Mount San Antonio

Mount San Antonio, affectionately known as Mount Baldy, is one of the most popular peaks in Southern California and is just a one hour drive from Los Angeles. The views are spectacular: to the north, the distant high desert; around us, steep rugged canyons shouldering marvelous forested mountains (Baden-Powell, Ross, Iron, Pine, Dawson, Telegraph, Thunder, Cucamonga, Ontario, and more).

There are many routes to climb up Baldy that offer something for everyone. The most popular is the so-called ski hut trail (route 2), that passes by the Sierra Club San Antonio ski hut where members and guests can stay during certain times of year (check the Angeles Chapter outings calendar for open dates). A popular and more challenging variation is the Register Ridge trail (route 4, named because it leaves the ski hut trail at the sign-in register), which ascends a steep, rocky ridge to rejoin the trail from Baldy Notch at Mount Harwood then on to the summit. If you ascend this way be sure to note where you left the ridge; missing the ridge on return and descending the ridge further east is considerably more difficult terrain. One can also climb up adjacent to the ski lift to Baldy Notch (route 1), with a restaurant for your return when open, then traverse across the Devil’s Backbone to Mount Harwood and the summit. Devils Backbone is an easy but narrow trail on a knife edge ridge with serious drop offs on both sides that with care is quite safe most of the year but becomes dangerous when there is even a modest amount of snow. There are deaths here almost every winter, even among experienced hikers with proper equipment. If you hike to the Notch consider a short short side trip to Thunder Mountain.

If you want more elevation gain, the Bear Creek Trail (route 3), starts from Baldy Village near the visitors center and climbs steeply 6000 feet in 6 miles through very scenic terrain. In winter those inclined toward mountaineering climb directly up the Baldy Bowl by multiple routes with varying levels of challenge. As its ease of access often attracts the inexperienced, accidents and avalanche deaths occur regularly among those climbing the Bowl. Other routes include from the north over Pine Mountain and Dawson Peak and a challenging route to or from Iron Mountain #1 on a narrow ridge with some third class scrambling.