The hike up Baldy Bowl Trail, also known as the Ski Hut Trail to the summit of Mt. Baldy was one of the most difficult hikes I've done to date. The out and back round trip comes in at 9.2 miles, and you take on almost 4000' of elevation gain during the 4.6 mile ascent. Don't judge a hike by the distance; I've been on much longer hikes, yet never experienced such an ass kicking! Despite that, I totally love this trail and can't wait to take it again to the top!
First, let me stress how easy it is to miss the trailhead from the fire road that starts at Manker Flats if you have never been here before. After you pass San Antonio Falls, it shouldn't take you more than 15 minutes to get to the trailhead. Keep your eyes peeled http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/baldy-bowl-trail-mount-baldy?select=ZF95HefbyzFlmm02UyfS6w#ZF95HefbyzFlmm02UyfS6w for the lone yucca bush next to a trail splitting to the left and going up. Not too long ago there was apparently a sign that used to say "Mt. Baldy Trail" at the trailhead, but that sign is now missing. Hence my first time coming here, I ended up hiking past it going near the ski lifts and had to back track.
I'll never forget that first time on the Baldy Bowl Trail. The visibility was bad and it was snowing as I hiked up. It isn't very often one gets to hike under snowfall http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/baldy-bowl-trail-mount-baldy?select=JifbrRoARQwvBwa-w9vh8g#JifbrRoARQwvBwa-w9vh8g in LA so I stopped often to take it all in. That day, I never actually made it to the summit. I only made it to the Sierra Club San Antonio Ski Hut at the 2.5 mile mark. It was surreal approaching 8210' and out of the fog seeing this green building. Luckily, the door was open and I would end up spending the next couple hours in there by the furnace, chatting with some very cool people, drinking, eating, playing the guitar, and exploring the building. I had such a great time there that I didn't want to leave! But enough about the Ski Hut, that's another review http://www.yelp.com/biz/san-antonio-ski-hut-mount-baldy for another day!
The next time I came back here, the conditions were totally different. It was an incredibly clear day and I could literally see out to the ocean and spot a few of the Channel Islands. The view out towards Catalina Island especially was so clear http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/baldy-bowl-trail-mount-baldy?select=H3qwpO3LiBksGxHt1KGlEQ#H3qwpO3LiBksGxHt1KGlEQ that you could even count the ships between the coast and the island! I learned that the real ass kicking starts after the Ski Hut. I had to put traction device on my boots because the trail got pretty icy. After traversing past the big boulders, I started climbing up along the side of the Baldy Bowl as the big trees became more sparse and that's when things got really difficult! During the climb on the steep trail of loose rock and dirt through the manzanita bushes, I literally had to stop and take breaks every few minutes. At times, I would take these long breaks and get back up, start hiking again only to sit and rest after a minute or two because it was so tiring. I pushed myself up past the Baldy Bowl saddle http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/baldy-bowl-trail-mount-baldy?select=CBS4x5_yn8Doz-HVzzQwsQ#CBS4x5_yn8Doz-HVzzQwsQ and with the toughest section behind me, I made my way towards the summit in the snow. I ran into a couple hikers just below the summit http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/baldy-bowl-trail-mount-baldy?select=SvGhwRxBS5ifbDS-h0ZhuA#SvGhwRxBS5ifbDS-h0ZhuA also in awe of the breathtaking view. We talked about how lucky we were to make it up here on such a gorgeous day!
You could really feel the wind as you summit at the top of Mt. Baldy. And you can see the snow swirling as the wind hits the ridge top, blowing the white powder into the air. It's an awesome sight! Even though it was really windy at the top, http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/baldy-bowl-trail-mount-baldy?select=9XDwukBloHmiF_JYbaVhpQ#9XDwukBloHmiF_JYbaVhpQ nobody wanted to leave behind such a spectacular view. After taking a bunch of photos, collecting snow in my bottle (I had run out of water at that point), and even making a new friend at 10,064', I started my 4.6 mile descent down this awesome trail. I think I finally made it back to my car after spending over 8 hours on this hike!
As strenuous as the hike is, you have to appreciate this kind of a challenge if you're a hiking enthusiast. We are lucky to have access to such a mountain without having to drive very far! Just remember to bring plenty of water (2 to 3L), food/snacks, hiking poles, and of course in the winter, some kind of traction device for your boots like microspikes or crampons. read more