Hiking: Mt. Baldy

While on vacation in SoCal, my son and I decided to hike Mt. San Antonio (aka Mt. Baldy). Mt. Baldy has LA's highest point at 10,064 feet. The hike is around 11 miles. The hike up was brutal but making it to the top make it worthwhile.

We hiked what is known as the Baldy Loop route. Our day started at the Manker Flats trail-head. We planned on stopping at the visitor station to buy a National Parks Adventure Pass but they were closed. We did not want to get towed but did want to get started so we put a note on our dashboard promising to buy one later if they did not tow us. They didn't tow our vehicle so maybe this is not a very strict requirement. 

Here is a map at the beginning of the trail

This is a view of the trail from the other side

I got the next two pictures here.

This is the beginning of the trail

We decided to take a left turn up the Baldy Bowl Trail. This trail is easy to miss. It is about a mile into the hike but there is a sign. If you miss it, you can always take the Devil's Backbone trail up. 

Turn left here to go up the Baldy Trial

The San Antonio Falls were not impressive in the middle of the summer.

San Antonio Falls overlook

 The Baldy Trail starts out looking pretty daunting because it is really steep at first but is quite enjoyable as you get up the initial climb.

One thing that we were concerned about was getting lost so these signs are very helpful.

Just below the ski hut, we found a spring. The water was the best tasting water ever!

We made it to the Ski Hut. We ate a couple Clif Bars here and moved on to the worst part of the trail.

Now the steepest part of the hike begins. Remember to always keep going up and right. You will see a trial that goes down but do not go that way! Stay with the trail markers instead.

These poles let you know you are on the right path. You will pass nine trail markers (poles) without a sign just like these.

There are plenty of other trail markers with signs.

Holy Crap! We made it!

Top o' the world, Ma!

And now, we begin down the Devil's Backbone. We were beat down at this point but this is the easiest way down. Most of the people we met turned around and went down the same way they went up because it is a bit faster but we wanted to see new scenery and it was worth it.

Devil's Backbone

There are many parts like this where if you lose your balance, you will fall thousands of feet down and surely die. It is wide enough where this is not really an issue, though.

We got to the Baldy Notch and decided to take the ski lift the final mile. This is the least interesting part of the hike and a nice ride after 7 hours of hiking so we do not think this is cheating. The short ride did cost $15 bucks each though (yikes).

We went on an overcast day in August 2018. We brought five bottles of water and six Clif Bars. The whole thing took a little over seven hours but we explored at the summit more than most do so allow for about seven hours. I had trail shoes but my son had run of the mill sneakers on. We did not use poles. I did not think we needed them but they may have helped during the really steep climb after the ski hut.

Click here to read about my trip to the Palm Springs Tram to San Jacinto.