Dramatic Mt. Baldy Rescues Spotlight SoCal's High-Elevation Dangers

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA — Two hikers who became stranded on Mt. Baldy this past weekend got lucky. The 10,064-foot-tall mountain is infamous for claiming victims, but this pair escaped death.

Their call for help came into the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department at about 5:01 p.m. Sunday. A 22-year-old Fontana man and a 33-year-old Lytle Creek man were hiking from the Lytle Creek area toward Cucamonga Peak when one of them fell down the side of the mountain. Fortunately, they were able to call 911.

Despite freezing temperatures and icy conditions, rescuers worked throughout the night to reach the hikers. Finally, when weather conditions allowed, an aviation unit hoisted the stranded pair from the area.

Both hikers suffered serious injuries from the fall and inclement weather. They were airlifted to a trauma center, though an update on their condition was unavailable Tuesday.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mt. Baldy — officially named Mt. San Antonio — has had more than 100 rescue expeditions since 2020 and 11 deaths.

Twenty-two-year-old Lifei Huang of El Monte is among the recent statistics. She started a solo hike on Mt. Baldy at about 2 p.m. on Feb. 4, 2024. The last contact anyone had with her was about two hours later. It took a week before her body was found.

There was the famous Mt. Baldy death — that of actor and experienced mountaineer Julian Sands. The 65-year-old's body was found on Baldy in June 2023, more than five months after he set out for a hike there. The weekend he began his trek, a powerful winter storm dropped several inches of snow. As the months warmed and the snow began melting, the actor's remains surfaced.

In January 2023 alone, two people died, and 15 hikers were rescued.

That summer, San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus issued a public plea. He turned to Congress, asking for legislation that he said could save lives on the famous mountain that juts high in the Angeles National Forest. Suggestions included closing access to the peak when conditions are hazardous or require special permits.

That has not happened.

Dicus argued that though Mt. Baldy and the surrounding National Forest are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture/U.S. Forest Service, the sheriff's department assists with rescues and recoveries due to staffing, resource, and funding challenges faced by the Forest Service.

Over a five-year period, the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department had expended $3 million on Mt. Baldy operations — with minimal reimbursement — the sheriff said in August 2023.

The sheriff's department is likely facing a more significant workload ahead. President Donald Trump’s administration, specifically the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has eliminated around 2,000 recently hired employees at the U.S. Forest Service and slashed an additional 1,000 jobs at the National Park Service.

How many, if any, of those employees served in the Angeles National Forest is unclear.

Meanwhile, another winter storm is set to bear down on Southern California. The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for Mt. Baldy effective from 7 p.m. March 5 through 10 a.m. March 7. The NWS predicts up to eight inches of snow.

Sheriff Dicus has a message for those thinking of heading to Mt. Baldy. He's issued it before when perilous mountain conditions are forecast: " ... please bring appropriate supplies when hiking, avoid hiking during inclement weather conditions, carry a global positioning satellite (GPS) device, and only hike on open trails. For further safety related information, please visit https://westvalleysar.org/wilderness-safety/."