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 Reporter |
Summary: This is a must-do hike. I don't know why anyone would choose another route unless they were going for the 6000' gain butt kicker from Baldy Village, but that's a whole different ball game. Don't take the wimpy ski lift on a Saturday. Take this trail, you wont regret it! The path is grand, it starts on the road to beautiful San Antonio Falls, and then moves onto a trail that will get your heart pounding the moment you set foot on it. Rapidly you'll reach the Ski Hut(8200') and cross the bowl. There are a couple of places where the trail is a little difficult to find, but if you look for the obvious, you should be able to manage. The last mile to the top is a butt-kicker, wait, make that the last half mile. I had to rest six times, phwew! If you prefer a steadier climb, reverse it and take the road. I sure wouldn't, the road is the only ugly part of the trip. The Devil's Backbone is stunning. The roads can get convoluted, just go down, use your intuition and a map. Trailhead: Take the 210 to Upland and exit Mountain Avenue heading North into the Angeles National Forest. Follow Mountain Avenue to the intersection with Shinn Road - veer left. Continue to Mt. Baldy Road, veer right onto Mt. Baldy Road and follow it for a few miles to Manker Flats. Be careful of your speed after Baldy Village - some of the turns are hairpin. Turn left at the sign for San Antonio Falls Road. Park here, but don't block the gate, people live and work past this locked gate. The trailhead is the road. Follow the road past San Antonio Falls. When you round the first corner after San Antonio Falls is no longer in view the trailhead for the Baldy Bowl/Sierra Ski Hut veers left off the road straight up the mountain. Sign the trail register (about 50 feet ahead and 25 feet up the trail) and it's up, up, and away. (Lat:34.28923 Lon:-117.64619) Trail Guides for Mt. Baldy(San Antonio) Manker Flats loop: 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)914-3790 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 29 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by STM on 6/24/2009 GREAT hike and easily the best in the San Gabriels. Meant to go up Ski Hut but missed the trail head from the road so was forced to continue up to the lodge. Devil's Backbone was simply amazing, just watch your step. After the backbone, Mt. Harwood to the summit can get steep too so be prepared. Our problems started after we summited and on our way down. had no idea that we were supposed to cross the bowl to follow the ski hut trail so ended up going all the way back down Bear Canyon/Bear Flats trail to the village. At least we sighted some big horn sheep on our way down. Someone please put up clearer trail markers!!
Reviewed by Matti on 6/23/2009 5-star hike, no doubt about it. Missed the Ski Hut trailhead so went up the Backbone Trail, then came down what we thought was the Ski Hut trail. Apparently at some point you're supposed to veer off of the trail to continue the Ski Hut trail, or else it turns into the Bear Canyon trail. By the time you figure that out, you're too far to turn back. I can confirm that it does in fact turn into the Bear Canyon trail and many, many miles later and 6000' down you'll end up in Baldy Village, 3 miles away from your car. So at the end of the day, ascended about 4,000' and descended about 6,000', round that up to 10,064'. Perfect for Baldy. :) But please, can someone get some trail markers up there? I saw just two signs the entire t 
Reviewed by Jason on 6/22/2009 Error: Reserved Word Found: ;
Reviewed by Leslie on 6/22/2009 This hike was a butt kicker. Went up 6-20-09 at 10:30am got back at 5:30pm. We had to take the lift back down due to time constraints. We were trying to go up the ski hut trail, but we missed it. If you are trying to go up that trail you really have to look for it after you hit the switch back at the falls. If you miss it, you would just continue up the fire road to baldy notch and go up devils back bone. Just expect a full day. It is worth the hike! Trekking poles would help if you have some, but you don't really need them.
Reviewed by Jim on 6/15/2009 Hike 6/13/09 with about 11 others. Went by the Sierra Ski Hut on the way up and took Devil's backbone on the way down with some friends. I am in decent hiking shape but the last mile to the top was a real butt kicker. Glad it was decent on top, I was not ready for cold or windy. Devil's backbone was real nice. I did the 4 miles up in 2 hours and 45 minutes, I think the best hiker in our grop was around 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Reviewed by Bob M. on 6/11/2009 Went up early on 6/7/09 found it to be 39 degrees at the trailhead. Hiked the Ski Hut trail encountering only a few of the weekly "diehards". The weather remained cold even though the sun was out. When I reached 9000 ft. level found fresh ice falling from the trees. Spoke to a few campers and learned it was ccccold the prior night. Once at the summit I saw 3 mature big horn sheep just below the back side of the summit. GREAT Day !!!
Reviewed by JAD on 6/8/2009 I have summit Baldy before from the ski hut then down Devils Backbone to the ski lift. That is a great hike. However, try approaching Mt. Baldy from the South end via Bear Canyon. its a 3000ft. elevation gain with great views of the whole area. Its a good area to train for the high Sierra. There are few people on this trail, so that is a plus.
Reviewed by SY on 6/7/2009 Plan was to hike up to the top on 6/6 but only made it to the ski hut due to cold weather, fog and slight rain. Would do this again in a heartbeat, but next time to the top on a better day. Trail is not all that strenuous except for the first 15 mins. The climb is gradual, but keeps your heart pumping all the way. The baldy bowl trail is the only way to make this worthwhile, dont take the devil's backbone up, its just not the same. 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, Los Angeles County Hiking, Los Angeles County Trails, Los Angeles County Hikes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||