THIS is a real hike. Exceptional views, crisp clean air, strenuous trail, Baldy has it all. I've…read moredone this twice. If it wasn't as much of a drive, I'd do it a whole lot more. This hike I'm describing is about 11 miles roundtrip, 4000 ft elevation gain. But the ascent is 4 miles up, so it is steep! You are starting at 6000 ft, and going up to just over 10000 ft. Important: It is important to stay hydrated during this hike, it is easy to get altitude sickness if you go too fast, and this also dehydrates you. Please take caution. Follow Mt Baldy Rd. up to Manker Flats. You'll see a couple of port a potties on the left side & a fire road - this is where you'll begin. You'll stay on this fire road for maybe half a mile, and then you'll have to look out for the beginning of the trail on your left. It's hard to find, just builds out of the dirt ridge with an immediate incline. Once you're on the trail, it gets pretty steep right away. At the beginning you can look up at see a green hut in the distance - this is the Sierra Club ski hut for which the trail is named. It is about 2.5 miles away from where you are. Once you get to the Ski Hut, take a break, enjoy the scenery, then head out for the last 1.5 miles, which are even steeper. You'll cross over some rocks briefly, then begin ascent to the ridge. Once you get up here, you'll notice the amount of green has diminished, and the air has gotten thinner. The last portion up along the ridge is the toughest, it is steep, and you are at altitudes over 9000 ft, so you are simply not breathing in as much oxygen, and so your body has to work harder. But once you get to the peak, it is worth it. Grand views of the Angeles National Forest, & the surrounding area are yours. After sometime at the top, take the loop down Devil's Backbone. The first 3 miles down are filled with great views and some rocky trail. You'll take this until you get to a ski lift 3 miles away where there is some bathrooms and water to replenish. Finally you'll take the fire road down another 3.5 miles, which isn't as scenic, but not horrible. This road meets is really the fire road you first started on, and will take you back to your car. Quality

This really is a great hike…read more Though... I must admit ... we did the shorter route. We took the ski lifts up part of the way, took the devils backbone up to the summit, and went back the way we came. This was by no means easy. It is still a 6 or 7 mile hike. Though it is much longer and harder to start from the falls. I think Mt Baldy is under appreciated. It is absolutely beautiful. It is so nice to get away up there. The hike up is steep, take lots of water and snacks. The view up top is great. Enjoy.

In the late 1880s Louie Newcomb lived in a cabin deep in the San Gabriel Mountains living off the…read moreland and enjoying his solitude. He happily welcomed other outdoor enthusiasts that happen to pass his way. His isolation came to an end in the 1920s with the construction of Angeles Crest Hwy. Later in life Newcomb served as one of the early Forest Service Rangers and he also helped build the first ranger station in California. To reach the cabin ruins park your car at Newcomb's Ranch. Cross the street and make your way down a small hill where you will see an abandoned home in the distance. Continue north up a dirt path that parallels a creek to the right and the highway on your left. In roughly half a mile you'll reach a point where you will have to cross the creek and climb up a small hill. The site is a little hard to find but that's half the fun. You should start to see the chimney which is all that remains of the cabin. The historic Ranger Station that he built is located a short distance south of Newcomb's Ranch within Chilao Visitor Center. Thanks to the blog "angelesadventures.com" for inspiring my visit.

Louie's Cabin, the name alone has always had me wondering what it is and had been on my to-do list…read moresince the first time I saw it on a map. I might have passed these spot hundreds of times during the years of all my adventures. There are days where I want to go on a super long adventure, days where I want to backpack, days where I want to car camp and finally days where I just want a short hike. It is a fairly simple hike and you pass a lot of cool abounded building. You have to pass all the abounded building and clear a meadow. Follow the trail no more than a mile. Make sure to keep an eye for the chimney since it can be easily missed. It will be on your right side and you have to cross a dried creek to get to it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THvLv-arvuo

This park offers a plethora of hiking trails, picnic tables in an oak grove, and a large parking…read morelot. There is a $5 parking fee requested; but it seems like most folks, including me, park on the street for free and hike up to the trailhead. This will add about a mile to your workout (round-trip), but that's good, right? I completed the loop trail this time (trail map here https://trails.lacounty.gov/Trail/1833/wilson-canyon-loop-trail ) and really enjoyed it. There is a pretty significant altitude gain, so be prepared. The trail had definitely been affected by recent rains, with a lot of ruts in the road, but nothing impassable. You'll start out in chaparral, then go up through an oak/sycamore grove near an intermittent stream, and than descend on the north side back to the trailhead. There's also a year-round stream to the north of the hiking area; not sure if it's technically part of the park but it's worth seeking out. Hiking boots with good tread, hiking poles, and water are recommended. Hat, sunscreen and shades on sunny days. And don't forget snacks and a charged phone. Highly recommended.

Your mindset is what separates you from the rest. Let's begin this new trail adventure…read more WILSON CANYON PARK is a 2.8-mile loop trail at Sylmar, California. This trail is quite popular for horseback riding, hiking, and birding. It has an elevation gain of 705 ft.; trails were well maintained, however, there were sections of the Saddle Ranch trailhead that you go through a very narrow trench-just past the water dam structure- which doesn't look like a trail but it is part of the trailhead. You start with a very sandy trail and progresses to a rocky and then smoothed out as you ever to higher elevation. This trail has rich in flora and fauna, wild animals and insects. I saw a juvenile snake (not sure if it's a Sierra Garter snake) as I descend back. YIKES! I decided to hit the Pig Ranch trail as well. Both trails deemed Easy for experienced hikers. Fellow hikers were cordial and respectful. I even saw a male hiker, wearing plaid shirt and jeans, brought his 4 lil boys on the trail. Great family bonding. Anyways, this was a nice hike with great scenery even on a slightly foggy day. Parking has a $5 honor system as you drive inside the park. Overall, WCT is a good quick hike and I recommend it.

Trebek Open Space is an easy, less-traveled hike with phenomenal views…read more Parking: If you're driving up Nichols Canyon Road from Hollywood Blvd, you'll see cars parked about .8 miles from the entrance. Don't give in and try to park there! Continue up the road to the entrance as there may spots open closer to the trailhead. I was concerned about parking based on previous reviews. However, I was able to snag a parking spot on Saturday at 9:40AM in the small dirt lot (with space for about eight cars) adjacent to the trailhead. Hiking Experience: The trail is a bit steep, but not impossible, as you start out. There are views of the Hollywood Hill homes to the right. Once you follow the trail about half a mile, the path slightly diverges. You can follow the path to the right, which will lead you toward some stunning views of downtown or you can follow the trail to the right and up the mountain for a more active hike. I did both and it took me about an hour and twenty minutes which includes the time it took to take some photos! Since the trail doesn't loop around, you'll have to retrace your steps to get back to the small lot. This was by far the most secluded trail I've been on in LA. There were probably 8 or so people on the path during my time there. If you're looking to ease [back] into hiking in a quiet place while soaking up some stellar views, Trebek Open Space is definitely where you'd want to go!

Trebek Open Space is a nice trail located next to Runyon, but less all the people. Located off of…read moreNichols Canyon on the way up to Mulholland, you would park right at the bend when Nichols starts to incline. The parking on Nichols is an issue so definitely keep that in mind. Don't do what I did and miss the parking and wound up parking at the top and did the trail in reverse. The trail is a dirt path that's decently wide so definitely COVID friendly. However, there are quit a few options once you start on the trail so my suggestion is do your research or bring the All Trails app with you so you don't wind up onto a different trail. Positives of the trail: 1-Open space, not too crowded. 2-Nice view 3-Decent incline. Negatives of the trail: 1-Not a lot of parking. 2-No shade so definitely not friendly during the middle of the day. 3-Decent incline. I would say this is a great space if you live in the Hollywood area or frequent Runyon in hopes that it won't be crowded, but for me coming from the valley I think there are better options that are less difficult to get to.

Saw the Rattle Snake along the fence bordering the wash moving north towards Mills Ave. The snake…read moreis full grown about 2 ft long. This is the 2nd Rattle Snake I have seen along the Thompson Creek Trail in the last month. Please be aware on both sides of the paved trail.

***Must pay to park or else you'll get a $50 citation and if you don't have front license plate…read moreThey will also fine for another $50. Officer 627-NV highly rude public servant. Too many power lines buzzing overhead not allowing hike to be peaceful. GO ELSEWHERE!***

Stoddard peak is a mountain summit located near Mount Baldy that provides a great trail for first…read moretimers looking to challenge themselves to a peak. Roundtrip the hike is just about 6 miles. Most of the hike is along a grated road/trail which provides easy walking. The last part of the trail to the peak presents some challenges as you meander your way to the peak, dealing with some edge drop offs and rock scrambling. The hike starts right after a small power station off the Mt Baldy road- just after a couple of tunnels. There is an upper and lower parking lot. If parking at the lower lot, at night time watch out for the big pot holes- best for high profile cars. If both lots are full, there are additional lots- but watch for signs designating no parking. Make sure you display your adventure pass or national park pass, otherwise you may get a ticket. Once you start your hike, you have the opportunity to enjoy some sights of cute cabins- there is one that looks like a Hansel and Grettle house. The trailhead starts beyond the cabins, past a gate. The route to the peak is pretty straight forward till the end. The route will provide a gradual hill climb with approximately 1145 feet elevation gain. As of September 2025, there was an arrow made out of rocks on the ground that pointed to the climb for the peak- don't miss this turnoff. At this point you will be going uphill through some low bushes. As you proceed on, you will pass by some false peaks, make sure you continue on until you reach the peak with the sign with triangle and a number. You will also see some signs for pictures. Best to start early during warmer months- as the hike has very limited shade. Also the parking lots on the weekends get busy early- we arrived at 6am and the parking lots were near full. Download trail map- as there is not reception near the peak.

It's not a business. First part of trail very easy. Drop off to canyon very scary looking!read more

I did this great hike back in September of 2019 and really loved it despite it being one of the 5…read morehardest hikes I have personally done. Parking- an Adventure Pass is needed which costs $5 for one day or $30 for the year (I like to get the annual and add a 2nd car pass for $5 additional dollars and split the cost with a hiking buddy...so $17.50 and we each have a pass for our car for the year); my hiking buddy Jose parked his car at Manker Flat and I drove him back to the Ice House parking lot where we started our hike from Trail- the Ice House Canyon Trail is beautiful and you are hiking near the Ice House Creek for most of the 3.5 miles up to the saddle; this section is pretty busy since this is the trail that people who are hiking to Ontario Peak or Cucamonga Peak use also; once at the saddle most people take a little snack break since you have been steadily climbing for the past hour and a half; trails signs are visible at the saddle and the Three T's trail is to the left and the next 3.5 miles I found to be the hardest as you make your way to Timber and Telegraph Peaks...the views along the trail and at the peaks are phenomenal (esp. Telegraph)...this portion the elevation will be between 7,500 and 9,000 ft so depending on how comfortable you are at the altitude you may experience some fatigue/breathing issues; the final peak of the Three T's, Thunder Mountain, is the easiest to reach but it is the least impressive; from Thunder you make your way down to the Baldy Notch which has a bathroom, water refill station, and a good place to buy a snack or a drink; after taking a 15-20 min break at the lodge area we made the boring walk down the fire road to Manker Flat for about 3 miles...if you don't have a 2nd car parked here than you need to walk a couple more miles down the paved Mt. Baldy Rd back to your one car at Ice House or maybe someone will see you walking and offer you a ride down to your car Details Distance- almost 14 miles Elevation Gain- almost 5k feet Elevation Peak- 8,976 ft Duration- Total time of 7hrs with 5.5 hrs of actual hiking time since we took 5 breaks (saddle, each of the Three T's, and at the notch) *the first half (7 miles) of the hike is the hardest since you are averaging between 500-800 ft of elevation gain per mile Tips- start early since this hike will take most people between 6-8 hrs and you will want to avoid the effects of heat/sun exposure; bring layers since there will be temperature fluctuations; wear hiking shoes/boots...wouldn't recommend wearing just tennis shoes on this one; bring 2-3 liters of water, pack snacks, hiking poles might be good but not a must, and try to use 2 cars so you can park one at each lot (Manker & Ice House)

Like the great views, lodge for snacks, chair lift down. Lodge staff thoughtfully gave senior…read morediscount $10 tickets for chair lift down. Sorry to say potato wedges are nearly addictive- our group of 7 went through 3 baskets. Liked the cool breeze that made top areas pleasant while temperatures down in the village got into 90s in mid July. Thankfully, water for refilling containers was available at lodge at top of lower chair lift, say 10 miles in. TheHikingGuy has useful web page and video of the route. Could use portable signs, for photos, like one sees on Mt Gorgonio etc.

Ontario Peak was my first Peakbagger! It will always hold special memories for me and I've made…read moresuch great and amazing friends climbing this peak. It was fun and I think anyone can do it. For those that are a little out of shape, take your time and you will get there. The summit is breathtaking. Bring hiking poles. This was also the peak that demonstrated to me that I can do anything if I set my mind to it and to not be afraid to get out there and conquer anything and everything! I carpooled and an adventure pass is required to park. Please get out there and create your own adventure.

This is another new favorite SoCal hike. I hiked to the top a few weekends ago before snow hit the…read morearea and I'm so happy I did! It was still cold but I got a chance to see beautiful orange and yellow leaves in the trail for the first few miles and then the surroundings turned to pine trees, skree and distant views of the Mount Baldy Bowl! I never really understood how many trails there are out by Mount Baldy. I've even done Cucamonga peak and didn't realize there were so many more accessible peaks to check out from the same trail! I'm really excited to try more in the area! This is a really well marked and maintained trail. There were a few spots in the last mile towards the peak where there were trees fallen but only a few. The saddle is a great place to rest before the last push to the top. You could easily add a couple peaks on but I was pressed for time this day. It's also a great training hike for other adventures and maintaining hiking fitness as the distance is over 10 miles and elevation above 4000. Total distance: 13.54 Miles Elevation Gain: 4,392 ft Highest Point: 8,696 ft