Mount Markham

"Knowing that A) I had the next day off, B) I had a mentally stressful day at work, and C) I hadn't hiked in 3 weeks, I broke the streak with a short hike (and a mental recharge!) in the San Gabriel Mountains Front Range. Fighting traffic on the 605 and 210 after leaving work in north OC was bad. I left work shortly after 2pm and didn't reach the trail until 3:45pm! I parked at Eaton Saddle on Mt. Wilson Rd. My goal was to summit Mt. Lowe and consider Markham as a potential extra summit climb. The hike to Mt. Lowe was easy and relaxing, and the at times foggy air kept me cool. After summitting Lowe I came back to the saddle between Markham and Lowe, I decided to take the use trail to Markham. I read that it was supposedly overgrown, but I found it not too bad; I had little trouble with navigation. However, there is still a lot of dead poodle dog bush in spots, so beware where you step. I read that even dead poodle dog can cause a reaction. The path is at times quite steep, with a small section of especially steep rock, so a few Class-2 moves may be warranted. There are a few false summits along the way as well. The ridge climb was quite fun, and 2/3rds the way along the su..." — brianpowell • Jun 16, 2018

"This was a great hike to 4 different peaks. Each trail to the peaks were different as well. Gabriel peak was a nice single track with amazing views. Mt. Disappointment was a paved maintenance road with nice views as well. Walk back down to the main trail and take the Mt. Lowe trail (not the fire road) up to the Lowe summit. It’s very special with amazing views. The trail is pretty easy as it’s a wide trail and plenty of shade. Go back down the same way to reach the trail to Mt. Markham. This trail is technical and fun. Wear pants for this one because of the Spanish daggers and other sticker bushes. There is some scrambling in certain spots but the summit has completely different amazing views than the other peaks. It’s worth the effort. Just follow the path, take your time, and watch your footing. It’s doable! I took leisure time throughout this hike and enjoyed the views and scenery. It’s fun and very worth doing all the peaks in one hike." — rickb • Jan 5, 2018

"Started about 1:30pm on Sunday, March 26, 2017 and the entire summit was shrouded in clouds. Unfortunately there were no views to be had today. As usual, couldn't find the summit register. Poodle dog bush seemed to be dying off after a cold, wet winter." — laphil • Mar 26, 2017

"Stop 3. Climb up from the Lowe-Markham saddle was fun. Strangely flat summit ridge. Good views of a snowy Baldy and other high peaks. Basin started to become hazy at this point." — edg • Feb 6, 2016

"We climbed up from Eaton saddle in the light of the super moon. We made it to the summit in time to watch the full moon set over the ocean behind Los Angeles. We took our summit shots as the sun rose behind Mt. baldy. This was all of our 1st times up here and was peak #55 of my 100 in 2014 goal." — 1-with-Nature • Aug 10, 2014

"This was the second summit of a 3-peak day with the HPS group: Lowe, Markham and San Gabriel. Spectacular views today! Even though there were a few clouds in the sky, we could see Baldy, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto to the east, cargo ships in the water off Long Beach to the south, the ocean to the west and downtown L.A. seemingly at our fingertips." — HikerMark • Mar 9, 2014

"Peak #5 of 5 on 11 mi RT. From Markham saddle went up the ridge trail, which is not easy. Then came back and finished at Eaton saddle before heading down Mt Wilson-Red Box Rd." — srphilip • Jan 8, 2012