As you drive into the Angeles National Forest take the Red Box Rd turn-off, which, 5 miles later, dead ends atop 5715ft Mt Wilson. Operating since 1904, this was the world’s top astronomical research facility in the early 20th century and is still in use today.

You can walk around the grounds (download a handy self-guided tour from the website) and visit the museum. Free guided tours run at 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays April to November. The website also has details on how to schedule a viewing session using the 1908 60-inch telescope (half-/full night $1000/1700 for groups of up to 25 people). It’s closed in bad weather.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Angeles National Forest

1.51 MILES

The San Gabriel mountain range that hems in the northern edge of Pasadena and all of urban LA, is part of the Angeles Crest. Its creeks, canyons and…

3. Aztec Hotel

5.88 MILES

This supposedly haunted hotel built in 1925 sports elaborate Mayan Revival–style detail and once housed a speakeasy where Hollywood celebs knocked 'em…

4. California Institute of Technology

7.04 MILES

With 34 Nobel laureates among its faculty and alumni (not to mention that it's the fictional setting of TV's The Big Bang Theory), it’s no surprise that…

5. Pasadena City Hall

7.21 MILES

Pasadena's 1927 city hall is on the National Register of Historic Places and a prime example of California Mediterranean-style architecture.

7. Mack & Jackie Robinson Memorial

7.28 MILES

This pair of giant heads depicts the Robinson brothers, groundbreaking athletes who spent their formative years here in Pasadena. Jackie (1919–72) gained…

8. Jet Propulsion Laboratory

7.3 MILES

Operated by Caltech, JPL is NASA’s main center for robotic exploration of the solar system. It's about 7 miles north of the main Caltech campus. It’s best…