Tag Archives: mountain

Mt. Baldy- Ski Hut-Devils Backbone Loop

22 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Mt Baldy is the highest mountain in the Los Angeles area and  is a very popular hike amongst the hiking community. I’ve had the pleasure of summiting this mountain 6 times and the view is just as breathtaking as the first time.

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Ski Hut from the trail

The Ski Hut Trail begins about .6 miles up Falls Rd passing San Antonio Falls. There used to be a sign marking the obscure trail but that has since be removed. So keep by our eyes open as this trail is easy to miss. It is on the left hand side.

The Ski Hut marks the halfway point to the summit. This is a great place to stop have a snack and if you’re lucky you might even spot some wildlife.

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Deer grazing just below the Ski Hut

From here you will cross the Baldy Bowl, do a little boulder scrambling and then back into the pine forest to continue the ascend to the summit. 

Once at the summit if you look in a Southeastern direction you will the the Devils Backbone Trail. Views from this trail are amazing!

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Devils Backbone viewed fromnthe Summit

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Take this trail down to the Baldy Notch (Ski lifts) from there you can either take the ski lifts down (if they’re running) or take the road down which is directly behind the restaurant. The road will take you back down and pass up the waterfall and leave you back at your car.

Click here for directions to the parking lot

***BE SURE TO USE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN HIKING ON THE DEVILS BACKBONE TRAIL. I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIKING THIS TRAIL AFTER SNOW FALL. PEOPLE HAVE DIED ON THIS TRAIL BEFORE ***

• 11.3 MILE LOOP
• HIKING POLES RECOMMENDED
• AMAZING VIEWS
• 3‚900 FT OF GAIN
• 7-9 HRS TO COMPLETE
• ADVENTURE PASS IS REQUIRED

SAN JACINTO PEAK (via Deer Springs Trail)

28 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks

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Me on San Jacinto Peak

This was probably up there on the list of tough hikes. I don’t know if it was the late 9:30 am start or the warm summer day or a combination of the two… But I had a hard time on this particular hike.

Anyways, Deer Springs Trail is located off of highway 243 and is actually on a turnout off the main highway. A forest adventure pass is required. You will also need a wilderness permit to day hike in the San Jacinto wilderness. You can pick one up at the ranger station a few miles down the road past the Trailhead. (Follow the signs on the roadside)

This a wonderful trail and I cant wait to bring my wife back to experience it. We have reached the summit before via the Palm Springs Tram which was a wonderful hike but this trail is my new favorite way up to the peak. The 9.3 mile trail makes its way up the west side of the mountain so an early start is recommended or else the sun will be beaming down on you as it was on me.

The trail is well marked and almost impossible to lose. The First marker is always such a drag… nothing but a reminder of how long you have left!

2.3 miles down…. 7 more to go!

The scenery on this trail is absolutely some of the best! Tall pines, lovely creeks and amazing rock formations

Large Boulder on the trail

Usually climbing out of the tree covered forest is not one of my favorite things… sometimes i wish i could stay there wondering around all day.. but on this hot summer day i knew that getting higher meant cooler weather. So we kept pushing on  passing trail junction after trail junction. Finally! blue skies in the distance! This is when you finally get a real feel for how much elevation you have gained..

Little windows like this were breathtaking!

view of The Santa Ana Mountains to the West

View of The Santa Ana and The San Gabriel Mountains

The views were amazing!!

We passed a lot of streams along the way making note of them and their distance just in case we needed to refill on the way back.. (which we did)> The last water source before the peak was at The Little Round Valley Campground. From here it is about 1.3 miles to the top. On our way back we refilled our 3L waterpacks here before heading down.

The climb out of little round valley was tough about 1,100 ft in in 1.6 miles. Not to worry The views from here were great! I got s sneak peak of my soon to be next hike San Gorgonio! (which was easier than expected)

View of San G

The Final Push! This was the longest 1.6 miles EVER! But being that close to the peak is nothing but motivation to keep on going.. So thats exactly what I did.. Reaching the last trail junction is always such a good feeling especially when it reads……

.3 MILES TO GO!!!

This is the Longest, Hardest .3 miles around! At least from my experiences.. The trail leads to the emergency shelter and from there its a rock scramble to the peak. Take your time and be careful  the high altitude can get you even at this point. I saw a guy sick as a dog throwing up just before the peak. I made sure to take some advil every 3 hours or so to prevent the killer headaches associated with high elevations hike.

Happy Trails!
AlexG

  • 18.6 MILES ROUNDTRIP
  • 5,000 FT ELEVATION GAIN
  • ALL DAY HIKE (10.5 HRS)
  • SUNBLOCK
  • HIKING POLES
  • WATER FILTER/PURIFIER
  • ADVENTURE PASS

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MOUNT BALDY (via the Ski Hut Trail)

27 Wednesday Jun 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes, Waterfalls

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SAN ANTONIO FALLS

With my Mount Whitney hike fast approaching I decided to get serious about my training. Already have done Mt Baldy (via Old Baldy Trail) which was a butt kicker I decided to try out the shorter but equally as hard route to the summit. At 4.2 miles and with a gain of 4,000 ft. This is the shortest and quickest way to the top.

The trail begins at the intersection of Mt. Baldy Rd and Falls Rd. there is plenty of parking and a Forest Adventure pass is required. The first mile of this hike is on a road. At .5 miles you will reach San Antonio Falls. On this particular May day the falls were less impressive than I had imagined.. but hey it was a pretty dry winter.

After making a sharp right turn past the falls the roads turns to the left and at about .8 miles  there will be an unmarked steep  single track trail to your left. This us the Ski Hut Trail. If you aren’t paying attention, you will miss it. We almost did if it wasn’t for a fellow hiker.

The next 3.5 miles are unbelievable, amazing and breathtaking! (Especially the breathtaking part) As soon as I started I immediately knew it was going to be a tough hike. I caught myself stopping more frequently than ever before.

It felt like the torture would never end!

What seemed to be an eternity was really only like an hour and a half of hiking… Finally through the cover of the clouds I got a glimpse of the ski hut.

FIRST VIEW OF THE SKI HUT ON A CLOUDY MORNING

Finally! The halfway point… great place to rest, re-energize, take a bathroom break and carb up before continuing on the final half of the hike.

ONE OF THE MANY PLACES TO REST AT THE SKI HUT

After a nice 30 minute rest. We geared up and continued on our mission! Just 2 more miles! Sounds easy but there is still one last hard section before the final push!

My buddy Neal

Winding our way up the mountain through a series of boulders and pines. There was no snow left on the mountain but there was a lot of ice covered trees. Which made for great photos.

After the last hard part the trail becomes relatively easy and the blue skies begin to open up indicating that the top of the ridge is getting closer. This usually gives me that extra motivation to keep on trekking!

NEARING THE TOP

YOURS TRULY, ON THE SUMMIT

This is probably the best 4.5 mile hike around. It offers a bit of everything.. A waterfall, a steep incline, beautiful scenery and an amazing view! Definitely a must do for all serious hikers!

  • 4.5 miles to the top
  • Difficulty – strenuous
  • 4,000 ft elevation gain
  • beautiful scenery
  • waterfall
  • 10,064
  • highest point in LA

RETURN OPTIONS:

  1. Return the way you came (9 miles)
  2. go down the devils backbone which will take you back to the trailhead with an added 2 miles on the return (apprx. 11 miles  r.t)
  3. go down Old Baldy Trail (6.4 miles) requires a car shuttle (11 miles r.t)

MOUNT BALDY (via Old Baldy Trail)

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Distance hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Plaque on the top of Baldy

This past April our group decided to hike up to the summit of Mount Baldy (officially Mt. San Antonio).  There are 4 ways to reach the peak. With Mt. Whitney just a few months away, we decided to challenge ourselves and take the Old Baldy Trail which is 6.4 miles long and has a gain of about 5,800 ft making it a very challenging and difficult hike.

The parking lot for this hike is located right next to the Mt. Baldy Village Church. A forest adventure pass is required.

After a quick bag check we started up Bear Canyon Rd for about .4 miles to the trailhead.

Trailhead at the end of Bear Canyon Rd

After enjoying the the sounds of the creek and sights of the cabins for .4 miles we left the paved road behind and continued on the dirt single-track trail that is Old Mt Baldy Trail. Our next destination was Bear Flat (1.8miles) here we regrouped and took a short break before continuing on for the remaining 4.6 miles.

The First 1.8 miles are the easiest…

The rest of the hike has a gain of 900 feet per mile making it very difficult.  As soon as you leave Bear Flat you start to switchback up the south side of the mountain leaving you exposed to the sun , so bring a hat and pack on the sunblock! Views of Ontario Peak are all you can see from here.

Ontario Peak

After about 2 miles we hit the end of the switchbacks and continued up the ridge. This is where SoCal began to reveal itself.

getting higher and higher.. The Santa Ana Mountains are starting to reveal themselves!

If you make it here.. Just keep on going as the hardest part is now over. My favorite part of this hike(other than reaching the peak) was when we I reached the Narrows Ridge This was an Amazing experience with awesome views!

My Wife making her way up Narrows Ridge

View of Mt Baldy from Narrows Ridge

When we reached the top of the ridge my jaw dropped!

Jaw is Dropped! top of the Narrows Ridge

Up until here we were on a dirt trail which was easy to follow and easy to walk on.. This was a first for me.. hiking in the snow.. it sounds nice in ones head but the fact of the matter is this stuff was slushy and knee deep in some places.. With Baldy in our sights we had no choice but to fuel up and keep on trekking!

Once we hit the saddle between West Baldy and Baldy we had a choice to visit WB but we were just too drained, so we continued to the right and made the final push up to Baldy!

WE MADE IT!!!!

My krew and I on the highest peak in LA

Happy Trails,
Alex G.

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  • 12.8 round-trip
  • 6.4 miles to the top
  • 900 ft of gain per mile
  • 5,800 ft of gain
  • 10,834 ft peak
  • Tallest peak in LA
  • 3rd tallest peak in So Cal
  • adventure pass required
  • Difficulty– Very Strenuous
  • start early to beat the heat 6 or 7am
  • total hike time 7-11 hours depending on pace

BLACK MOUNTAIN -HENDERSON,NV

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Moderate Hikes, Outdoors, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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Trailhead

Black Mountain is located just 30 minutes from the Las Vegas strip and at just under 7 miles this hike offers a great workout that can be completed in just a few hours, leaving you plenty of time left to enjoy the nightlife of Vegas.

This is a beautiful place to hike. The landscape is like nothing I’ve seen before. The mountain itself is volcanic in origin and that is evident as soon as you step foot on the trail.

The trail has a variety of desert plant life such as Joshua Trees, cactus and  Creosote bush.

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The hike itself is rather easy except for the last half mile or so. For the most part the ascend is gradual all the way up to black hill, it is from here that you will see the ridgeline before you and then the final push begins.

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The Ridge line to the Peak!

This part of the trail has the potential to be pretty dangerous as the ridge line is very rocky and steep at some points. I had my trekking poles which I recommend for this hike.

Once you reach the peak you will hopefully see an American flag flapping in the wind, (it wasn’t there on this hike) and a military ammo case filled with notepads and geocache like items.. I signed it as did many other hikers before me

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Looking East from the Peak

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Looking North West from the peak

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Mt Charleston in the distance

The views from the top of the 5,092 ft peak are amazing. Red Rock Canyon, Mt Charleston and Lake Mead are visible from here. The 360 views from here are breathtaking!

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Black Mountain Peak 5,092ft
Las Vegas Valley, The strip is in the upper right hand side

Click here for directions

• 7 miles roundtrip
• 5,092 ft peak
• Trekking poles recommended
• 2,100 foot elevation gain

Happy Trails,
Alex G.

Stinging Nettle Beware!

28 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Outdoors

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The stinging nettle is one plant you don’t want to mess with. I’m not sure if I’m just extra sensitive to it or what, but my skin’s reaction to the stinging nettle was nearly identical to when I encountered poison oak. The only current being that I knew immediately that the nettle had stung me.r

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The stinging nettle is covered in fine hairs. When they come in contact with your skin you will definitely feel the sting. It feels like little needles jabbing you. The hairs can easily pierce thin layers of clothing too. When these hairs break of, like tiny splinters, they inject toxins which cause itching, redness and in my case blisters.

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I have read that most over the counter itch fighting creams can provide relief, but I guess I’m just an odd ball because nothing seems to be giving me any relief!

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Mount San Jacinto Peak

05 Monday Sep 2011

Posted by in Distance hikes, Peaks, Strenuous Hikes

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A view from the tram

A view from the tram

a view from 9700 ft

a view from 9700 ft

A view of Palm Springs from the peak

A view of Palm Springs from the peak

This fun and adventurous hike begins at the Palm Spring Aerial Tramway . After a 15 min ride full of stunning views, you will reach the upper station where the temperature is about 25 degrees cooler than down In the valley.

Once here you will make your way down to the main trail. After checking in at the Ranger Station you will proceed on the main trail, using the trail markers as reference. From the ranger station its 5.5 miles to the peak. Now 5.5 miles might not seem like much but hiking at high elevation is a lot tougher than hiking down in the valley. The air is thinner making it harder to breath. For me, this was my first time hiking above 9,000 feet. It took me a while to adjust to the altitude. I took breaks often to let my lungs adjust.

Most of the hike is through a beautiful forest with towering pines and amazing rock formations. Once you reach Wellmans Divide the trail changes from a dirt trail to a narrow rocky uphill battle to Wellmans Junction. At 9700 feet Wellmans Junction is a great place for a quick break and to snap a few pictures.

From here it is 2.3 miles to the peak and the most difficult part of the hike if you ask me but the views along the ridge are amazing

Once you reach the next trail marker you are almost there just .3 miles away.! First you will see the Emergency Shelter Cabin . This is a great place to stop by and visit. There is also a book for everyone to sign. Here, hikers have left emergency supplies, water and other items to assist other hikers who may be in need of help.

After exiting the shelter all that separates you from the best view of So. Cal is a quick rock scramble up to the peak. This is where you your hard work will be rewarded. the views from the peak are absolutely AMAZING! In the distance you can see Santiago Peak and San Gorgonio. It is definitely a hike that I will do over and over again.

• 10,834 ft above sea level
• Stunning Views
• 11 miles round trip
• 6 hours, 4 up 2 back + time spent at peak
• Elevation gain 2300 feet
• Difficulty- moderate / strenuous

Us and the clouds!

Us and the clouds!