Bailey Canyon To Hastings Peak

Well maintained hike located in Sierra Madre, guesstimating it at around 6 miles round trip, with plenty of uphills and switchbacks along the way. A bit more shade than other local hikes (like Echo Mountain or Beaudry Loop) but the trails are a good bit narrower. Meaning, some waiting for people to pass either way. Completed the hike to Jones Peak this past Saturday with some friends and to be honest, this is a moderately difficult hike and the last ¹⁄₃ or so is a bit of an arse-​kicker. Seems to get steeper and rockier nearest to the top. But at the peak, the views are great as it seems you are quite literally looking down on Santa Anita race park and everything westward. There is a small lot for parking ~20 cars which fills up quick, so my recommendation would be to park on the street. Nice added bonus was a functional bathroom adjacent to the parking lot with actual soap and running water. The only thing I would change is to add a bit more signage b/​c a hike of this length can get disorienting in a hurry. But overall… not bad Bailey Canyon, not bad!

this is an awesome hike I was so exhausted half way but I finished the hike and it was so worth it, there a lot of rocks but it’s a nice trail and its definitely not for beginners

***BE WARE THAT THIS HIKE HAS NO SIGNS***
The only signs I saw was the one in the parking lot and then right at the beginning of the hike. Otherwise, no signs.
My friend and I started this hike at 7:30 am on a Sunday morning. The address on Unilocal with take you right to the parking lot on Carter Ave. The entrance to the trail is right next the bathroom. You’ll see a sign and also a map of the trail. My friend and I followed the trail but it’s really unclear where to go next. There’s a huge pavement right outside the trail but we didn’t know if we had to walk that up to get to the actual hike. We walked back to the parking lot and had to ask people where the hike was (we asked a bunch of people questions on this hike, all were nice though :)) so turns out we did have to walk up that pavement to actually enter the hike. Once up, there is another sign. We initially wanted to see the waterfall first then hike up to Jones Peak but that didn’t happen because it’s so unclear how to get there! Plus everyone was saying there would be no water so we were like F it.
There’s a really nice bench where you can take nice pics at a little further up. It’s kind of towards the beginning, not hard to miss. We then got a little confused because there were two forks but pick the way that goes up! I don’t know where the other one leads to. Anyways, getting to Jones Peak is a little annoying because there are no signs telling you how many more miles or what not. Don’t worry about getting lost, there is only one way up so getting lost isn’t an issue, but not knowing how many more miles you have left is! We would ask people and they would give us a rough number, but it seemed endless! It’s more challenging and a little more exciting when you don’t know where the top is. Also, a bunch of switch backs! Like seriously, that’s all this hike is! Such a killer and great workout! Going up is all steeeeep! I think there were only a few times the path as straight.
We finally got to the top and thankfully someone told us that there would be no sign that says Jones Peak but there will be a steep trail up and at the top of that will be the peak. Sooo BIG ADVICE: watch out for that steep trail and do not keep going! That steep trail is steeeeeeppppp! On the way down I was slipping and sliding. The peak is def worth it though! Such a nice view and it was so peaceful. It was so early for a Sunday still that my friend and I had the peak and bench to ourselves. It was super cold though!
So earlier someone had told us that from Jones Peak, Mount Wilson is only 2 miles away. And that was super exciting for me because that’s on my bucket list. But when we asked more people, turns out it was another 4 – 6 miles. No one knew for sure and we didn’t want to risk it since we weren’t mentally prepared for it and didn’t have lunch on us.
Going down was a little easier and faster. Just be careful and don’t slip. The switch backs going down can get a little slippery.
There is free parking in the parking lot. The parking lot is small so make sure to get there early! When we got there at 7:30 am it was empty but when we got back around 1, there was no parking left. All in all, it was about 7 – 8 miles and it took us about 4 and a half hours. Brings lots of water and take breaks going up! It ain’t easy. Because we were there so early, it was empty! But when we were going down, there was lots more people. I’d recommend coming early because the trail is narrow and with more people it can get crowded.
Happy hiking!

Really good workout with narrow and curvy paths.
Definitely recommend this place, but not for beginners. I came here twice already and on my second hike succeeded in reaching Jone’s Peak. I believe it’s approximately 4 miles up to Jone’s Peak and 4 miles back. It took my dog and I about 3.5 to 4 hours to finish the hike! Intense, but totally worth it.
Attire: make sure you wear long pants and a jacket. There are a lot of those small annoying flies. The trail is also dusty and I’m sure you don’t want all that dust on your legs.
Coming back with my other dog for a good workout!

This place is awesome… i love any trails that start you off w/​climbing. There is tons of switch back on this trail which my husband doesn’t like but once he got to the top it was all worth it… you can see Mt. wilson at the top of Jone’s Peak & it’s breath taking.

Hiked today with my in laws and it kicked out butt. But it was worth it. Trails are well maintained, the views were incredible. please bring lots of water and snacks. Wear Long Pants. Bring Sunscreen and enjoy!

This hike is about 8.5−9 miles round trip at about 4000 foot elevation. If you are planning to go to Jones Peak, consider going the extra 2+ miles round trip for an even better workout.
This hike is pretty rigorous overall. Most of the way is a pretty steady uphill climb and single file. There are some shaded/​wooded areas earlier on, but most of the trail is unshaded. The last mile or less up to Jones Peak is very strenuous, so be prepared for a very steep incline. Once you finally make it just short of the peak, you will see a sign directing you. You can go on and reach Jones Peak, or you can opt to go slight right and up and continue on to Hastings Peak. It is a single file trail, completely unshaded, and mostly on a steady or steep incline to the top.
The views can be beautiful on a clear day, but I would plan to do this hike mostly for the workout.

Very serious trail, not the prettiest.
Mostly shaded before 10:30am, especially summer months.
Quickest way to gain altitude from the San Gab foothills. Its too steep for casual hikers and runners hate on the insane grade.
Some pointers to get you motivated.“How much further?”. After passing the cabin foundation on the left at about 2.2, there will be 22 left sided switch back turns as you ascend. After the 22^nd switchback, just another ¼mi and you will come upon a saddle, and Jones Peak is just above you if you make a hard right.

This is a awesome hike and less frequently visited peak. It neighbor Jones Peak is hike number #34 in the Trails of the Angeles: 100 Hikes in the San Gabriels. This is also a great hike and popular. You will pass Jones peak and might as well do some peak bagging. The views are stellar on a clear day. There isn’t much shade and recommend doing this early on a hot day. The recommended Season would be winter or spring. Make sure you take lots of water and snacks. The 3,000 feet elevation gain will kick your butt, slow and steady wins the race. If you are a nut case you can continue to Mount Wilson. You can check out some of my adventures in the Angeles National Forrest. Info and stats are posted below.
Distance: 9 miles round trip
Elevation Gain: 3400 ft
Hike Time: 4.5 hours (Depends on your pace)
Difficulty: Moderate/​Strenuous
Trail Condition: Well maintained trail
Hike Type: Out and Back
Activities: Hiking, Running & Mountain Biking (Advance only)
Animals: Dog Friendly
Fee: Free Parking

The hike to Jones Peak is a longer and harder version of Echo Mountain via the Sam Merrill Trail.
Jones Peak: 6.6 miles roundtrip, 2200 ft elevation gain
Echo Mountain via Sam Merrill: 5.6 miles roundtrip, 1500 ft elevation gain
Just like the Sam Merrill trail, the hike is on the boring side. Trail of switchbacks that seem neverending. There are a few places of note to stop including a lookout bench with a small plaque describing the Watsittooya Indians: D And a trail that leads to the remains of a cabin. Nice place for for some shade. I used to stop here on my way down to meditate.
The last section before Jones Peak is the steepest and most difficult. It’s easy to miss Jones Peak as many newcomers continue on the exposed trail toward Hastings Peak that connects to the Mt Wilson Trail. But instead head to the right where you scramble up the peak. The fun comes when you’re getting down Jones Peak as it’s steep and slippery!

Met a fellow Unilocaler and hardcore hiker here to do this trail to Jones peak. Rode my bike up and originally went to the wrong location a few blocks east. After getting my bearings and some help from Alixandrea M. I arrived at the Bailey Park gate. It’s up the end of Grove. I quickly changed from my work clothes in the single bathroom there. Grabbed my gear and off we went up the hill. And I mean up and it hardly stopped the full 3.3 miles to the top. I’ve done Mt. Wilson and Baldy and this is pretty nearly as intense the first time.
You walk past some benches and a little fire pit. Through this turn-​style to a paved road for a bit which transitions to the trail head. Then up and up you go! About 2 miles up you reach what the call «the foundation». Which is what’s left of an old cabin. You can take a little break here or make this the end of your journey or continue up the other mile plus of switch backs to the top where you are met with an exceptional view :-)
Have gone again a couple times all of which have been in the dark. With a full moon you can do without a headlamp. Partial moon the last time and were surprised to meet a couple nice juicy spiders with their webs stretched across the trail :-P
I would highly recommend this trail if you’re looking to get a butt kicking workout in a relatively short amount of time.
— Update. Last time I went got locked in the gate. Called the cops and waited over an hour and a half but they were tied up with other calls that were more important understandably. Was able to easily escape by hopping over the gate and was able to crash at my friend’s nearby. Came back in the morning and found a $ 41 ticket. So FYI park on the street next time. Love this trail though!

On a hike up Bailey Canyon, my out-​of-​town cousin working a job in L.A. told me «You know, one of the nicest surprises of living in L.A. have been the great hiking trails.» Bailey Canton is no exception.
Indeed, the hike up to Hastings Peak can be a work out. I think that most people stop at the first bench and I can’t blame them. The view, after all, is great.* I myself have never scheduled enough time to make it just past the stone bench in the clearing about 3 miles up. One of these days…
The flat hike to the waterfall is great too. Albeit when its a wet year, things can get a bit overgrown, but then the waterfall is better then. Go figure.
Overall Bailey Canyon is a great, less traveled alternative to Mt. Wilson. Definitely worth checking out.
P. S. * For those who don’t know, the Monastery next door is in danger of becoming yet more housing. So, I’d recommend hiking the trail sooner than later, as the building and grounds around it are part of what makes the view so special.

BEAUTIFUL, ‘med-​diff.’ hike! Especially for around here I think. I would definitely recommend it. 4hrs/​7mi w/​a lunch break, and stops at viewing pts.
Now, I’m not entirely sure where the hell my boyfriend and I ended up hiking to… but it wasn’t exactly the cake walk I was expecting. I think it has to be the elevation that really gets you (3,386ft for Jones Peak). But it is definitely well worth it! My boyfriend and I didn’t have too much of a game plan, just a backpack with a few waters and sandwiches, and then off to find a nice hike to fill up our day.
It’s a very small lot for parking at Bailey Canyon, but it’s also free. We got there around 11a on a Saturday and were able to snag a spot. We had our sights set on making it to the top of Mt. Wilson, but in the end, we have absolutely no idea what we actually made it to the top of. These trails are rather poorly labeled. So in the end, we don’t know if we were on bailey canyon trail, the mt. wilson trail or whatever other trail we could have been on… but we just kept on following trails that went up until we were pretty much dead (haha!).
Besides the «lovely» smoggy view of the city, my overall favorite part of this hike was the lack of people! Maybe because it’s a fairly tough hike it doesn’t bring too many people out. Or maybe people are just getting lost on the trails… but it was definitely refreshing to go out hiking and be surrounded by nature and not crowds of people, like when I go out in San Diego.
Also, if you aren’t an avid hiker, be prepared for your legs to feel crippled for the rest of the week after this hike. BUT IT’S TOTALLY WORTH IT! :)

Parking is kind of small, but there is ample amounts of parking on the street.
This hike was awesome. First time in a long that I didn’t get injured. Plus it was all dry. You might want to sit down for a moment and digest how much elevation gain it is… proximately 2400 feet. Thoughts come to mind… SCREW THAT AIN’T DOING IT! Come on soldier, you can do it! Let the fun begin right? RIGHT!
The hike took awhile and felt like it was never going to end. Throughout the hike, their are lookout points with benches, just to marvel at the whole pasadena and sgv valley! I loved the design of this hike. Kinda plays mind tricks on you… wow so good viewing points… It must be nice further up! So you continue going up and you know you are having fun when there is switchbacks involved! Hell yes… to a total leg and glute workout! When you reach to the final climb, you play the «eye of the tiger» song and pump yourself up! Lots of scrambling and the inclination is not giving… It’ll work you to the cone.
In short, have fun with your future hiking endeavers up this beast of a peak.
Cheers and beers!

It is a challenging hiking but a heat workout. The nonstop 4hr hiking, with an elevation of 2400feet was said to burn 1000 calories according to the data in the Nike energy band. The view is also amazing. I can’t believe this peak in the east part has a good view of Pasadena, downtown and west LA.

Jones Peak Hike = HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I honestly thought this hike (6 miles) would be a cinch but it was almost as tough as our previous 10-​mi hike the week before because of the elevation gain (2215 ft)! Here are some things I am going to do before I tackle this hike again especially on a clear day because the view of LA is pretty unbelievable at the top of Jones Peak.
Bring more water — We did this hike on a early June morning and when we finished the temps were in the high 80s. I think everyone’s water supply was pretty much exhausted while coming back down the switchbacks. I would plan to bring more than a 1 qt of Gatorade and an Arrowhead bottle.
Wear long pants — It might get warm but the trail is pretty narrow and your legs are going to get swiped by a lot of brush growing across the trail. There were also a ton of bugs and I got two nice bites on my calf that were itching for the next two days.
Be in shape and possibly bring hiking poles — We lost a few members of our party about two miles in because of the climb and the last mile to Jones Peak was pretty grueling. I was pretty wiped out once we reached the top! Me knees and ankles were not happy on the way down and I rolled my ankle when fatigue set in. Hiking poles would have been a saving grace on the way down.

This review is for the hike that actually goes up to Hasting Peak, and not just stopping at Jones Peak.
The trail leading out of Bailey Canyon Park up to Jones Peak is in pretty good condition and you can tell that it gets plenty of foot traffic. This first 3.3 miles uphill is butt kicker too. Averaging about 700 feet of gain per mile, you’ll feel the burn from almost the start until you get up to the saddle.
Once you get up to the saddle, you can make the steep climb south to Jones Peak, where on a clear day, the views are pretty good. If you want to head to Hasting Peak, take the trail that looks overgrown and unused, which lies to the north.
This is where it gets tougher. Maybe a 800 – 900 ft per mile gain for the first climb, it’s not too long in distance, though completely exposed to the sun. If you felt the burn in your thighs earlier, you’ll feel the burn on your skin here too.
After you make the first climb, the trail gets a bit sketchier as it snakes west across two false peaks, before one last steep climb up to the top of Hastings Peak. Speaking of snakes, this stretch across the false peaks is very overgrown, so you need to be careful where you step and not step on one. I didn’t see any personally, though when I was up here last weekend, a couple that was on the trail ahead of my group started freaking out because she said saw some in this area.
Is this one of the better peaks in the San Gabriel Mountains? Probably not, but does offer a similar view of city that of Jones Peak, a little higher up, on a tougher trail.
Side note — The trail does continue on past the peak up to the Mt. Wilson toll road. The distance is about a half mile long and rocky. To get to the toll road, there’s a near vertical climb, which at times I needed to use my hands on the slippery, loose rock and gravel. It was steep enough that my group decided it was unsafe to head down and we took another trail back down to Bailey Canyon.

You know how usually you start a hike and the beginning is all nice and leisurely? You can stroll calmly, keep a nice walking pace, check out the beauty of nature that is surrounding you… that type of thing?
Yeahhh, not here.
This isn’t your average hike. It’s 3.3 miles and 2300′ elevation of pure sweat.
I’ve been breezing through all the other trails in the area with ease. Finished up Mt Wilson one day and this really fit, incredibly buff woman started telling me about Bailey, saying it was pretty tough. With a body like hers, I knew to take her advice — you don’t get like that from doing grandma trails.
If only I knew what I was in for. I started the trail at the pace I usually climb Mt Wilson. Got about… oh, 5 minutes in and was already pouring sweat and climbing up massive rocks and around twists and bends. After another 2 minutes I had to stop and make sure I wasn’t dying. And that is just the head of the trail! It doesn’t get any easier terrain-​wise, but when your second wind kicks in you’ll be okay.
This trail is a bona-​fide butt kicker. And that is exactly why I like it. For anyone looking for a true challenge, who wants to see what they’re made of, I cannot recommend Bailey Canyon enough. The key is not stopping — keep up your pace — no matter how fast or slow that may be, and you will reach the peak in no time. And once you do, the view (and the amazing endorphin rush) makes everything worth it.

*Hike to Jones Peak*
This was my first hike in the San Gabriel Mountains and it wasn’t too bad.
Going up was fun but it wasn’t as physically demanding as I had hoped for. It was a cloudy day and it even rained in some parts but not much; we were kept cool the whole time. Towards the end of the 3.3mi climb, there was a pretty steep section for a few minutes before you hit the peak. I stopped here at Jones Peak and enjoyed the view. I did see this other steep trail going towards the other side of the mountain, so that was probably to Hastings Peak. Going down felt like a chore, a never ending series of switchbacks. It took just over an hour to get down from the peak, and 6.6mi round trip was just over 3hrs.
Will try to be back to hike all the way to Hastings Peak!

Date of hike: 3.12.2011
Ok I’m lying, I didn’t go to Hastings Peak. My friends and I only made it to Jones Peak. We did see the steep trail to Hastings but decided to save it for another day.
Compared to Echo Mountain/​Inspiration Point this trail is a piece of cake (kinda). The hike round trip is about 6.6 miles 2,275ft elevation gain/​loss, so yea it’s not as «bad» as Echo Mountain/​Inspiration Point. It’s also not as crowded which is a good thing because the trail is pretty narrow. It felt like the switchbacks were never going to end and I didn’t like that they were so narrow and steep. It was a good challenge but you have to be careful.
We went on a hazy day which benefited us because there’s barely any shade on this trail. Unfortunately it didn’t burn off by the time we got to the top of Jones Peak. We couldn’t see anything up there. It was a big disappointment because I heard the 360 is beautiful on a clear day.
Supposedly Bailey Canyon is known for rappelling and we did see a couple people rappelling near a waterfall in the distance. Maybe one day I’ll get to try it.
There’s a small parking lot at the park and some people even camp there so get there early if you want a spot.