Nov 28, 2017 — This hike starts at the Sam Merrill Trailhead, which leads up a popular trail to Echo Mountain, where you can find plaques and remains of old railroad supplies, the Mt. Lowe Railway Historical Marker. Continue up the Castle Canyon Trail to Inspiration Point, and then follow the Mt. Lowe Road for a short time until the Mt. Lowe East Trail materializes on the right. Hit the Mt. Lowe summit (a short side trip) before continuing to Mt. Markham, and then backtracking and heading to the summit of San Gabriel Peak.
In order to make this a sort-of-loop, I followed the Mt. Lowe Road back to where I left it on the way up, and despite being a dirt road rather than a trail, it gave some awesome views. After a few miles, it met up with the Sam Merrill Trail, a really nice hillside trail that lead back to Echo Mountain, and back down the way I came.
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