Reply To: Which direction to hike San Antonio/Mt. Baldy?

[Joyce]

I’m not sure which “down” route I prefer, but the “up” route of preference for me (in case anyone is reading this now since it’s past the time OP planned her hike) is the “Register Ridge” route. It’s by far the steepest climb, and I needed a good pair of Exo Spikes to help on most of the climb (though I didn’t see anyone else with a pair), but it was well worth the extra effort since it shaved at least 2 (maybe 3) miles off the route.

For me, I went down the Baldy Bowl Trail, and it was a hot mess of falling in sand. It was quite steep, but I couldn’t imagine climbing up it.