Mount Wilson Observatory Virtual Tour
Parking Lot

Although the idea of a parking lot as an "attraction" may be surprising, there are a few things of note nearby:

Just inside a chain link fence in a clear area beyond the front gate is a plaque commemorating the mountain's first observatory, built by Harvard College Observatory in 1889. This observatory was dismantled just 18 months later.

The scenery to the West and South is spectacular. Glendale and Central Los Angeles are visible just below and on a very clear day one can see the Pacific Ocean and some offshore islands. At sunset, under the right conditions, the green flash can be observed from here.

The mountain to the southwest is Mt. Harvard. A part of the Mount Wilson Toll Road is visible crossing below its summit. This road was the primary access road to Mount Wilson until the Angeles Crest Highway and spur road to Mt. Wilson were opened in 1935.

A plaque located at the southeast end of the lot is dedicated to Benjamin Wilson, a rancher and early Mt. Wilson pioneer for whom the mountain is named.