11.25 miles
4300 feet gain
9/10
Mount Baldy ,CA (91759) 39.85 miles from you Weather Map
Take the 210 to Upland and exit Mountain Avenue heading North into the Angeles National Forest. Follow Mountain Avenue to the intersection with Shinn Road - veer left. Continue to Mt. Baldy Road, veer right onto Mt. Baldy Road and follow it for a few miles to Manker Flats. Be careful of your speed after Baldy Village - some of the turns are hairpin.
Turn left at the sign for San Antonio Falls Road. Park here, but don't block the gate, people live and work past this locked gate. The trailhead is the road. Follow the road past San Antonio Falls.
When you round the first corner after San Antonio Falls is no longer in view the trailhead for the Baldy Bowl/Sierra Ski Hut veers left off the road straight up the mountain.
Sign the trail register (about 50 feet ahead and 25 feet up the trail) and it's up, up, and away.
This is a must-do hike. I don't know why anyone would choose another route unless they were going for the 6000' gain butt kicker from Baldy Village, but that's a whole different ball game. Don't take the wimpy ski lift on a Saturday. Take this trail, you wont regret it!
The path is grand, it starts on the road to beautiful San Antonio Falls, and then moves onto a trail that will get your heart pounding the moment you set foot on it. Rapidly you'll reach the Ski Hut(8200') and cross the bowl. There are a couple of places where the trail is a little difficult to find, but if you look for the obvious, you should be able to manage. The last mile to the top is a butt-kicker, wait, make that the last half mile. I had to rest six times, phwew!
If you prefer a steadier climb, reverse it and take the road. I sure wouldn't, the road is the only ugly part of the trip. The Devil's Backbone is stunning. The roads can get convoluted, just go down, use your intuition and a map.