Mt. Baldy (San Antonio)
San Gabriel Mtns, above LA · near Mt. Baldy Village / Upland · Los Angeles / SoCal
Mountaineering · Road Cycling · Skiing & Snowboarding
At a glance
- Grade
- nontechnical
- Elevation
- 10064
- Best season
- May–Nov as a hike; Dec–April for winter snow-and-ice climbing
- Distance
- long
- Best season
- Spring–fall; upper ski-lift road snow-affected in winter
- Pass
- independent
- Vertical
- 2100
- Size
- 700 acres
- Season
- December–April (snow-dependent) · No snowmaking · Conditions vary dramatically by year
What is here
- Terrain
- alpine-rock
- Amenities
- Manker Flat / Ski Hut trailhead · Adventure Pass to park · LA's classic winter-skills training peak · Guided winter courses run here
- Best for
- LA's peak — summer hike or winter mountaineering classroom
- Features
- High point of the San Gabriels · Non-technical in summer · Premier SoCal winter-skills peak · The Baldy Bowl in condition
- Scenery
- mountain
- Amenities
- LA's marquee mountain climb · Tour of California summit-finish fame · Baldy Village services · High San Gabriel scenery
- Best for
- LA's ultimate mountain climb
- Features
- LA's legendary HC climb · Tour of California summit finish · Brutal ski-lift wall up top · High San Gabriel high country
- Best for
- Old-School Character · Expert SoCal Terrain · No Crowds · Steep Skiing
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Winter Baldy Bowl: hard snow & ice — many accidents; skills essential · Exposed Devil's Backbone ridge in wind or ice · Rapid weather changes above the LA basin · Trail closures recur (2024 Bridge Fire recovery, plus winter-safety orders) — verify current Angeles NF status
- Beginner friendly
- Yes
- Hazards
- Brutal double-digit gradients up high · High altitude up top; cold & possible snow in winter · Canyon traffic on weekends · Steep descent — control your speed · 2024 Bridge Fire spared Baldy Rd itself but affected the Glendora Ridge Rd loop — check status
- Beginner friendly
- No
- Good for a first timer
- No
Guides, rentals and operators
- Guided trips
- Yes
Mountaineering detail
- Skills
- scrambling · snow-ice
- Style
- walk-up
- Altitude
- 1
- Route notes
- The high point of the San Gabriels looming over Los Angeles — a non-technical class-1 hike in summer, but a serious and popular winter mountaineering training ground when the Baldy Bowl fills with snow and ice
- Beta note
- ~10,064 ft; Class 1 in summer (Devil's Backbone/Ski Hut) / winter Baldy Bowl snow-ice
- Intl tip
- 'Mt. Baldy,' the bald high point of the San Gabriels on LA's skyline. A strenuous but non-technical class-1 hike in summer (Ski Hut trail or the airy Devil's Backbone). Its fame comes in winter, when the north-facing Baldy Bowl fills with snow and ice — Southern California's premier place to learn steep-snow and self-arrest skills, a real mountaineering environment near the city (and the site of many accidents among the unprepared). Guided winter courses run here. The 2024 Bridge Fire closed the trails into late 2025 and winter-safety closures recur, so check current Angeles NF status first.
- Directions note
- Park at Manker Flats — Ski Hut trail or Devil's Backbone via the lift
Road Cycling detail
- Ride types
- climb
- Road
- quiet
- Climbing
- 5
- Ride notes
- LA's legendary HC climb — up Mt. Baldy Road to Baldy Village, then the savage ski-lift road that ramps to punishing double-digit gradients toward the 7,800-ft Notch, made famous by summit finishes in the Tour of California
- Stats note
- ~13 mi to Baldy Village, then a brutal ~13% ski-lift wall to ~7,800 ft
- Seasonal
- No
- Intl tip
- The legendary climb of LA cycling — a two-part monster up Mt. Baldy Rd through San Antonio Canyon to Baldy Village (~4,200 ft), then the savage ski-lift access road, a wall of sustained double-digit gradients toward the Notch near 7,800 ft. Made famous by brutal Tour of California summit finishes. Weekend canyon traffic; high-altitude cold up top (snow affects the upper road in winter); steep demanding descent. Carry layers and water, ride the snow-free seasons for the full climb, control your speed down. Southern California's hardest, most iconic climb.
Skiing & Snowboarding detail
- Nickname
- Old School SoCal · The Cult Mountain
- Summit
- 8600
- Lifts
- 4
- Avg snowfall
- 100+ inches
- Night skiing
- No
- Terrain park
- No
- Ski school
- Yes
- On mountain lodging
- No
- Signature runs
- Goldridge / Steeps · Devil's Backbone (non-ski) · Sunset Ridge
- Intl tip
- The Mt. Baldy Bowl — the north-facing cirque above the ski area — is a legitimate backcountry skiing and mountaineering destination when conditions allow. The Pacific Crest Trail accesses Mt. Baldy summit (10,064 feet) from the ski area, and the peak is visible from much of the Los Angeles Basin on clear days. For visitors arriving from flat urban California, skiing in sight of the Pacific Ocean (on crystal clear days) on a mountain visible from LA is a strange and genuinely California experience.
The guide
Mount San Antonio — 'Mt. Baldy' — is the bald-topped high point of the San Gabriels that millions of Angelenos see on the north…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Mt. Baldy (San Antonio) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.2891, -117.6464