Mount Baldy was going to be the tallest peak to date that I hiked, and I’ll be the first to admit I was a little worried. I hiked with a small group of girls beginning at Manker Flats on a Sunday. Parking was not so bad but there were many people there since it’s a weekend.

The first sight we see was a beautiful flowing waterfall- wow. It was so nice. Then we went uphill first. It was quite a bit of uphill through the forest and eventually we made our way to the ski hut. It was so cute. We stopped and had a quick bite to eat. Then we trekked on. The views were unbelievable. As we went up, every step took much effort at altitude. There were a few false peaks as well.

We made it to the top, above the clouds. What views! The look of smaller mountains around you was breathtaking. The clouds, the shapes of the mountains. There was a pretty summit sign with a flag painted on it which was pleasant. We took photos and started down toward backbone. It was crazy windy at the top and going along devils backbone on the way down.  I am just glad we didn’t get blown off the cliffs haha. We passed a few ambitious  mountain bikers and saw some pretty rocks.

Im happy we went this route. It was fun stopping into the ski lodge for a beer and bag of baked salt n vinegar chips. We walked all the way down the fire road and made our way home. I think this I the most beautiful California hike I have done to date. I still can’t believe how unbelievable the backbone trail was.