Mt Baldy Hike

In This Guide Turn by Turn Hike Directions & Hike Video

Mt Baldy Trail Maps

Picking the Right Time To Hike Mt Baldy

How to Get to the Mt Baldy Hike Total Distance 11 miles (17.7 km) Hike Time 7 Hours (Total) Difficulty (?) Hard Total Ascent (?) 3,990 feet (1216m) Highest Elevation 10,064 feet (3068m) Fees & Permits None Dogs Allowed Leashed Alerts & Closures (?) Mt Baldy Visitor's Center Park Phone 909-982-2829

This 11 mile Mt Baldy hike brings you to the highest point in LA at 10,064 feet. With almost 4000 feet of climbing, it’s a tough yet popular hike, and well worth the effort. You can see from the Pacific to the Mojave on a clear day. There are a few ways to hike Mt Baldy, and this guide takes you on the most popular route.

Mt Baldy is also known by it’s official name of Mt San Antonio, but everyone just calls it Mt Baldy. It was named for the bald (treeless) face of the Baldy Bowl which is visible when you see the mountain from LA. Mt Baldy is located in the new San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, as well as Angeles National Forest.

When to Hike Mt Baldy

Do the Mt Baldy hike as early as possible to avoid the crowds. It’s one of the most popular hikes in LA. I usually leave at sunrise. The later that you leave, the tougher it will be to park at Manker Flats. If you can do the hike on a weekday, you’ll encounter even less crowds. If you’re starting later in the day, don’t forget to look at the sunset time. Getting caught on the trail after dark is a recipe for bad times.

Is There Snow On the Mt Baldy Trail?

So there’s no official way to know if there’s snow at the summit of Mt Baldy, but there are some roundabout ways to figure it out. If you’re in the summer months, say late May to October, the chances are that it’s clear.

When I want to check for snow and bad conditions, I do a couple of things.

If there’s snow or bad weather, hike Mt Baldy on another day. Every winter hikers die on Mt Baldy, even those with mountaineering experience. It’s real and you need to take it seriously.



If the conditions aren’t good for hiking on Mt Baldy, try something challenging without snow at a lower elevation like Mt Wilson, Echo Mountain, Mt Lukens, or Saddleback Mountain.

How To Get to the Mt Baldy Hike

The Mt Baldy trailhead is just past the Manker Campground, about 1:15 hours east of downtown LA. You’ll drive through Mt Baldy Village on your way to the hike. It’s a good place to grab lunch after hiking.

Here’s the address you can put into your GPS to get to the trailhead.

Manker Campground, Mt Baldy, CA, 91759, USA

Drive past the campground to the next parking area between the road.

Note that you no longer need a parking pass in this lot according to this USDA site, so that’s great. You used to need a parks pass or Adventure pass. If you have a parks pass anyway I’d just hang it to be sure.

There have been reports of thefts at the trailhead parking lot. Be smart and don’t leave valuables visible in your car.

What to Bring on the Mt Baldy Hike

Even though this is a popular hike that lots of folks do, it’s still a serious mountain hike. The conditions at the top of Mt Baldy are famous for being extreme, mainly windy and cold. You should be prepared accordingly with extra layers, plenty of snacks, and 3L of water.

It’s also worth mentioning that some folks have problems with the altitude, especially those coming up from sea level. If you want to learn about the effects of altitude, check out my guide to Mt Whitney. Mt Baldy isn’t going to produce life threatening conditions (in general) but you could end up struggling and wheezing a bit.

Mt Baldy Trail Maps

There are two popular trail for the Mt Baldy hike, the Baldy Bowl / Ski Hut Trail and the Devil’s Backbone Trail. This hiking guide starts on the picturesque Devil’s Backbone Trail and then descends the Baldy Bowl Trail to the Sierra Club Ski Hut and back to Manker Flats. I find this routing to be the most enjoyable. If you want to avoid the crowds and do a much tougher hike, try the route on Bear Canyon trail.

Because trail markers on this hike sometimes get stolen, I highly recommend having a paper and electronic map.

Click Here To View Map

Download the Hike GPX FileView a Printable PDF Hike Map

Hike Landmarks

Landmark Miles Elevation Baldy Bowl Trail Junction 0.9 6600ft Ski Area 3.4 7800ft Start Devil’s Backbone 4.5 8600ft Optional Mt.Harwood Turnoff 5.3 9300ft Start Last Steep Climb 5.8 9500ft Mt Baldy Summit 6.3 10064ft Ski Hut Turnoff 7.8 8200ft

Mt Baldy Hike Elevation Profile

Tips on Not Getting Lost

Some hikers get lost when descending the Baldy Bowl / Ski Hut trail. The trail splits apart, comes back together, and can be confusing (more below). If you are descending and you see airplane wreckage, you’ve gone off the trail, immediately turn around and head directly uphill to rejoin the trail. If it doesn’t look like you’re on a trail, you’re not, turn around before you get stuck on a ledge.

If you do get lost, stop, collect yourself, consult your maps, and regroup. If you don’t find the trail after a little while, stop, stay put, and fire up your rescue beacon. Don’t move when you set off your beacon, stay where you set it off.

Mt Baldy Hike Directions

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Hike Video

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Turn by Turn Directions

These directions have you hiking the entire way, but you can also cheat and take the chair lift to Mt Baldy Notch. It doesn’t cut that much off the hike, so I recommend just doing the hike.

If you want to take a break, Mt Baldy Notch is a good place. There is a restaurant called Top of the Notch that is a nice place to grab a bite, or you can just do it picnic style.

If you are going to bag Mt Baldy, why not set Mt Whitney as your next goal? You won’t be disappointed, it’s awesome.

Did something change on this hike? If so, please contact me and let me know. I'll update the guide.

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