Manker Flats to Mt. San Antonio Summit

Leader: Dave Borchart

Location: Manker Flat to Mt. San Antonio Summit

Difficulty: 7/8

Distance: 9 Miles

Gain: Approx. 3500 ft.

Time: 5/6 hours

Pace: Moderate / Group Based

By NO means is this for beginners!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will begin our hike at the gated road to the Manker Flats. We start up the fire road to the Ski Hut Trailhead located approx ½ mile beyond the gate. At the switchback we will get a GREAT view of San Antonio Falls. We will follow the Ski Hut Trail through the Jeffery and lodgepole pines approx. 1 ¾ miles to the Sierra Ski Hut. At approx. 1.25 miles in we should be able to see the foundations of the Gold Ridge Mine that was worked between 1897 to about 1904. Another ½ mile and we reach the Hut, which is where we will break for water and snacks before continuing up the Bowl trail. At this point we will be at approx. 8200 ft. The hut was built in 1935, destroyed by fire the following year and rebuilt in 1937. One we resume our hike we cross a small stream and head for the steepest portion of our climb to Mt. Baldy’s southeast ridge. Once we reach the ridge we will head north at approx. 9500 ft for the final stretch to the summit. From here we get a commanding view of greater Los Angeles and Orange County. Along this portion of the trail we will hike among some of the most amazing and most bizarre looking trees in the entire San Gabriel Range, not to mention the oldest. Once at the summit we will break for lunch and rest, weather permitting. The winds here can be quite brisk to down and outright raging. From our vantage point we will have an INCREDIBLE 360 degree view of Southern California as far north as the Tehachapi’s to Catalina, as well as Mt. San Jacinto and Mt. San Gorgonio!!!!