Special Instructions
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Wilderness Permit Req'd
CONTACT: |
Mount Baldy Visitors Center
Mt. Baldy Road
Mt. Baldy, CA 91759
(909) 982-2829 |
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NF Adventure Pass Req'd
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| You are here: Home
: Hiking |
Last
Updated on 08/09/2003 |
| RATINGS |
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3T's plus Harwood and Baldy
loop hike to 5 peaks |
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Location: San Gabriel Mountains, Angeles National Forest, Southern California
Region: Mount Baldy Region
Wilderness: Cucamonga Wilderness
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Total Distance:
20 Mi
Elevation Gain: 8,500 Ft
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Season: April-Nov
Type: Loop |
Start Elev: 4,900 Ft
Peak Elev: 10,064 Ft
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Total
Time: 9.33 hr
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Peak List |
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Peak
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Elevation |
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Timber Mountain |
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8,303 Ft |
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Telegraph Peak |
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8,985 Ft |
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Thunder Mountain |
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8,587 Ft |
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Mount Harwood |
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9,552 Ft |
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Mount San Antonio |
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10,064 Ft |
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| Driving Directions |
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Directions:
From I-10 or I-210 exit Mountain or Euclid. Head north towards the mountains. Turn right on Mt Baldy Road. Drive through Baldy Village to fork at Icehouse Canyon. Keep right at fork. Continue a short distance to Icehouse Canyon trailhead parking. An adventure pass is required. |
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| Route |
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The trail begins at the east end of that parking lot. Hike the trail through Icehouse Canyon, which
is shaded in the morning. About a mile in, a side trail goes up the side of the canyon and says 4.6
miles or something to Icehouse Saddle. The other sign on the trail that follows the canyon says 2.6
miles. Stay straight on the trail in the canyon. There is one section of trail where a small stream
flows over it; nothing deep, it just adds to the lushness of the canyon. At the saddle, a sign says
.9 miles to Timber Mountain. Make a left at the saddle and follow the trail to Timber Mountain. .25
miles from Timber Mountain there is a sign with a side trail that says .25 miles to Timber Mountain.
Follow the side trail to the peak, then head back to the main trail and onto Telegraph. After Timber,
the trail heads down a few hundred feet and then climbs back up to Telegraph. There is another .25
mile signed side trail to the peak. Continue back on the main trail which gradually climbs to Thunder
Mountain and the ski lift. You can go across the top of the mountain and down the ski run which will
meet up with the road to the Notch or you can stay on the trail and meet up with the road to the
Notch. At the Notch there is the Baldy restaurant which has water, restrooms, and cold drinks. Stop
in if their open and get a cold one. Across from the restaurant is the trail that continues up and
meets up with the ski run. Walk up the steep ski run and at the top, the Devil's Backbone east trail
begins. Hike this trail. On the side of Mount Harwood, the trail enters a clearing where you can look
up and see the rocky, treeless slop of Mount Harwood. This is the place to get of the trail and start
hiking up the rocky (not steep) slope to Mount Harwood. The peak is the highest point which you can
visually determine once your there. After visiting the peak, continue west along the top of the ridge
and back down to the trail up to Baldy. Now there is another 700 foot climb to the top of Mount
Baldy. Once there, contine on the Baldy trail towards West Baldy. Follow the Baldy trail all the way
down to Mount Baldy village. At Bear Flats, follow the trail that stays along the creek. Beyond that
there is a split in the trail... both trails go down along the creek in both directions. Take the
more heavily traveled turn to the left (not as covered by tree material). Eventually the trail will
dump you out on a small paved road. Follow the road down thru the residential area back to the main
Mount Baldy Road. When you get there, there is a very obvious and inviting PowerAde vending machine
directly across the road. Make a left on the road and walk back up the road about 700 feet elevation
gain or so to the parking lot at Icehouse Canyon Trailhead. |
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| Details |
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I posted this hike at the Outdoors Club website and 2 people
signed up for it. We started the hike at about 6:40am. Scott was back at the parking lot at 2:45pm.
He took the Ski Hut trail down from Baldy to avoid the uphill walk from Baldy Village to Icehouse
Canyon at the end of the hike. I hiked with him from the ascent of Telegraph to just beyond the Notch
where he left me in the dust. I don't think he did Harwood. Michelle got back to the parking lot at
5:05pm. She missed Harwood. I didn't see her all day after we left the parking lot. She took the
Baldy trail down as the above route describes. I got back at the parking lot at 4:00pm. I had soggy a
peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the top of Harwood and called a friend of mine. It was nice
having company to do a crazy hike like this.
The hike through Icehouse Canyon was nice and shady as the sun hadn't yet come over the ridge. It was
still hot because I was keeping about a 3 mph pace from the parking lot to Timber Mountain. After
Timber, I slowed down on the descent to save my joints for the hike down from Baldy. I saw Scott
coming down Timber at the saddle between Timber and Telegraph. I picked up the pace again up
Telegraph and he caught up to me maybe half way up Telegraph. Nothing eventful happened really except
miles and miles of more hiking. Met some nice folks from Fullerton who were doing Baldy from the
Notch. Spent about 20 minutes on Harwood and 25 minutes on Baldy eating an orange. Damn that was a
good orange. The lower part of the Baldy trail going down got pretty hot and so was the walk back
along the road. But it was a great day and a nice hike. |
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| Trail Condition |
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The trails are all pretty nice out here. They were narrow and brushy in a few places but nothing bad.
All the trails are well traveled. |
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| Forest Details |
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The lower portion of the Baldy trail above Bear Creek is deserty and hot. The best part of the hike
is through Icehouse Canyon. |
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| Notes about this hike report |
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This hike enters the Cucamonga Wilderness on the Icehouse Canyon trail and exits the wilderness
somewhere before Thunder Mountain. A wilderness permit is required and can be obtained at the Mount
Baldy vistors center in Mount Baldy Village, or you can get one at the Lytle Creek Ranger Station in
Lytle Creek. You must obtain the permit ahead of time as self-issue permits are not available for the
Cucamonga wilderness as far as I know.
Start at 6:40am, Timber at 8:15am, Telegraph at 9:30, Thunder at 10:15am, 20 minutes at the Notch,
Harwood at 12:00pm, leave Harwood at 12:20pm, Baldy at 12:45pm, leave Baldy at 1:10pm, Icehouse
Canyon parking lot at 4:00pm. |
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