Thunder Mountain

Trail: Thunder Mountain via Baldy Notch

Miles: 7.51

Type: Roundtrip

My Time: 3 Hours

Elevation Gain: 2162 ft.

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Parking Permit: Yes, Adventure Pass

Location: Angeles National Forest

Thunder Mountain may have you thinking about Disneyland!…but this hike near the infamous Mount Baldy is a good one! Actually Thunder Mountain is the top of one of the ski lifts of the Mt. Baldy Ski Resort. If you’re familiar with the hikes in the Mount Baldy area, then you’ll know exactly where this one is. For those of you who are unfamiliar seeking out somewhere new to hike Or you’re looking for something not too challenging, but gets you into the mountains. Or you’re looking for something to help prepare you for bigger and more challenging hikes. Then this might be the hike for you!!!

In order to access this hike, you must park at either Manker Flats, or at the bottom of the ski lift.(both with require an Adventure Pass) If you plan to start at Manker Flats, it’ll be slightly longer on a fire road. Now if you start at the bottom of the ski lift, then you have the option to take the ski lift up, if it is running. (I am unfamiliar with this situation in the winter, whether you can take the lift or not as a hiker. But I do know that in summer you can pay I think it is $20 to take the lift up or down) Or take the steeper section off to the left of the parking lot which will connect you with the main fire road. I would not recommend taking the lift as this will shorten the hike and as you can tell, I like to hike. From the parking lot it was 7.5 miles roundtrip with a little over 2100 feet of elevation gain.

The fire road takes you all the way to the top of the notch as a gradual incline which anybody can do. I have witnessed people ranging from all different hiking abilities go up this section. Some of you may recognize this as one of the ways up to summit Mount Baldy. The difference is once you get to the Notch you will go straight back and then veer to the right, heading towards the Three T’s trail. Whereas if you wanted to summit Mount Baldy, you would have gone left towards devils backbone.

Once you’ve gone past the zip lining spot, then you’ll continue on the fire road.(which I would imagine is a beginner run for when the ski resort is open) You continue on this gradual incline until it loops you around to the summit. As mentioned before, this is the top of one of the ski lifts. The view from here is pretty nice for the location. If you were to continue on the Three T’s trail, you could end up on Icehouse Canyon Trail, which would eventually lead you back to Mt. Baldy Road. It is possible for you to loop all the way back to the parking lot. Now I am not suggesting you do this, unless you are experienced and are familiar with the distance, challenge and are well prepared. So what I am suggesting is you take your pictures, eat your lunch and head back down from Thunder Mountain back towards the Notch, where you came from. Out of all the times, I have hiked Mount Baldy, the time we hiked Thunder Mountain was the first time the Notch was open. I was excited to finally see the chandelier made from skis! The Notch is the restaurant that sits at the top of the very first ski lift from the parking lot. Grab a snack here or maybe a glass of wine or beer. And for those avid hikers, there is a bathroom, and you know how clutch this is.

Overall, I would rate Thunder Mountain as an easy to moderate hike for those beginners or those just looking to do something not super challenging for the day. There is very little shade so as always, make sure you are prepared with sun protection, and bring enough hydration, food, and whatever else you may need. Be extra prepared for worst case scenarios.

As always pack it in and pack it out.

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