Mount Baldy First Hike

Dragon · Post by **Dragon** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 1:47 pm

I am considering summiting Mount Baldy this Sunday for the first time and have been trying to decide on which route to take. I am looking for any advice regarding which specific route to take to reach the summit as a first time Baldy trip. I have been trying to decide between the Ski Hut trail and Devils Backbone or potentially a loop including both of those trails, but as of yet I am having a hard time deciding on which route to pursue. I know that a lot of people on this forum have experience on this particular mountain and was hoping to gain some insights from other people's experiences.

everyday · Post by **everyday** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:25 pm

I just posted 3 Baldy trips in Trip Reports this week. Maybe theyll help, i have Garmin links in em to show the same rout yer talking bout taking. In my opinion, the Ski Hut seems to be the normal rout. Its ok i thought, devils backbone is ajght too, but, if you are in good shape and really want A fun and pretty trip, ide take the "old" Baldy Trail that starts in the village across from the baldy restaraunt. (if you have a second car, you could always do like from village trail up, then down ski hut or somethin ...anyway, hope thats helpful.

the trails in are in my 3 posts in Trip Reports called "Baldy hike/run", thats bout 13 posts down. and one called "Walkies..(no run)" and "3rd Time to Baldy summit in one week" , and theres lotsa pics in 2 of those posts. (personally, i prefer the longer trail, "old Baldy Trail", from village to top, its really cool, so much so, that ide never think of taking the other 2 trails that go up there ever again.)

Dragon · Post by **Dragon** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 2:39 pm

I have been looking over some trail reports here (http://www.simpsoncity.com/hiking/baldy.html) and it seems that although the old badly trail is a bit longer the overall views are much better then the other two routes. I think I may end up taking the old baldy route from the village to the summit with a side trip to the top of West Baldy as well that way I get the best views of the whole area including Icehouse Canyon.

Post by **JeffH** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:23 pm

The old trail (Bear Flat route) is nice but hard - 6,000 feet in the six miles. Bring plenty of water, since none is available after the little Bear Flat stream. You might think about leaving a stash near what some people call the narrows or west backbone. That's the semi-exposed ridge area you can see in the pictures posted this week.
My usual route is up Baldy Bowl (ski hut) and down Devil's Backbone - stop at the Notch for a beer and then walk down the boring fire road with iPod. On that route you can usually get water just above the hut or inside if one of the members is around.
Have fun...

Dragon · Post by **Dragon** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:43 pm

Jeff,
After your post I'm starting to rethink going up the Ski Hut trail since it does not seem as brutal as the trail from the Badly Village. How is the parking situation by the Manker campground? I have heard that it can get really busy early on in the day. It has me thinking that I should head up there very early in the morning not only to get a good parking spot but also to beat the heat.

Post by **Uncle Rico** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 7:29 pm

Dragon- I don't have anywhere near the experience on Baldy that the other guys/gals on this board do, but the first time I went up I took Jeff's route in reverse: up the boring fireroad, across Devil's Backbone and down Ski Hut. I prefer to get the boring stuff out of the way early. Plus, I've found that if I have a cold one at the Notch, I'm done so for me, the counter-clockwise route makes more sense. My experience with Manker is that it gets crowded on the weekends, so get there early (or late).

~Rico~

Post by **JeffH** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 3:50 pm

Lot of cars at Manker, like everywhere else on the mountain. For some reason no one seems to park on the right (east) side of the road so I've parked right by San Antonio Falls road the last couple of times...Maybe because there's no shade on that side. Don't forget your Adventure Pass.

Dragon · Post by **Dragon** » Fri Jun 29, 2012 4:29 pm

Thanks for all the replies and info. I think I've decided on going up the Ski Hut trail on Sunday and I plan on getting there ~0630 so hopefully I will miss the crowds (not to mention miss the heat of the day on the ascent).

titanhangman · Post by **titanhangman** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:11 pm

You couldn't pay me to take the Bear Flat trail in the Summer months, unless I started at around 5am. It's just so dang hot and there's not the same amount of cover as on the Ski Hut trail. Plus it's a lot longer than the others. Frankly, I did that trail a month after I hiked Whitney, and I felt more beat up than the month before after hiking 10 miles less! If you're hiking to the summit for the first time there's no sense in doing that trail out of the chute. But come Fall you really should tackle it to get the whole Baldy experience.