This past weekend was Zac’s birthday and we were originally going to go camping in San Clemente again; however that fell through so we decided to go on another outdoor adventure and went to hit up Mt San Antonio (AKA Mt Baldy) the easy way. The easy way for this hike is to ride the lift to the notch and then head from there up to the summit and back.
This was Zac’s third summit on Baldy and my first (second attempt though, was stopped last time because of the snow) and it was a beautiful day to make the hike. Taking the lift to the notch costs about 20 bucks, but we got a deal on Amazon Local Deals that came with a ten dollar giftcard to the restaurant. The lift itself cuts off around 4 miles off this hike and 1300 feet of elevation, making the totals from the notch about 6 miles and 2300 feet of elevation.
Now while this may not seem like a lot remember that the hike starts at 8000 feet, so you are already at a high altitude, making the hike more difficult. This is not a crazy difficult hike, I would say it is moderate and if you take your time you should be fine; however, make sure to pack a lot of water and sunscreen as there is relatively no coverage from the sun while on the hike.
We set out from the Baldy Notch and made our way up to devils backbone. Unfortunately the sign is no longer there but it is a pretty cool looking climb that leads to a traverse that is difficult for people with a fear of heights. Zac had to help a lady across the traverse as she was to petrified to cross and had stopped half way.
After that it is about another twenty minutes of walking before you come out on a long plateau that shows the Baldy Bowl and the final push to the summit. Half of the elevation for this hike is made up in this last summit push and even though it doesn’t look like a lot it is a steady climb up to the summit.
Once you are at the summit it is a 360 degree view in every direction where you can see the ocean and even Catalina Island on a clear day, as well as the San Gorgonio on the other side. There was about 30 people on the summit, some drinking wine, some with dogs, everyone was just having a great time enjoying the beautiful day and the views. From the notch to the summit it took us about 2 and a half hours. After hanging out and eating some trail mix we made our way back down.
The views on the way down are breathtaking as on the way up you spend a lot of time keeping your body moving and I often find that I don’t really admire what there is to look at until I am heading back. This part of the hike is straight downhill the whole time and while that is easier it can take a toll on the knees. It took us about an hour and a half to make it back down.
Also of note, we loved watching Everest: Beyond the Limit on the Discovery Channel and on the way down the mountain on the lift we ran into Tim Medvetz from the show heading up. It was cool to see he was still climbing even after reaching the top of Everest.
What about you, have you done Baldy? What did you think? If not you should put it on your list because it is one of the most beautiful over 10,000 foot hikes you can do in SoCal.
Duration: 4 hour and 48 minutes
Length: 6.4 miles
Total Elevation Gain: 2398 ft
Difficulty Level: Moderate
Trail map: Click Here
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