Iron Mountain #1

Iron Mountain #1 is by far the hardest single peak hike in all of the Angeles Forest. Big Iron was originally called Sheep Mountain by the local miners for all the bighorn sheep that used to call the area home. The hike delivers stunning views of Rattlesnake Peak as well as Ontario Peak, and the 360 degree panorama from the top includes Baden Powell, Mount San Antonio, Dawson Peak and Pine Mountain #1.

Route 1 describes the starting area and the turn off onto Heaton Flat Trail (near the toilet). The trail is easy to follow as it climbs the canyon, crosses a saddle and then keeps climbing to Allison Saddle, named for the nearby Allison Gold Mine, where you can leave some water for the long hike back. From that saddle, the hike really gets challenging as the trail goes up and down at least 7 times before reaching the summit and trail can be loose and slippery. This hike is best done in spring after any snow has melted, or in the fall when it is cooler, as it can be hot and there is little shade. A few sections are steep enough where your hands will be touching the ground to help you keep your balance. Experienced and well trained hikers looking for a challenge will love this hike. An even more challenging route is to traverse the San Antonio Ridge to Baldy (Iron to Baldy), which involves some third class scrambling and a great deal of additional elevation gain, both going out and on return. Leaving a car at Heaton Flat would allow one to do Baldy to Iron (the direction with the least gain) as a car shuttle hike.