Welcome to Mount Baldy! Â Is it a tiny cluster of hiking trails, a full-on resort area, or a remote community of mountain hillbillies living on the fringe of Los Angeles? Â In reality, it may be a little of all three, but technically Mount Baldy is a recreational area located on the southern edge of the Angeles National Forest and it offers a little bit of everything. Â Within Mount Baldy you can go hiking, camping, biking, skiing and snowboarding and find accommodation, food, drinks and live music. Â Personally, it reminds me of a tiny Lake Tahoe…minus giant the lake.
How to Get In and Out:
There are only two roads in and out of the Mount Baldy Recreation Area, and they both meet up at the Visitors Center where they proceed to wind up to the end of the road just below the peak at the Mount Baldy Ski Lift. Â Here, you can take a gondola to the highest point. Â The two routes into the area are:
- Mt. Baldy Road
- Glendora Ridge Road
Hiking Trails Explained:
| Hiking Trail | Difficulty | Distance (One Way) |
| San Antonio Falls Trail | Easy | 0.6 Miles |
| Bear Canyon Trail to Bear Flats | Moderate | 1.75 Miles |
| Bear Canyon Trail to top of Mt. Baldy | Strenuous | 6.4 Miles |
| Ice House Canyon to Ice House Saddle | Moderate | 3.6 Miles |
| Ice House Saddle via Chapman Trail | Moderate | 5.4 Miles |
| Ice House Canyon to Ontario Peak | Strenuous | 6.1 Miles |
| Ice House Canyon to Big Horn Peak | Strenuous | 5.8 Miles |
| Ice House Canyon to Cucamonga Peak | Strenuous | 5.9 Miles |
| Ice House Canyon to the 3 T’s (Timber/Telegraph/Thunder Mtn) | Strenuous | 7.5 Miles |
| San Antonio Falls to top of Mt. Baldy via Ski Hut Trail | Strenuous | 4.6 Miles |
| San Antonio Falls to top of Mt. Baldy via Devil’s Backbone | Strenuous | 6.8 Miles |
Food, Drink and Lodging:
Remember, you’re in the middle of a national park so just be happy that there’s anything at all. Â I know I was shocked to see these places open and functional. Â They all have a rustic/biker/mountain/tourist feel…if that makes any sense.
- Buckhorn Lodge
- Mount Baldy Lodge
- Harwood Lodge
Where to Camp:
There’s only one official campground in the Mount Baldy Recreation Area, and it goes by the name of Manker Flats. Â It hosts 21 sites that cost $14 per night, and they don’t take reservations. Â There is one blue removable porta-potty and potable water available. Â If you can’t find a spot in the campground, there is the option of camp around some of the trails….although fires are prohibited outside the official campgrounds.
