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 Reporter |
Summary: If you are looking for a beastly hike in the Angeles forest, you want great vistas, and a high elevation trail, then this is your hike. This one is a real butt kicker with nearly a 5000 foot elevation gain over 8.1 miles. You start at the Islip Saddle and immediately begin your climb. The first mile gives you a good feel of what you are in store for most of the way. The second mile into Little Jimmy Campground levels off, and some might want to camp here before taking the rest of this trek along the PCT. You will meet most trekkers coming the opposite direction. From the camp head toward Windy Gap and then take the PCT trail headed up to Mt. Baden Powell. This third mile is another large gainer. The good news is that one you reach this crest, you've already done a lot of the climbing for this trip. There is still plenty left to climb, however, so make sure you bring lots of water, food, and good fitting shoes. You will want to be in top shape for this one. Trailhead: From the 210 freeway in La Canada, take the Angeles Crest Highway(2) for 39 miles to the intersection with the 39 freeway from Azusa (closed.)About a mile or so past the tunnels is a parking lot. Park at the PCT trail parking lot, and cross the highway south to the trail marker. (Lat:34.35866 Lon:-117.76474) Trail Guides for Mt. Baden-Powell from Islip Saddle: Best Hikes With Dogs - Southern California by Allen Riedel (Mountaineers books) Trails of the Angeles - 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels by John W. Robinson (Wilderness Press) Day Hikers Guide to Southern California by John McKinney (Olympus Press) Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Dogs, Ranger Contact: Angeles national Forest (626)-335-1251 Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Allen Riedel, who has posted 123 other hikes on this site. To visit this reporters web site, click here. Trail Reviews Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Glenn on 7/7/2009 Did this hike on July 5th. After a late start (11:45pm) I made it up to Baden-Powell at 3:20pm. for a 45 minute lunch break. Climbed Mt Burnham, Throop Peak, Mt Hawkins and Mt Islip on the return trip. Back to Islip Saddle at 8:45 pm. This was a "butt kicker" for me. Great views along the trail. Now that the road is open, you could do a car shuttle from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap and knock 4 miles off the hike.
Reviewed by rg on 8/11/2008 This is one of my favorite running routes, but have to add to the previous post that my car was also broken into over night, as were at least 2 others the same night. It seems this parking area is no longer safe. How disappointing. 
Reviewed by Jim R on 7/12/2008 7/12/08. I agree with all previous posts regarding the trek from Little Jimmy to MBP. My son and I went past MBP and camped off the trail about a mile down. The spring is another mile further down. No bears but took precautions anyway. Many wildflowers are still out. One bad incident. Our car was parked at the trail head at the Islip Saddle parking lot and was broken into sometime during the night. The passenger window was smashed and the thieves ransacked the car taking many personal items. Don't know what to say for advise except don't take anything of value and leave it in your car.
Reviewed by kmb on 5/19/2008 Did this hike on 5/16/08. There's still quite a bit of snow to deal with, but I made it to the summit without crampons. It's a little tricky figuring out where the trail emerges from the snow in a few places. Aside from the snow, the trail is in good condition.
Reviewed by z.l on 11/11/2007 Hiked this trail on 11/10/2007, second day after Angeles National Forest finally reopened after the big fire. Some clarifications: You CAN reach islip saddle from La Canada, the trail head is just at the closed gate, and you don't need to park at PCT parking lot, you can drive further till you see the closed gate where there's plenty of parking space. As for the difficulty, just want you expect from such level of trail, nothing more, nothing less. don't be intimidated by previous reviewers.
Reviewed by David on 7/30/2007 Very nice, if not somewhat strenuous, hike. As you spend much of the time hiking near the ridgeline, the views are amazing on both sides. The 360 degree view from the summit is one of the best in the San Gabriels. We had a bear run across our path in the vicinity of Throop Peak on the way down, at around 2:30pm. Not so much an encounter as the bear made a beeline down the mountainside. It's a long hike and a long drive to the trailhead, but well worth it! 
Reviewed by Will Nettles on 7/29/2007 Exhausted my dog Gromit and me. I want to share my experience because I parked at Islip Saddle and started hiking at 1 am. There was a full moon all night, a bit cloudy, only other object was Saturn (I have an LED headlamp which I used on the lowest setting about half the time--when the moonlight wasn't shining on the trail. I liked it. Spur of the moment hike, I was pretty tired so I stopped 3 times for 20-30 min naps. I hauled my camera and tripod which slowed me down considerably. I've hiked these trails several times so I felt confident I wouldn't become lost. I was also solo--if I aborted no one would be waiting up ahead. Normally I wouldn't recomend a mostly ridgeline trail in the dark. I stumbled more on the way down in the da
Reviewed by PB on 7/9/2007 As of July 07, the trailhead is only accessible from 2, coming East. The trailhead is right next to the gate closing the road. Unfortunately it's a long, windy drive down 2. Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: California Hiking, California Trails, California Hikes, San Bernardino County Hiking, San Bernardino County Trails, San Bernardino County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||