Forest managers restrict summit approaches after heavy snow and rescue operations — check official alerts before heading into the San Gabriels.
Mount Baldy is close enough to the city that people treat it like a day hike, which is why the latest extended closure matters. When winter turns the ridgelines to ice, the mountain stops being a fairly strenuous stroll and becomes a treacherous mountaineering adventure that can kill the underprepared and the overconfident.
Forest managers with the Angeles National Forest have extended a temporary restriction on several Mount Baldy backcountry routes because recent winter storms left the high country icy and unstable. The Forest Order lists Mt. Baldy Trail (7W12), Mt. Baldy Bowl (7W02), Devil’s Backbone (7W05), Three T’s (7W06), Icehouse Canyon (7W07), Chapman (7W07A), and Ontario Peak (7W08) among the closed trails.
The closure follows a deadly period on the mountain, where three people were found dead near the Devil’s Backbone area after a late-December winter storm — authorities later identified the victims as two adult men and a 19-year-old college student. Rescue crews struggled with high winds and icy terrain during the recovery. Investigators say falls were involved.
Mount Baldy’s recent fatalities aren’t an isolated headline; the peak has a long record of serious accidents. Search-and-rescue teams and deputies say steep, exposed ridgelines and sudden weather make it one of Southern California’s most dangerous hiking areas. That history explains why forest staff moved quickly to extend existing closures and wait for better weather before allowing casual hikers back up on the trails.
If you’re planning a weekend outing, treat the Forest Order as a hard line. Pick lower-elevation trails outside the closed footprint, delay alpine plans, or head to managed trailheads with patrols. If you insist on winter or high-country travel, match the route to your real winter-mountaineering skills and kit — ice axe, crampons, the ability to self-arrest — and be ready to turn back. Mount Baldy in winter isn’t a place to be flexing your internet muscles or showing off your Instagram bravado. Don’t park where you block emergency access; tell someone exactly which trailhead you left from and when you expect to return; carry a charged phone and an external battery; and bring extra layers and emergency shelter, even on short trips. I also heartily recommend an emergency satellite communicator, such as the Garmin InReach.
Mt. Baldy Road and the concession operation at Mt. Baldy Resort remain open for visitors who want resort services; the Forest Order specifically targets the above-listed backcountry trails while crews make hazard assessments and repairs. For the current, authoritative status, check the Angeles National Forest alerts page or call the Supervisor’s Office before you go.
The temporary trail closures will remain in effect through March 20, 2026. Violating the order can result in fines and other penalties, as well as a safety risk.
Mount Baldy in winter demands respect. Stay off closed routes, choose safer hiking alternatives during California’s short winter, and let the crews do the work they need to do
You can read the forest closure order HERE.
The Angeles National Forest Supervisor’s Office phone is: (626) 574-1613
The Mount Baldy Visitor Center info is HERE.
Mount Baldy Resort info is available HERE.