Bald Man on Mount Baldy…..A SoCal Hiking Right of Passage

A right of passage hike in SoCal, right? Manker flats (adventure pass required) trailhead to Baldy Notch is steady slope up, 3.5 miles, and a bit boring if you have done it before.

The Notch to the Devil’s Backbone trailhead is also not that difficult–the main trail is reasonably slopped except a short part of it which is fairly steep. There is an alternate, slightly shorter, slightly steeper path just to the right of the main trail. Devil’s Backbone starts a bit narrow and a bit intimidating due to drops on both sides, especially for first time hikers. But nothing to be really concerned about. Slow and steady and in the center of the trail does it. From there, it gets quite steep for a couple of miles up to the summit.

There are a lot of people on this trail and many of them are bunched up together in this section, going up or down, and not necessarily safely! I had a hiker in home-style flip flops sliding on the loose rock right behind me on the way down near the Backbone. Of course I get out of the way of casual hikers and let them enjoy their day and keep myself safe! The summit is a large barren area…bald, if you will, and usually quite windy. Lots of people handing out there.

From the peak, some hikers take the shorter and steeper Baldy Bowl trail down, making it a loop, or of course do the loop the other way and end up at the Notch. Many people, me included, take the ski lift down from the Notch to avoid the boring 3.5 miles down the fire road ($35 roundtrip if bought online, $25 one way, online). From there, there is a road hike of about 1 mile to Manker Flats trailhead, or you could just park at the ski lift lot (extra $5 online or $10 on site parking fee in addition to the adventure pass) and start the hike there.