Modern Hiker

A challenging, lengthy, roller-coaster of a hike. High alpine elevations, great views, solitude, and multiple peaks in the Mount Baldy area. Lots of potential for side-trails or car-shuttle loops.

The night before this hike, I had made the trek up to the Universal CityWalk for the launch of the Nintendo Wii. After getting there, seeing the enormous line, and failing to get a cheaters’ Press Pass to jump ahead, I left my friends and went home, early and slightly disappointed … but knowing that I wasn’t going to spend an entire evening waiting around in a line outside.

One of the reasons I skipped out on the Wii Line early was to hit up the northern 2/3rds of the ‘Three Tees Trail’ from Mount Baldy. It’s a trail that hits the tops of Thunder Mountain, Telegraph Peak, and Timber Mountain (which I’d done a few weeks prior), and it’s also a trail that had been on my TO DO list for quite some time.

And while I feel a slight tinge of regret that I didn’t get my Wii alongside everyone else, I think I made the right decision.

I arrived at Manker Flats around 10:30 or so, a bit later than I’d have liked. I blame this on a last-minute, half-desperate stop at a Target on the way to the trailhead. Stupid wishful thinking.

The forecast called for an unusually warm day, and the air was already starting to heat up. Nothing too hot, but definitely warmer than any other time I’d been up in these mountains. They were 100% clear, though, and the sunshine and brilliant blue made for some great views.

I’d done the trail to Baldy Notch the last time I hiked to Mt. San Antonio. It’s basically a low-graded fire road that’s not very inspiring, but occasionally allows for some good looks at the Baldy range. I high-tailed it up to the notch, snacked on an apple, and headed out toward Thunder Mountain.

You can check out San Antonio Falls early on in the trail, and if you’re feeling adventurous, there are a couple of use-paths and ski-routes that lead up from the ski lift parking lot. They’ll cut off some distance, but may be difficult to follow.

The trails close to the Baldy Notch ski lodge were, predictably, on skiing trails. Except they had no snow on them, and I was going up instead of down. Interestingly, going up ski slopes is not as easy as one would think. The ground was loose and covered with small boulders, and it was pretty easy to slip on the way up. Although, it being a ski resort did give way to some weird contrasting pictures, like this firing squad of snowblowers, eagerly waiting for the temperatures to drop.

On the trail up to Thunder Mountain, the ski slope / hiking trail wound its way through a ridge between the northeast and southwest sides of the range. The vast desert was on one side, Mount San Antonio and its cohorts on the other. Every time I turned to the right, I was constantly struck by the sheer size of Mount San Antonio.

I still can’t believe I hiked that thing.

There’s a ski-lift that runs to the top of Thunder Mountain. It wasn’t operational, but it meant that the top of Thunder Mountain was not unspoiled. It was basically the end of a ski lift, a small lodge, and some directional signs for other ski slopes. It did have a good view of Telegraph Peak, though:

While jotting down my time for Thunder Mountain, I met the only other hiker I’d seen on the trail so far - a Frenchman on vacation. He told me every year he takes his mandatory four weeks of vacation in the States, traveling from National Park to National Park, stopping to hike, camp, and take pictures all along the way. On this trip, he’d started in Colorado, hit up all the Rocky Mountain parks, stopped in Yellowstone, Arches, Joshua Tree, and was ending in the Southern California mountains.

He said he first noticed these mountains when he was flying out of Los Angeles with his family. He told himself he had to hike them, and one year later, here he was. We chatted for a bit about how he was seeing all the nice parts of our country, and probably more than many Americans. We compared National Park lists, and I gave him some suggestions for his next trip to the L.A. area. We both agreed that, while it’s sad that people in Los Angeles don’t really realize the beauty that’s in their backyard, it’s better for people like us.

He also had the best description of L.A. I’ve ever heard. “Los Angeles,” he said, speaking with his hands, “it is … it is a mad city.”

I continued on alone, and past Thunder Mountain, the Three Tees Trail finally took on the more rugged and isolated feeling I was looking for. Making my way through cedar and manzanita, I descended down Thunder Mountain to a small saddle between the two peaks, Telegraph always in view.

After crawling up the switchbacks on the side of Telegraph Peak, the views from the top were amazing. The peak itself is a small rock promontory that offered nearly three hundred and sixty degree views, from the deserts and San Bernardino National Forest past downtown to Santa Monica, the Pacific, and Santa Catalina Island. The sun was starting to set, and the Pacific was absolutely glowing.

The rock promontory also made a nice built-in chair, and in the direct sun was a great place to relax, eat lunch, and close my eyes and take in the silence and peace of the place.

The hike back down was just as beautiful as the hike on the way up, with the setting sun fully illuminating the crags of the mountains and casting long, beautiful shadows through the mountain valleys and across the saddles.

I stopped a few more times on the way out for pictures, including twisted trees, manzanita leaves, and one of my tracks from the hike in — the only footprints on the whole trail.

I did splurge and take the chair lift down from Baldy Notch, as a). it was getting late b). the fire road trail is boring and c). I was tired. Taking it up is cheating. Taking it down is sensible.

I was also forced to pull my car over once on the road out of Mount Baldy Village, because the sun was hitting the mountains just right. Try as you may, you can’t argue with scenery like this.

The Basics:

- Distance: Apx. 13.5 miles, round trip.
- Elevation Gain: 3525 feet.
- Time: Under 6 hours, taking generous breaks.
- Trail Condition: The fire road from Manker Flats to Baldy Notch is wide and very easy to follow. Hiking the ski trail to the base of Thunder Mountain, the ground becomes loose on the incline, and can be challenging. The trail itself winds around the west face of Thunder before a side-spur shoots to the summit. The actual Three Tees Trail from Thunder to Telegraph (and Timber Mountain, beyond) is a much more narrow footpath. It is still, however, in very good condition and well-marked.
- How To Get There: From the 210, take the Mount Baldy exit and travel north. At Icehouse Canyon, bear left and continue toward Manker Flats and the Mount Baldy Ski Lift area. Park along the street south of the Ski Lift (or at the Ski Lift if you want to cheat), and be sure to display your Adventure Pass.
- Map It

The Notables:

- Side trail to San Antonio Falls (semi-seasonal).
- Two 8000+’ peaks.
- Great views of the Baldy Bowl from Timber and east toward the deserts from Telegraph.
- Solitude on the Three Tees Trail to Telegraph Peak.

Extending Your Stay:

- From Baldy Notch, you could make an adventurous (and very strenuous) trip up to Baldy itself. More realistically, you could continue south on the Three Tees Trail past Telegraph Peak to Timber Mountain and Icehouse Saddle. From there, you could hike out of Icehouse Canyon for a car-shuttle, or camp and tackle Cucamonga or Ontario Peaks in the morning.

More Pictures:

Up on Flickr.
*Originally hiked on November 18, 2006. If you’re hiking this in the winter months, the trail from Baldy Notch to Thunder Mountain is probably going to be a ski slope. Check the slopes before you head out.