Climbing Mt. Baldy

[Jack Olsen]

You get to go a mile up in the course of this 50-mile drive.

I was out east, today, so I impulsively decided to try some of the roads around Mt. Baldy that Zeke (Milt) has talked about organizing a drive through.

The road from Claremont up to Mt. Baldy (North Mount Baldy Road) gets a lot of traffic. People go up to play in the snow at the top of the hill. But once you get onto the Glendora Ridge Road, it empties out to just about nothing. I might have seen two other cars the whole time. You ride along the crest of several small mountains, and then wind down on East Fork Road to Highway 39, around the San Gabriel Reservoir, where the traffic thickens up again.

I hadn't planned on making the trip, so I didn't run the precise route Milt worked out. But what I did see I liked a lot. It's definitely worth doing a run, there.

Some action shots:



And higher up:

[tobluforu]

That don't look like the mt baldy that's in my back yard. Hiking only.

[Pat S]

There must be many of them. Just drove by the one in New Mexico on Friday. If there is a road up it, you would have needed some serious snow tires to get up it.

[RSBob]

Jack,

Those beautiful pictures are cruel and unusual punishment for those of us still in the throes of winter. So have a blast for us and be sure to take your famous broom stick cam!

[Grady Clay]

Those are mountains? Where is the snow? Looks like the foothills.
Come to Colorado this summer for some cool drives to 14,000.

Best,
Grady

[Zeke]

There certainly are some great roads in the area. Looks like the road was clear and dry.

Jack, Glendora Ridge Road and Glendora Moutain Road are different. I'm not sure we were on the same roads. But, when you ran out of yellow line, I remember that part. I'll bet you didn't see anyone at all on that road. It's like it's forbidden or something. Kinda gives you the jitters being that far from civilization. (I know the guys in the rural and semi-rural areas will get a laugh out of that.) Seriously, when I stopped the car, I couldn't hear a sound of any kind and there's not enough tall trees to even get the whistling thru the branches.

We might want to do the buddy system up there. I couldn't get a cell signal. Hate to break down up there, the safety and rescue guys won't see me and come with the rope. I guess you to got a taste of the rope on Wed.

Anyway, some of the road I was on is well shaded, might have been some slipery spots along there.

[Jack Olsen]

I guess there are a number of different mountains called "Mt. Baldy." This one is technically called Mt. San Antonio, I think, and it's 10,000 feet or so to the summit. The road I took only goes up about 5500 feet.

This was the route I drove:



Zeke, I agree. A breakdown up there would mean a very, very long walk.

[nostatic]

A hair over 10K at the summit. I've ridden my mtn bike all the way to the top (actually, you have to push the last bit as it is loose shale).

[Grady Clay]

Cool.
Several of us took our 911s up there on a Tuesday when there wasn’t much going on at Riverside Raceway in about 1970. As I recall it wasn’t all paved back then. Great drive for so close to town.

Best,
Grady

[scottb]

So, So Cal Pelicans, we need to schedule a Mt. Baldy run. When????

[Bob's Flat-Six]

I'm game.
I used to go up there on the East Fork and do a little gold panning. It's up there if you know were to pan, washes down in the rains and snow melt. I only found flake but guys with more experiance would do pretty good.
GOLD

[MXMARK]

I am in for a drive during the week say Tuesday or Wednesday, or maybe Saturday AM. Thanks Mark

[Stuttgart951]

Is it odd that I thought this was going to be a thread about losing your hair?