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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 2 of 30 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by Boris on 8/10/2009 Went up on 8/7/09. The weather was great in the lower 70s. I wouldn't try this hike on a hot day unless you are experienced. It's a steady uphill hike that will keep your heart pounding the entire way. I hit the summit from the parking lot in 2 hours 5 min, then ran down the same way I went up. If you are going to run down watch out for loose rocks and gravel. It was my 3rd baldy summit and each time it wasn't crowded. I went the devils backbone route once and prefer to come down by the ski hut due to it being more challenging. 
Reviewed by Sasquatch on 7/31/2009 Me like this hike. Me only go here once in a while. Me found a nice ski hut and man who sleep there had pretty computer. He gave it to me so me can keep in touch with brother in Humboldt and lady friend in Yosemite.
Reviewed by Terry on 7/13/2009 Difficult, strenuous, brutal... All such words apply. The 3 of us started at Manker, up to the Ski Hut, and to the summit. I was the laggard as we took a full 5 hr to summit. After 30 min of enjoying the views, down the backbone to the lifts. We eschewed the road for the gravel below the lift (the lower lift) and took only 2.5 hr on the way down (as I was feeling better and my pack was lighter). Learned a lot hiking with a pro, one of my buddies (now known as "The Sherpa"): pack excess food and water and you will need it because of the extra work you will have to do to carry all that weight. Use your food/water like an IV: frequent but small sips and single bites. Spectacular, highly recommend.
Reviewed by JLM on 7/9/2009 A must do Hike in Southern Cal. I am training for Mt Whitney in 2 months and Baldy is a great trainer. I prefer to start with the road (the "ugly" part), summit, and then go down the nicer western part of the trail to end the hike with the beautiful scenery. I saw two Big horn Sheep on the way dowm and had to wait a good 20 min for them to clear, but no problems with them. San G and San Jacinto are next. I have also done this from the morth slope (Wrightwood side). We departed from Guffy campground. Now that was a butt kicker, like climbing stairs for a good portion of the hike. But also a great hike.
Reviewed by Leslie on 7/8/2009 A good indicator at the summit to get back down to the Ski Hut is to look for a bush. The Bush is located on the south western side of the summit. You can't miss it. it's the only bush up there. The trail to the Ski Hut starts to the left of that bush.
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 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. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||