As a winter storm approaches, hikers are restricted from the snowy trails of Mt. Baldy
The trails of Mt. Baldy, a towering peak that overlooks Southern California and has lured many inexperienced and underarmed climbers to their deaths, will be closed for the next two weeks.
Angeles National Forest officials issued a shutdown order Tuesday morning in anticipation of a winter storm expected to dump heavy snow on the 10,000-foot summit.
Three hikers died after slipping on the icy, narrow Devil’s Backbone trail following a December storm. In the past decade, 23 people have died on the mountain, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, whose search and rescue unit has responded to hundreds of calls for help on Mt. Baldy at that time.
“Our emergency department is often involved every year, and the indifference to what happened at Baldy Mountain by those responsible for keeping visitors safe needs to be addressed,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said in a statement last month. “For the past few years, our department has been trying to get the US Forest Service to be more involved in keeping people safe while re-working Mt Baldy.”
Angeles National Forest officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but the closure order prompted a backlash from experienced hikers who say their access should not be limited because of mistakes made by unskilled and untrained people.
For about half the year, the peak of Mount Baldy — officially Mount San Antonio, but everyone calls it Baldy — looks like a winter wonderland to the millions of people who live below.
So, despite the flashing “WARNING ICY TRAILS” and “NO TRAILS” signs on the access road, many Angelenos with little mountain experience – let alone snow – couldn’t resist the glistening white peak.
That attraction, along with easy access from a large urban area, has combined to give the low-key mountain the worst death and injury record in the US.
Most people who get into trouble ride it in shorts and tennis shoes during the summer when it’s a slog – the most popular route is 10 miles long and requires 4,000 ft of elevation gain – but it’s not particularly dangerous.
It can be hard to imagine how much Baldy Mountain changes after a winter storm, when the top is covered in snow and ice and a slip in the wrong place can lead to a catastrophic and unstoppable fall.
Even experienced climbers, such as British actor Julian Sands, have died on Mount Baldy during winter storms after underestimating its dangers. Sands fell from the peak above a popular winter hiking section called Baldy Bowl in January 2023.
Instead of slipping into a well-traveled container, where you might have been spotted sooner. The sands fell on the other sidein the rarely visited Goode Canyon. Despite repeated searches, on foot and by helicopter, Sands’ whereabouts remained a mystery for five months, until hikers found his body in June.
However, Mt. Baldy is the best and most popular place for Southern California mountaineers to practice their winter skills, and the closure doesn’t sit well with them.
“The closure of the garment denies access to qualified people with the ability to enjoy recreation under challenging conditions,” Chris Savage wrote in the comments below the closure order posted on Facebook. “I understand you don’t want to rescue a lot of ignorant people wandering around there. There needs to be a better plan.”
“Closing is not conservation,” wrote Howie Bohl. “Proper education and reinforcement of riding equipment is the best way.”
Some have questioned whether the Forest Service has the means to enforce such a closure — it’s too difficult to physically close a mountain.
Most people “probably won’t see the notice unless it’s posted across the board and even then — without employees denying access right away, people will ignore the signs,” writes Tria Belcourt.
Violating a restraining order is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and up to six months in prison, although such severe punishment is rare.
The greatest danger to anyone considering going to the heights of Mt. Baldy after the storm will appear on the mountain itself.
In addition to wind and cold protective clothing, anyone attempting to climb steep terrain covered in snow and ice should have hiking boots, heavy crampons and an ice axe. It’s important to practice “buckling yourself” on a hill that’s steep enough to simulate what a serious fall would be like, but short enough that failure to stop won’t be fatal.
A helmet is also important, to protect against snow and ice falling from above.
There is no cell service in most parts of Mt. Baldy, so traveling in groups and bringing a device that can send messages via satellite — like a Garmin InReach or the latest iPhone model — is a great idea.
