Team SoCalHiker is back for the 2019 Climb for Heroes, and we want to hike with you! 

On Sunday, May 19th June 23rd (NEW DATE!) we will be lacing up our hiking shoes and hiking up 10,064′ Mount San Antonio – aka Mount Baldy – to support The Heroes Project. This non-profit works with veterans who have lost one or both legs in service, training them and preparing them to redefine what they can do by hiking some of the biggest mountains in the world.

UPDATE: For those of you who came out on May 19th, you know that Mother Nature had other plans. The Climb for Heroes was called off due to the snow and ice, but it’s been rescheduled for sunnier June 23rd. The good news is that you can still join!

You can join our team and help transform the life of a disabled vet. Each team member commits to fundraising a minimum of $100. You can donate it yourself, and get your friends, family and co-workers to chip in. If your company has a matching gift program, they can help, too!

At 12:17pm CLST on January 22, 2019 as USMC Cpl. Carlos Torres became the first double amputee to summit Ojos del Salado. At 22,615 feet, it’s the highest active volcanos in the world.

In 2017, USMC SGT Retired Kirstie Ennis became the first female, above-the-knee amputee to climb the 16,024′ summit of Cartensz Pyramid – one of the most technical of the Seven Summits.

About Climb for Heroes

The Climb for Heroes is a non-competitive, family-friendly event open to all fitness levels and ages. You don’t need to hike all the way to the summit to participate. This is our fifth year participating in this annual hike up Mount Baldy, and if you’d like to join us, you can sign-up here.  Select Join a Team and pick Team SoCalHiker. You’ll get your very own fundraising page to share with your friends, family and coworkers.

If you’re also signed up for the SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, this hike counts (assuming, of course that you summit).

Hope to see you on June 23rd! 

On Sunday, June 3, 2018, a group of dedicated SoCal hikers will lace up their hiking shoes to climb 10,064′ Mount San Antonio – better known as Mount Baldy.

On any given Sunday, hundreds of people do the same, but this day will be different. We will join together as Team SoCalHiker, hiking to the summit for the annual Climb for Heroes fundraiser for The Heroes Project.

The Heroes Project is a non-profit organization that works with veterans that have lost one or even both legs in service. They work with them, training and preparing to tackle some of the biggest mountains in the world. In the process, they break down preconceptions about what is possible for these dedicated men and women.

Last year, USMC SGT Retired Kirstie Ennis became the first female, above-the-knee amputee to climb the 16,024′ summit of Cartensz Pyramid – one of the most technical of the Seven Summits. And she carried our Team SoCalHiker summit flag to the top!

The Climb for Heroes is a non-competitive, family-friendly event open to all fitness levels and age groups. You do not need to hike all the way to the summit to participate. There will be five check-in stations spaced along the route, allowing you to turn around when you’ve reached your personal limit.

This marks our fourth year participating in this annual climb, and we look forward to hiking with you. Registration is free, and there is a $100 fundraising minimum to participate in the event. It’s a lot of fun, as these photos from last year’s Climb for Heroes illustrate.

If you’d like to hike with us, join Team SoCalHiker by clicking here. Select Join a Team and pick Team SoCalHiker. You’ll get your very own fundraising page that you can share with your friends, family and coworkers.

Can’t hike with us? You can still support the cause with your tax-deductible donation.

I look forward to hiking with you in just a few weeks!

Every Southern Californian can point out the white topped Mt. Baldy — actually it’s real name is Mt. San Antonio. Baldy is a SoCal icon that stands out boldly as a snow-covered backdrop for much of the year. At 10,064 feet above sea level, the snow often sticks around well into June. The higher altitude and easy access makes it a popular training hike for Whitney (or in my case, the John Muir Trail). And in fact, I included Baldy as peak #3 in my Six-Pack of Peaks progressive training series.

Trail Details

Distance: 10.2 miles
Time: ~7 hours
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation gain: 3,900 ft
Dogs: Yes
When to go: June-October

This hike is the third in my Six-Pack of Peaks series of training hikes that I originally used to train for the hiking the John Muir Trail. 

It should be noted that the previous weekend we hiked up Cucamonga Peak and it was almost too hot. A week later I found myself atop Baldy where it was 35 degrees with fierce winds. Thankfully, I was well-prepared with plenty of layers. Even so, we didn’t linger as long at the summit as we might have wanted.

The trail begins up a paved road which quickly turns to gravel as it passes the San Antonio Falls overlook. This windy fire road eventually crosses the Mt. Baldy ski area, and meets up at Baldy Notch. The ski lift to the notch operates throughout the summer. It’s about $10 for a one-way ticket up (or $8 one way down) and some people use this as a short cut for what’s probably the least exciting portion of the hike. On the plus side, this route provided a nice easy grade to climb and made warming up much nicer.

Once you reach the Baldy Notch, you can hike straight up the ski run to the east, or follow the trail that runs slightly south east. The ski run is a little steeper and more direct, and that’s the route we opted for. You are quickly rewarded with great views in every direction.

When you finally reach the boundary of the ski area, the infamous Devil’s Backbone trail begins. This trail sounds worse than it is. It runs along the top of a narrow ridge, but when it’s clear of snow and ice, it’s a pretty safe trail.

Those with a fear of heights might feel a touch of vertigo, but it doesn’t require any technical equipment (although trekking poles are nice). Check with the ranger station at Baldy Village to confirm trail conditions. On the darker side, there have been deaths on the trail. With snow and ice, it can be very treacherous.

The trail skirts the side of Mt. Harwood, opening up to a sweeping view of Baldy Bowl. This bowl is pure scree and essentially unclimbable except when covered with snow, and then only with an ice ax and crampons. It’s great training for even higher mountaineering, and something I hope to do next winter. This time of year, the snow is gone from the bowl, and the trail clear of all but a few patches of snow.

The last climb is a series of steep switchbacks up the side of Mt. San Antonio. It’s a busy trail, with all sorts of people going up and down. Pick your route and take your time. If you’re used to living at sea level like me, the high altitude begins to slow you down just a bit.

Looking back down the final ascent you’ve got a great view of Mt Harwood.

The summit of Mt. San Antonio is a broad knoll with a large iron plaque marking the spot. You’ll see several ad hoc stone shelters erected to provide some protection from the wind, which on this particular hike was fierce. Though it was comfortable down at sea level, it was 35 degrees at the summit, and much colder when you factor in the wind chill.

To return to Manker Flats we took the Baldy Bowl trail, which actually skirts the bowl on a ridgeline before steeply descending in a series of switchbacks to the base of the bowl and the Sierra Club ski hut. The log benches at the ski hut provide a great place to take a break and the sound of babbling San Antonio creek is refreshing.

As we descended toward San Antonio Falls, the wildflowers became more plentiful. If you have time, you can stop for a closer look at the falls. This year’s heavy snowfall has made them spectacular.

We reached our cars at the bottom and toasted our hike in true 6-pack style with a ice cold Stellas

Mount Baldy Trail Map

PRO TIP: I track all my hikes using GaiaGPS. It’s the best solution for staying on the right trail, it works even when you don’t have cell service, and there are versions for iOS and Android. The app is free, and you can get a discounted membership for maps here.

Trail Fly-by

Photo Gallery

Bag the Six-Pack of Peaks

1. Mt. Wilson 
2. Cucamonga Peak
3. Mt. San Antonio (Mt. Baldy) (you are here)
4. San Bernardino Peak
5. Mt. San Jacinto
6. San Gorgonio

What is the SoCalHiker Six-Pack of Peaks?

Additional Mt. Baldy Resources

• GPS user? Download the GPX file
• View trail in Google Earth
• Manker Flats trailhead parking on Google Map
• Weather conditions at the summit
• Mt. Baldy webcam
• A couple more great trail guides on Dan’s Hiking Pages and Modern Hiker

Note that this is a wilderness hike. Come prepared with the ten essentials, including a map that you’ve studied beforehand and the knowledge of how to navigate and find an alternate route in case of wildfire or other emergency.

There is no clear signage to the Ski Hut Trail from the summit, and it’s easy to find yourself headed down the wrong route. I recommend carrying the Harrison Mt. Baldy and Cucamonga Wilderness Map, and backing that up with the GPX track loaded in GaiaGPS on my full-charged phone. If in doubt, you can (and should) hike this as an out-and-back, returning via the same route you took up to the summit.

Mt. Baldy Weather Forecast

[forecast width=”100%” location=”Mt. Baldy, CA”]

Special thanks to Bob from Pasadena, Tyler, Kelly, Ivana, Tari and of course Joan for joining me on this hike!

Title photo credit: Doc Searls