The old Mount Wilson Toll Road was built to haul telescope parts to the summit of Mt. Wilson, including those of the 100-inch Hooker Reflector, the world's largest telescope for 31 years. The original 4 foot wide trail was officially opened to the public in 1891 and the toll was set at 25 cents for hikers and 50 cents for riders. In 1917 it was widened to its final 12 foot width.
Note as of November, 2005, the bottom end of Mt Wilson Toll road is closed by a landslide and the gate on Pinecrest Drive is closed. The cache should still be accessible coming down from Mt. Wilson above. However, this would entail a 6 mile walk and 2700 ft elevation change **one way**. There's also another switchbacked hiking trail up from Eaton Canyon that intersects the Toll Road above the lower landslide. For now, we're upping the terrain difficulty until trail conditions are improved. Please be careful out there.
**Old description --- The old toll road begins at 2260 Pinecrest Drive, Altadena. Walk through a gate (open between sunrise and one hour after sunset). They really do lock the gate at night. If you're caught inside, there is an exit 0.65 miles downstream on the west side of the stream at Roosevelt Ave. and Altadena Dr. There's also an exit at Eaton Canyon Nature Park about 0.8 miles further downstream.
Henninger Flats has been the site of an experimental forest for more than 70 years. There are ample picnic areas, campgrounds, a visitor center, a short nature trail, and drinking water and restroom facilities that will make this a perfect rest point on the way to the cache.
The cache is approximately a half mile above Henninger Flats near the helipad. We chose a spot under a fallen tree in a pretty, grassy meadow.
We saw 4 deer while we were selecting a hiding spot. Watch out for rattlesnakes. Consider poking around with a stick rather than your hand, and keep in mind that wildlife may take interest in caches. So please avoid leaving any food or dog treats.
A spoiler picture of the cache location as it looked in 2003 is included below, but the area has changed since the fires came through in 2009. You're looking for a large ammo can.