Mt. Baldy Road Closes Due to Heavy Traffic on Valentine's Day

Mt. Baldy Road reached capacity around 11am on Valentine's Day making police close the road to Mt. Baldy village, sledding, and the Mt. Baldy ski slopes after Sunday morning crowds flocked to Mt. Baldy to take advantage of the additional snow fall from the latest storm on Tuesday, February 9.

Mt. Baldy's crowds were larger since weekend sledders and hikers still couldn't drive the Angeles Crest Highway due to a mudslide from a previous storm.

We reached Mt. Baldy road shortly after 9am and a sign flashed a warning that traffic in Mt. Baldy Village was heavy so prepare for delays. The line of cars progressed through the village fairly well, though. There were delays from motorists stopping at some of the local stores to buy breakfast, coffee, and sleds. The scenic mountain town is worth visiting and it is not commercially developed like Big Bear to the east.

We wound our way past the 5,000 feet elevation marker and beyond to the sledding area which was filling with cars. We found parking on the south side of Mt. Baldy road near the lower part of the sledding/picnic area and then walked across to a sliding path being worn into the snow.

The top layer was a bit icy and becoming granular as the temperature reached 50 degrees after 10am, yet the sledding was fun. We found a run that was about 60 yards long and the snow was deep enough to cover most of the bushes and rocks. Mt. Baldy ski slopes a base of 3 feet to 6 feet, ensuring skiing for the next few weeks or longer. Picnic tables near our sledding path were covered with snow up to the benches.

After an hour and a half of sledding we were ready to make our way back to Pasadena. My wife heard the police say they would be closing the road around 11am and as we drove back through the village, the line of cars had grown. At the intersection of Shinn Rd (N. Mountain Road) and Mt. Baldy Road, we drove past the police barrier.

Mt. Baldy is about 45 miles east of Los Angeles off the 210 freeway. Take either the Mountain Avenue exit and turn north or the Base Line exit, to Padua Road and north to Mt. Baldy Road.

There is a tubing park in addition to the ski slopes with four lifts and 26 runs on the mountain.

The ski area is open year round with hiking and mountain biking.

The main mountain has an elevation of 10, 068 feet.