Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Training Hike-Mount Baden Powell

Does anyone know what the trail conditions are like for doing Baden Powell. I read a post somewhere else that there was still snow most of the way up to Baden Powell. Anyone have any info?Thanks

When are you going? One of my favorite hikes in the area.

The snow is coming off these mountain fast. My guess would be will be intermittent snow above 8,200' to 8,500', based on what I saw on north face of Baldy today.

Thanks, I'm hoping to go the weekend of the 23rd. I was up at Baldy last weekend, and I heard that there was snow just beyond the ski hut.

Travis,

is there enough snow on Baldy's north face to justify carrying skis up? I was thinking of getting a little exercise tomorrow...

From recent trip reports it looks like there is enough snow to ski the chutes on north facing slopes.

Based on that report, I would say there is still snow on Baden Powell.

I climbed Williamson two weekends ago because there was snow on Baden-Powell about a mile up from the Islip trailhead. It looked like there was snow most of the way up.

If the weather stays warm, I'd imagine that most of the trail will be clear in another couple of weeks.

If you go, let me know the conditions. I'm anxious to do this hike again!

I really don't know, I viewed the snow on Baldy from the Cajon Pass. There is bunch up there but their are also a lot bare areas.

The only live experience I had was last Saturday in Icehouse Canyon. From the 7,300' level the snow to the top of Bighorn was intermittent...and it was real hot this week. My guess B-P is about the same way this week as Bighorn was last.

Baden-Powell is one of my favorite hikes! Not sure of current conditions but you can check here for any info or trip reports.

Please let me clarify.... We climbed Mount Williamson. There were no closure signs posted from the Islip Saddle trailhead.

Would this be the same area that you stated is closed? If so, the forest service needs to make sure it is posted. Please let me know, I was planning on taking my children the next time I was in the area and do not want to poach any trails.

Thanks!

A quick comparison of the Williamsom Rock closure map:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/documents/mylf-closure-area-map.pdf

to the location of the trails mentioned in this thread:

http://www.cnps-sgm.org/events-files/buckhornmap.pdf

shows that they do not violate the closure.

Also. while a portion of the Pacific Creat Trail south of Big Pine near Mount williamson (Angeles Nat'l Forest) has been rerouted temorarily onto highway 2, it is not true that a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail south of Big Pine near Mount williamson (Inyo Nat'l Forest) has been temporarily rerouted to US-395 via Whitney portal road.

Access to neither Mt williamson has been precluded by the williamson Rock closure. Please respect the closure.

Dale B. Dalrymple

I haven't been to Baden-Powell yet this year but in past years the approaches to B-P have always held snow and ice longer than most trails in the area. The short approach from Vincent Gulch is both north-facing and heavily tree-shaded. The longer approach from Islip Saddle should be mostly clear but with some snow in declivities.

On Baldy, there is a tiny bit of snow in the shaded area above the ski hut. I've been up there 3 times in the past 3 weeks and there's no problem.

Thank you for the clarification Dale. I always try to respect closures and other rules and regulations. I teach my children to do the same.

That would be quite a detour!

Mt. Williamson and Williamson Rock are to different areas. The USFS memo and the williamsonrock.org site say nothing about Mt. Williamson being off limits.

The Williamson Rock closure map cleary shows Mt.Williamson is out of the closure area.

What is it with Williamsons and being off limits??? Cant the frogs and sheep just get it on so we can enjoy these areas.

I was in error on this. Thanks for clearing it up.

Sorry for creating confusion on the issue. I've removed my previous confusing posts on the issue of "Williamson"

Thanks for the info! I did give the the NF a try yesterday. It was fun skiing, but definitely getting close to the bitter end.

Here is the last post off of "Local Hike" (LocalHikes.com)

Baden-Powell
From 4-29-09
My husband and I did this today. We encountered snow soon after beginning on the trail. The trail disappeared about a mile and half up. We were able to trudge across a few passes, but had to make our own snow route all the way up. Once we got to the ridge the snow disappeared but appeared again right below the summit. I wouldn't recommend this hike without crampons or at least some poles at this point.

I will be trying it soon, I usually wait till June. I usually climb BP at least once a month along with all the other local Mountains. I live in Palmdale so hit a trail almost every week.
Good Luck

Ron

Hi All,

Hiked Baden-Powell with a friend on Saturday, 5/11. Not much snow until the last few hundred feet below the ridge. Having two poles was helpful in this section. It was a beautiful day with great views in all directions. And so many lady bugs flying around the peak that you could hear their humming!

Mark

looking for somebody to hike mt baldy via bear flats friday may 22nd. i've done this many times, but never solo.