GPS Data - (see Google Earth photo below):
Basic Hike: 6.6 mi. RT (Out to summit and retrace back)
Alternate Loop RT = 5.7 mi. (yellow trace)
Trailhead = 4930 ft., Max Elevation Change = 1275 ft.
Side Trips:
Summit Ridge: RT = 1.1 (blue trace)
Silver Mocasin trail: RT = 1.0 (red trace)
Trailhead Directions: Drive north on SR-2 (Angeles Crest Hwy.) to mileage paddle 50.60. Turn left into Chilao Campground and proceed 0.7 mi. and park on the left side of the road. You may see the Silver Moccasin Trail sign on the right. There are restrooms at the Visitors Center and at campground that you passed on the way to the trailhead but not at the parking area.
Basic Hike: We walk 0.3 miles further along the road we on which we arrived, to reach the Silver Moccasin Trail. We start hiking north on the Silver Moccasin Trail using switchbacks to gain a slope covered with pines and chaparral. At 1.1 mi. and the edge of Horse Flats Campground we turn left and follow a path about 0.1 miles to the Mount Hillyer trailhead and a sign indicating 2 miles to a summit (the summit is actually 1.7 miles away). Return the way you came.
Proceed up the trail past clusters of Manzanita, scrub oak and Jeffrey pine to a complex of very large boulders. The trail breaks out of the forest onto a firebreak, and before you realize it, you’ve reached the 6,215-foot summit. It is hard to tell when you’ve arrived because the highpoint does not distinguish itself by rising far above the rest of the mountain. Instead, there is a long ridge running across Mount Hillyer that crowns the long summit.
The guides recommend a side hike of about 0.3 miles southwest onto a firebreak for a better viewpoint, or a complete hike along the summit ridge (1 mile). After enjoying the views you can return to the trailhead the way you came.Alternative Loop Return: If you continue down the road past the summit, the fire road narrows to a trail which descends steeply down to the paved Horse Flats Campground turnoff road (distance from the summit 0.5 mi). We now turn right and follow this road 0.7 mile to where we left the Silver Moccasin Trail. We then retrace our steps 1.1 miles down the Silver Moccasin to our cars. Refreshments will be served at the nearby picnic area.
