Mount San Antonio, commonly referred to as Mount Baldy or Old Baldy, is a summit in the San Gabriel Mountains on the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties of California. Lying within the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest, it is the highest point within the mountain range, the County of Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles metropolitan area.
Mount San Antonio's sometimes snow-capped peaks are visible on clear days and dominate the view of the Los Angeles Basin skyline. The peak and a subsidiary one to the west form a double summit of a steep-sided east–west ridge. The summit is accessible via a number of connecting ridges along hiking trails from the north, east, south, and southwest.
Name The Tongva call the mountain Yoát or Joat, which means snow, and the Mohave call it Avii Kwatiinyam. The name Mount San Antonio was probably bestowed by Antonio Maria Lugo, owner of a rancho near present-day Compton circa 1840, in honor of his patron saint, Anthony of Padua.Sierra Club Hundred Peaks Section, 100 Peaks Lookout newsletter, May 1969
The mountain is almost always referred to as "Mount Baldy" by locals, to the point where many may not recognize the name "Mount San Antonio." When American settlers arrived and surveyed the land, "Baldy" – a reference to the bare fell-field of Baldy Bowl that dominates the south face visible from Los Angeles – became the predominant name, and it has stuck. Nonetheless, "Mount San Antonio" is still used by a number of institutions (e.g. Mount San Antonio College).
Geography
Mt. San Antonio lies in the Angeles National Forest. Its summit is , and marks the boundary between San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County. A sub-peak, West Baldy, is .
The mountain's southern watershed drains into San Antonio Creek, the north side into Lytle Creek and the Fish Fork of the San Gabriel River. San Antonio and Lytle Creeks are part of the Santa Ana River watershed. San Antonio Creek descends through a deep canyon which has several waterfalls, the last about high.
East of the summit is Mount Harwood, which is in turn connected by a narrow ridge, "The Devil's Backbone," to a pass known as the Baldy Notch. At the Notch there is a ski resort, the closest one to Los Angeles. South of the resort, and connected to its ski lift by an asphalt road, lies Mt Baldy Village.
There are no roads or maintained trails connecting the mountain to the less populated region to its north, but a use trail leads over Dawson Peak and Pine Mountain to Wright Mountain and the Pacific Crest Trail, overlooking the town of Wrightwood.
Climate A weather station located around 7,700 feet was run during the 1960s; it recorded an average of 131 inches of snow per year. Snow peaks late in the season; in April 1967, 120 inches of snow fell.
Natural history
Geology Mount San Antonio lies in the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains, one of the Transverse Ranges of Southern California, formed around the San Andreas Fault system. The Transverse Ranges were formed because of a dog-leg bend in the San Andreas, which is a transform fault. The bend makes it difficult for the two plates to move smoothly past one another, and mountains were raised as a result.
The prehistoric Hog Back landslide lies in the canyon of San Antonio Creek at 4000' elevation. When the slide occurred, it dammed the river, whose depth built up until the water was released catastrophically, forming a slot canyon which now holds some of the area's few good rock climbing routes (difficulty 5.11, sport).
In modern times, notable floods have occurred in 1938 and 1969. The San Antonio Dam was completed in 1956, after a pause due to World War II, in an effort to prevent future floods as severe as the one in 1938, which damaged the low-elevation, highly populated areas below. The dam succeeded in significantly reducing the damage done by the 1969 flood. Hydroelectric plants along San Antonio Creek are tied to the electric grid.
Plants
The lower land area of the mountain consists of an ecological community known as yellow pine forest. Tree species include lodgepole pine, Jeffrey pine (also known as western yellow pine), white fir, and some sugar pine. These forests are fairly sparse, and are intermixed with chaparral and oak savannah.
Higher up, the yellow pine forest community gives way to a pure lodgepole forest. Near 9,000 ft (2,750 m) these become increasingly krummholzed, and beyond about 9,500 ft (2,900 m) lies an unforested alpine zone. Mountain mahogany trees grow on the slopes above San Antonio Creek.
The dominant shrubs at the higher elevations are manzanita and bush chinquapin. As the elevation increases, there is a higher ratio of chinquapin to manzanita. Other shrubs on the mountain include mountain whitethorn, buckwheat, and mountain gooseberry.
Wildflower species include Galium parishii, San Gabriel alumroot, gray monardella, pumice alpinegold, Parry's pussypaws, Nuttall's sandwort, and caulanthus. There are also Ross's sedge and rockcress. Oreonana vestita, a type of mountainparsley, is adapted to talus.
Animals Desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) are found in the area, mostly above 7000', and they lamb in the area.Vaughan, Mammals of the San Gabriel Mountains of California, 1954 Their population is less threatened than those of other subspecies in California. Unlike animals of this subspecies in the Mojave Desert, those in the San Gabriel Mountains cannot be legally hunted and need not compete with aggressive feral burros for food or water.Schoenherr, A Natural History of California, pp. 216, 515
Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), featured on the state flag, were once common in the Transverse Ranges, but were driven to extinction in California in the late 19th century, with one of the last animals in the San Gabriels being shot in 1894 by Walter L. Richardson. Black bears (Ursus americanus) did not naturally exist in the San Gabriel Mountains, but in 1933 eleven black bears from Yosemite Valley that had shown problematic behavior were moved to Southern California and released near Crystal Lake. All black bears in the San Gabriels are believed to be descended from this group. Black bears are relatively shy and are almost never known to harm humans.
Rabbits and coyotes are found near San Antonio Creek at low elevations, typically below 2000'. The most common species of rabbits are the black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) and the desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii),Vaughan, Mammals of the San Gabriel Mountains of California, 1954 the jackrabbit being distinguished by its huge ears. Western gray squirrels live in oak forests at low elevations, on both the south side and the desert side of the range. Merriam's chipmunk (Neotamias merriami) inhabits the San Gabriels in low-elevation areas containing manzanita, below the yellow pine forest community.
Rodents found at higher elevations in the San Gabriels include lodgepole chipmunks (Neotamias speciosus), all the way up to the tree line, and the California ground squirrel (Otospermophilus beecheyi) in the yellow pine forest on the south side of the range. They hibernate in winter. Rabbits may also occasionally be observed at high elevations.
The two species of chipmunk are difficult to distinguish visually, and firm identification may require examination of their pubic bones, but the lodgepole chipmunk has brighter white stripes.Kays and Wilson, Mammals of North America It is easier to distinguish the western gray squirrel (gray, with a white belly and a big, bushy tail) from the California ground squirrel, which is spotted and has a gray area on the back of its neck.
Recreation
Trails Hiking trails reach the summit from four sides of the mountain, and one can access the Devil's Backbone trail by skipping the Mt. Baldy Notch trail by taking Chair #1 at Mount Baldy Resorts during any season.
The trails vary in difficulty, and there are plenty of options for novices as well as experienced hikers.
Mt. Baldy Notch – (3.5 miles one way): The trail begins at Manker Flats, where the Baldy Notch Service Road can be taken to the notch. The trail provides scenic views at the notch, and other trails ahead.
Devil's Backbone – (3.2 miles one way from Notch): A service road at Mt. Baldy Notch leads to the Devil's Backbone trailhead and continues to the main peak.
Mt. Baldy Trail – (6.5 miles one way to Mt. Baldy Summit): This is the oldest and longest trail to the summit. Because it starts at Mt. Baldy Village, it has almost 6000' of elevation gain.
Icehouse Canyon – (3.7 miles one way): The Icehouse Canyon trail begins in the parking lot at Icehouse and goes all the way up to Icehouse Saddle where a number of trails can be taken either to the Notch or to nearby peaks such as Ontario and Cucamonga. (5.5 miles).
Ski Hut Trail – This trail follows the east side of the San Antonio Creek canyon to a small backcountry ski hut owned by the Sierra Club. A use trail continues around the left side of the bowl and then to the summit.
Three T’s – (5.3 miles one way): The trail starts and ends at the Icehouse Canyon Trailhead. It leads to views from the summits of Thunder, Timber and Telegraph Mountains.
North Backbone Trail – (6.9 miles one way): The trail is a use trail that starts near Wrightwood but also near Wright Mountain. The trailhead is on a dirt road near Blue Ridge on CA-2. It summits 2 peaks: Dawson Peak and Pine Mountain.
Winter mountaineering During the winter, the mountain is typically covered in snow. As a result, the winter and spring offer a snow climbing challenge for mountaineers. The "Baldy Bowl" south of the summit is often climbed with crampons and ice ax, depending on snow conditions. The bowl can be treacherous for inexperienced climbers as some sections have slopes of 45° to 50°. Avalanches and rock fall are both hazards, and deaths or rescues from accidents along Devil's Backbone are a common occurrence. There are also a number of summer routes to the summit involving cross-country travel or scrambling, and it is possible to rappel down the canyon of San Antonio Creek.
Sierra Club hut
The ski hut is operated by the Sierra Club Angeles Chapter and available for year-round use on weekends. It marks the approximate halfway point on the Ski Hut Trail, at an elevation of 8,200 ft. It has a fully-equipped kitchen, piped water, solar lighting, a wood-burning stove, dormitory loft beds for about sixteen visitors, and an outhouse with a view. The hut is located at the base of Baldy Bowl, recognized as a superb skiing area in the early 1930s. The Ski Mountaineers section of the Sierra Club, formed in 1935, was granted permission by the U.S. Forest Service to construct a hut in this location.Brinton, Bob. 1945. Encyclimpedia Brintonica, Mugelnoos. Oct 4 and Nov. 1.
The hut was built by volunteers, who carried all of the building materials up on their backs; it was completed in January 1936. The original hut burned to the ground on September 20, 1936, but was rebuilt, using burros to transport the building supplies,Mendenhall, Ruth Dyar. 2007. Woman on the Rocks – The Moutaineering Letters of Ruth Dyar Mendenhall. Bishop, CA: Spotted Dog Press, p. 23. with the replacement hut completed that winter. The rebuilt hut is preserved as much as possible in its original condition, except that the women’s dormitory has been converted to a tool and storage room, and the failing roof panels had to be replaced, again transported to the hut by man power.
Camping
Manker Flats Campground is available for the public to camp in on a first come-first served mechanism. It is located 3 miles northeast of Mt. Baldy Village on Mt. Baldy road, in an open pine forest. It boasts 21 campsites with features such as stoves, piped water, toilets and tables. However, there are no facilities for showers or sanitary disposal. Fees for camping overnight are $12 per night, and an additional $5 for extra vehicles.