- Ride Details
- Distance: 53 miles
- Summit Elevation: 6450′
- Total Ascent: 7604′
- Time: 5-7 hours
- Difficulty: Advanced
- Que Sheet: Download
The ride to Baldy Lifts starts with the ride to from Glendora to Baldy Village. When you get to the village, it’s time to evaluate the road conditions, traffic, available time, and your legs to decide if you want to add the out and back to the lifts.
We generally try to stay away from the lifts on weekends when it’s busier, but lots of folks ride it on those days. Keep in mind that the weather can be very different as you get higher. We’ve seen sunny days in the village when it is cold and misty at the lifts, but the reverse can also be true. You might break above the clouds and see the sun for the first time on your ride.
Make sure you water up at the Mount Baldy Lodge. The five miles to the lifts are the most difficult segment in the San Gabriel Mountains. It features an average grade of about 11% with a final 1500 feet that’s around 18%. When you reach the sign at the top of that grade, you know you’ve done something. It was the finish for several years in a Tour de California stage and you could see even the pros were suffering.
It gets hard the moment you leave Baldy Village. You’ll ride about a mile on Baldy Road and then see a turnoff to the beautiful Ice House Canyon. It’s a busy area with cars parking for the hike so use some care here. On another day when you are wearing the right shoes, you might attempt one of the many hikes that start in the canyon including my favorite up to Cucamonga Peak (HikingGuy).
You’ll stay to on Baldy Road to the left and start up the switchbacks. Stay on the right and watch for cars, particularly on the insides of steep turns. It’s easy to blank out and drift into the lane.
The switchbacks will go for a couple of miles and then it will be a little less steep until you reach Manker Flats. This is a popular parking area for snow seekers (winter) and hikers and trail runners to the Mount Baldy Saddle and to the Baldy Peak in the other months. Baldy is a popular and challenging hike with lots of history (HikingGuy).
At the end of Manker Flats the grade kicks up to nearly impossible. Don’t be ashamed if you have to switchback across the road a few times (watch for cars) in that last crushing climb. You’ll see the sign at the top so it’s no time to quit.
When you get there, get a few photos of your bike to prove you were there (you can never have too many pictures of your bike) and then head up to the parking area for the lifts.
The route ends at the sign and a lot of folks turn around here, but you should ride up and check out the lifts if this is your first time. Mount Baldy Mountain Resort is a tiny ski area that starts with a long double chair that takes skiers (and hikers in the summer) up to the Mount Baldy Notch. You’ll even see an occasional mountain bike that makes the ride to the Notch. There’s a restaurant and bar there but you won’t find much at the bottom of the lifts. There’s a little shop that’s open from time to time and I did buy a pair of sunglasses there once when I lost mine.
If you run out of water, you’ll probably have to wait until you get back to the village to get more. As always, be careful on the descent. Between cars coming up and down, other cyclists, potentially wet surfaces and a steep grade, there are lots of potential hazards.
When you reach the village, stop for lunch or a snack and then start the ride back. You’ll have 1000 feet of climbing on the return from the village, but the worst is over and in the books.