Iron Mountain

"2nd time doing Big Iron, as if the first wasn't enough. Still a brutal round trip and felt hotter than forecast again. This time we saw a black bear on trail near the very end. Had no interest in us, most likely attracted by the pile of trash bags left out by a large camping party at the trailhead. I'll bet that bear went to town on it overnight." — jodola • Jul 3, 2022

"Hike was pretty brutal going up, and nearly just as brutal going down. Also felt substantially hotter out than the forecast reported. Saw a tarantula crawling on the trail, which was a first for me." — jodola • May 14, 2021

"It's like one of those over-the-top ultimate boss levels for San Gabriel peakbaggers. Endless steep scree slopes, pushy manzanita and sadistic yucca, bees and rattle snakes, and very little shade. We went when it was maybe less than ideal temperatures (early June), but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. I brought 6.5 liters and felt it was just a tad too much. Cached some at Allison Saddle. Past that it gets ridiculous steep. Poles are welcomed here more than maybe any other hike I've done. Trail is very easy to follow the whole way. Some bugs. Next time maybe from the north or on to Baldy." — JustinB • Jun 2, 2018

"Iron to Baldy Traverse (2x) with Scott B., Dash, and Wendi (she turned around on Iron). Gunsight Notch was the highlight of the trip with some really fun class 3. The steep climb up West Baldy included patches of mixed snow, ice, scree, and boulders. The last 300' saw us fight through 40+ mph winds getting up the ridge and over to Baldy." — tombecht • Jan 27, 2018

"Wow! Tough, tough day. This hike is billed as the hardest hike in the San Gabriels and it certainly lived up to its billing. The terrain was rough, loose and steep and the yucca seemed to be everywhere. The climb was about 6700 feet in just 7 miles, with the larger share of that coming in the final 2.5 miles to the summit. We started early and took our time. We brought more water than we thought we would need and actually staged water at a saddle just before that final 2.5 mile. The entire group made it up. I've heard some people refer to this hike as a great training hike for C2C. I, having done them both now, would say C2C is a great training hike for Iron Mountain. " — Philip-Yoho • Nov 4, 2017

"Left the house at 4:30 and hit the trail at 5:15-still dark(ish) when we arrived at the Heaton trailhead-This was by far the hardest hike I have ever done-most of the hike is exposed and you are surrounded by Chaparral-just high enough to cut out your view -last 20% opens up and your in Pine trees-makes it worthwhile! Will I do this hike again? Hell no! Ok-Maybe....Darn-OK starting to plan the hike and going over the ridge to Baldy.....Sigh...." — Curt • Aug 1, 2015

"HPS hike led by Peter and Ignacia Doggett with 10 hikers. Two of us (Marit and I) were a bit faster than the others (and she was certainly faster than me!) so, with Peter's blessing, we forged ahead and got to the summit in five hours; we were back to the rideshare in Azusa four hours after that. We had pretty good weather conditions, although I was still soaked with sweat during the STEEP ascent. I had been nervous about this hike, and it certainly was tough, but I was ready for it. Definitely bring trekking poles for this one, as the steep sections are often quite slippery. The trail is pretty clear all the way, and easy to follow; just remember, a quarter mile after coming down from the summit, to bear left for the correct ridge to take back to Allison Saddle. " — HikerMark • Apr 11, 2015

"The day was consistently overcast with low clouds, which was probably ideal given the dusty and dry conditions of the trail. Not many views en route since we were in clouds, but had some great holes at the summit with probably the best view of Baldy and Baden-Powell I've ever had. Took just over 4 hours to summit. Enjoyed Coronas on top for Cinco de Mayo." — Christopher • May 5, 2013

"With the Socal Hikers and Peakbaggers group. Started at 4:30a to beat the heat and made it to the summit by 9:10a with a sunrise over Mt. Baldy enjoyed from Allison Saddle. Going up wasn't too bad, coming down was KILLER. Just under 10 hours RT. A challenging and rewarding hike!" — klotito • Oct 8, 2011

"Traverse from Baldy to Iron. Heck of an adventure. Had never been on Iron so started down the SW ridge by accident, traversed Iron’s south face to get back on track, smog inhalation, and running out of water about 4 miles from the end." — tombecht • Jul 1, 2006