Hike With Chris!: #17 - Mt. Baden-Powell

01-02-2015

Los Angeles County, California

School strikes again with my notorious late entries. Five months overdue on this one.. new record? I might have had worse... Originally named East Twin or North Baldy, Mt. Baden-Powell was named after the founder of the Boy Scout movement, Lord Baden-Powell. (Digital Desert, n.d.) Mt. Baden-Powell is also part of the 53 mile Silver Moccasin Trail that also passes through Mount Burnham, Throop Peak, and Mount Hawkins. The trail is a decently strenuous hike with roughly 2,800 ft. in elevation gain through four miles. When I arrived, the snow was relatively fresh with increasing patches of ice and snow as we neared the summit. I came unprepared without MICROspikes and managed to share a set with my buddy Jacob (Thanks, Jacob!). Even with a set of MICROspikes on one shoe, I still found myself flopping around on the tricky ice so check the weather and come prepared! Snow aside, the trail was pretty well maintained and easy to follow. If you have time, be sure to visit the neighboring Big Horn Mine. Both hikes begin at the Vincent Gap Parking Lot.

Distance: 8 miles (Out-and-Back)

Elevation Gain: 2,788 ft.

Final Elevation: 9,383 ft. (USGS)

Directions to Vincent Gap Parking Lot: Use the following coordinates in Google Maps to route your directions to Vincent Gap Parking Lot.

34.373008, -117.752235

Note: Make sure your GPS does not route you through the CA-2 through the west route to the Vincent Gap Parking Lot. The road from that direction is often closed. Make sure your GPS routes you from the east direction of the CA-2 where you'll pass through the CA-138 and the Mt. High Resort.

Start of the trail.