvd & N Santa Anita Ave.

TIA for your help

 

The only one I know is the Mt Wilson Toll Road, which brings you down to Pinecrest Dr just above Altadena Dr. It'd be almost completely downhill from there, albeit on streets, back over to your pickup spot.

 

The route you did is arguably the best way down. My favorite.

You can also go down Sturdivant trail, which starts over by the Cosmic Cafe. This is the most direct, time-efficient route. Meets up with the Gabrielino above Chantry.
Great downhill. Watch out for hikers! Probably fits your needs best.

Get some!

 

If you want completely new dirt,Another option would be to start down the toll road on the front side then hit upper winter Creek at the bottom you can go left through the canyon and face the hell climb at the end, or go right and finish at the upper parking lot...

First option can be seen here

 

So are you suggesting we go down Newcombs Pass and then hook a left on Sturtevant and take that down to Chantry Flats?

Just from looking at the map, I was wondering if we went down Zion to Lower Winter Creek last time? Like I said, I wasn't paying attention since we had guides.

 

Was the last Mile or so fairly wide and you could go flat out? If so you came down the gabrielino side..... The route you describe with a hook to the left....

If you came down Zion , you would have been climbing directly out of Sturtevant. For a mile and half or so....

 

I know we can to a point where we climbed up and the trail split off. Most of the hikers were going to the right. We went left and actually had to dismount at one point about 100 yards up the hill over what I think was a man-made bridge or stairs or ??? We then kept climbing pretty tight single track that was all makeable. I do remember that as we came down the last trail towards the parking lot, there were about 300 hikers we passed.

FWIW, we normally do the Enduro Tour on the other side of the mountain and we were all surprised on how much more climbing we *seemed* to be doing on the Darkside stuff

 

The trail down to Newcombs pass is the Rim trail. There you can connect to the Gabrielino trail down to Chantry.
Sturdivant trail drops immediately off Mt Wilson and connects to the Gabrielino further down the canyon.

If you climbed over Zion, from either direction, you would remember it. Either a steady 1 mile climb on exposed singletrack or a steady 1.5 mile, switchbacked, climb with hab sections.

 

Thanks...

 

That looks fun!

 

We ended up taking the Rim Trail which was SUPER soft in many places and not rideable in a few others. We took Sturtevant down the rest of the way. All of much preferred the way we went down the last time which was UP the Mount Zion Trail and then down Winter Creek. Excellent day had by our group but we did run across a guy that broke his collar bone 1/4 down the Rim Trail and had to walk all the way to Chantry Flats.