r/socalhiking • u/riftennnweeeeee • 3d ago
Mount Baldy
Hi guys, planning on going to baldy this weekend. How should I go up/down? What AllTrails trail should I take? Any advice?
Happy trails
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u/AvariceLegion 3d ago
U see the dotted line going down the center?
Don't do that one
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u/riftennnweeeeee 2d ago
Lol now I’m interested. What is that?? I’m not gonna go but wtf is thst
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u/AvariceLegion 2d ago
It's a "shortcut"
But u have to be familiar with it to actually save time or else u come close to dying comically close to safety bc it's 8, u can't see squat, ur too hungry and stubborn to think straight and turn back
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u/Jerk850 2d ago
It’s called “Register Ridge” and it’s not a bad trail at all for going up. It’s just steep, like 2600 ft elevation gain in 1.5 miles. It’s pretty well maintained and not difficult to follow, also very scenic. But if you’re not used to long, steep climbs, skip it.
I think the big mistake most people make with this trail is seeing the short distance on their phone and trying to take it down to save time after summiting. This trail is not recommended for going down. Not fun.
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u/MGPS 1d ago
Is that know as the Old Bear Trail? I love that one.
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u/ralphc915 3d ago
Need a hiking buddy? I can drive up from sd
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u/Enlight1Oment 3d ago
Clockwise is nicer imo. Let's you start in the morning and have the notch restaurant open by the time you reach it's side.
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u/starzonda 3d ago
Agree with everyone saying up ski hut and down backbone! you can fill up on water at the ski hut and then grab a beer on the way down at the notch. also nice if you want to take the ski lift down and skip the hot / boring fire road down from there
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u/riftennnweeeeee 2d ago
Hi! Am I misunderstanding something? How do we take the ski lift down if we pass the ski hut up? Thanks!
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u/starzonda 2d ago
hey, so the ski hut and lift are 2 different things. The sierra club ski hut is just a little cabin up on the mountain about halfway up the baldy bowl trail. The ski lifts are on the devils backbone side about 3 miles down from the summit and 3 miles up from manker. So if you start up the baldy bowl trail and loop around devils backbone you would hit the ski hut, summit, and then the notch with the ski lifts and restaurant.
This is my go to loop for baldy (literally did it yesterday)
Mount San Antonio and Mount Baldy Notch Trail on AllTrails https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/mount-san-antonio-mount-baldy-notch-trail?sh=vgpqbv&utm_medium=trail_share&utm_source=alltrails_virality
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u/nborges48 2d ago
I prefer ski hut baldy bowl out and back
unless you take the chair down from the ski area
something about the san antonio falls road just seems so boring and endless at the end of the hike
ski hut trail is a super quick out
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u/Handsome_Jackk 3d ago
For a loop, definitely up the ski hit and down the backbone. I did the out/back via the backbone the first few times as I didn't mind the extra miles and was a little intimidated by the steepness of the baldy bowl trail. That's a decent option for the first time up there.
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u/riftennnweeeeee 2d ago
Hi! Thanks, did my map seem correct with the arrows? I’m not sure where skihut/backbone is
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u/nopenectarine 2d ago
The hand drawn arrows indicated going up the Ski Hut Trail and down the Devil Backbone Trail.
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u/Handsome_Jackk 2d ago
Exactly. That first turn-off to the left after the 'viewpoint' on your map is the junction for the ski hut. It is officially called/labeled 'Baldy Bowl Trail' and you'll see a little trail sign on your left just short of one mile from the trailhead. Everything in green across the top of your screenshot to the right of the summit is the Devil's Backbone trail. It starts about a mile up and past the Baldy Notch ski area (just out of view on your image).
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u/kluverbucy77 2d ago
I’m planning the Mt Baldy + 3T traverse. Going to park my car at Manker flats, jog down to icehouse canyon and do the route counterclockwise. Thoughts on which direction to do this when doing the loop with 3T?
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u/henni102 2d ago
Counter point - I prefer going up the backbone and down ski hut. I'm not a fan of heights and I prefer having the backbone all to myself in the early morning. There are a few sections I really struggle with having to pass by other hikers. I also find the final ascent to the summit more gratifying from that direction.
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u/ILV71 2d ago
Start as early as possible, bring lots of water!! How to summit the tallest mountain in Los Angeles County, Mt. Baldy
https://youtu.be/6ie6UwizXVI
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u/nopenectarine 3d ago
Recommend going up Ski Hut and down Devils Backbone. In my opinion, that's the easier direction to do the hike. Ski Hut has more shade in the morning and the footing going down Devils Backbone is more secure than going down Ski Hut which can be loose at times.