Hike Log

Baldy Braved

Trailhead:

Baldy Bowl

Type of Hike:

Day hike

Trail Conditions:

Trail in good condition

ROAD:

Road suitable for all vehicles

Bugs:

Bugs were an annoyance

Snow:

Snow free

Mt. Baldy is a popular peak to bag- and for good reason. It sits at an impressive 10,064′, and is rather easily accessed by people all over SoCal. The peak is alluring, with constant views of it throughout the beginning of the climb. It's best to get the earliest start possible- the parking lot was filling up fast by 7am. I highly recommend taking the steep Baldy Bowl trail up to the summit (passing the ski hut), so that the descent can be enjoyed with the famous Devil's Backbone trail with the possibility of summiting Harwood peak. Reaching the summit only took me about 2 hours, so I decided to bag West Baldy and talk to some people to pass time on the peak so that I didn't eat lunch at 9:30am. I was on the lookout for bighorn sheep on my way to and from West Baldy (they've been known to congregate there), but I didn't spot any despite a backpacker saying that a herd of them woke them up on the summit that morning. After lunch, I headed down towards the Devil's Backbone. I was incredibly grateful that I didn't have to ascend the way I was going down. It was quite the decline although the side I ascended on was supposed to be the steeper side. It was a very scenic way down, spotting Cucamonga, Timber, Ontatio, and Bighorn at almost all points. Once I arrived to the ski lifts, the people started getting denser. From there on, the trail was sun-exposed and on the crowded side. I would recommend a good wide-brimmed hat or lots of sunscreen. I'm so glad I got to experience Mt. Baldy today, I will gladly come back to this grand peak.

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