Mount San Antonio via Devils Backbone Trail
4.6 mi
Distance
1 hrs 49 min
Time
terrain
3,435 ft
Elev Gain
Overview
This is a difficult one way trail to Mount San Antonio in San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
This trail goes by Mount Harwood.
Sights to See
Rate this Hike
★★★★★
Solo hiked Fri 07/28/2023 – Early trip up Baldy Bowl trail to the summit in time to share the sunrise with a small herd of Bighorns. Down the north face (North Backbone) and up Dawson Peak. Continued on the ridge to go up Pine Mountain. Pleasant weather, thanks to a nice breeze all day. Back up Mt Baldy, across Mt. Harwood and down the Devil’s Backbone trail to Manker Flat. . Hard to believe we’re still stepping across snow on the north face this late in the year. Another great day for hiking this summer before the weather changes. Highly recommend the North Backbone Trail out to Dawson, Pine and Wright summits. Last water available to fill up is just past Ski Hut and dry after that. Surprised there were not more people out on the trail on a Friday. Like everyone else says – start early for maximum enjoyment, bring plenty of water (went through 4L) and use insect repellent and/or a mosquito net! Logged 15.5 miles/6716 vertical ft. with Gaia
★
★
★
★
★
Started from the Baldy Ski resort parking lot and took Mt. Baldy Rd. to the Notch, then Devil’s Backbone to the peak. It was 70F at 7am and very lightly wind at the summit. Clouds kept the heat away, but you could definitely feel the warmth. Took the chair lift down. Total hiking time was 2:15.
★
★
★
★
I took the trail that goes right under the ski lift. That plus Devil’s Backbone all the way up and it was difficult for me. I liked it, but I wouldn’t recommend it for casual hikers. It was more of a test for myself to see if I’m getting back in shape. It took about 7 hours, but i didn’t take the ski lift trail down. I took the fire road because my knees were kind of hurting. Lots of great views, but be prepared. I did this 08-16-20, where there were fires in the distance and a heat warning. A great day, and it ended up being almost exactly 9 miles.
★
★
★
Public Tracks
Mt Baldy - Climb for Heroes
This hike of Mt San Antonio -- aka Mt Baldy -- with #TeamSoCalHiker was part of the annual Climb for Heroes fundraiser for the Heroes Project. They take wounded vets up the Seven Summits!
Our team raised over $7000 and the entire event raised over $125,000.
San Gabriel Mountains (Wrightwood area) Hike
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/19094185458
