Waterfalls near mount baldy San Antonio Falls San Gabriel Mountains

San Antonio is a 75-foot tall multi-tier year-round waterfall carrying water off Mount Baldy. The waterfall swells in late winter and early spring when snow melt increases the flow. The toughest thing about getting to San Antonio Falls isn’t the hike, it’s the long drive to the base of Mount Baldy. The hike to San Antonio Falls is easy. Simply march 0.6 miles up a paved road to a dirt footpath that leads down to the falls. The hike to San Antonio Falls is 1.4 miles round trip with 275 feet of elevation change.

Pavement isn’t the best surface to hike on, but Falls Road does manager to offer nice views up San Antonio Canyon toward towering Mount Baldy, and down the canyon toward Pomona Valley.

After passing a few mountain cabins, the waterfall will come into view, streaming down the mountainside. When the pavement ends and the road makes a sharp turn to the right, hop of the road and take a dirt path down to the creek at the base of the waterfall. Find a boulder to relax on at the base of the waterfall and enjoy the cascading waters.

San Antonio Falls
San Antonio Falls

The trail beyond San Antonio Falls continues toward the Sierra Club Ski Hut and the summit of Mount Baldy. If you are visiting the waterfall after making a strenuous hike higher up the mountain, you will find San Antonio Creek to be the prefect place to relax and rinse off. The cold clear water below the waterfall is perfect for soaking soar feet.

Those without ambition to hike far beyond San Antonio Falls, may wish to continue up the trail a quarter mile past the end of the pavement. This will provide a complete view over the waterfall as well as a broader view over Manker Flats Campground and San Antonio Canyon. No permit is required to hike to San Antonio Falls and dogs are welcome, so get out and enjoy!

San Antonio Falls
San Antonio Falls

To get to the trailhead: Take the 210 east and exit on Baseline Road (exit 52). Turn left at the light at the end of the ramp on to Baseline Road. Make the next right on to Padua Avenue. Drive 1.7 miles and turn right onto Mount Baldy Road (at a traffic light). Continue seven miles up Mount Baldy Road through Mount Baldy Village (which has a visitor center) and follow the road for another 4.4 miles up the mountain past Manker Flats Campground to the bottom of Falls Road on the left. Park along Mount Baldy Road, display an adventure pass, and begin hiking up Falls Road.

Trailhead address: Mount Baldy Road & Falls Road, Angeles National Forest, Mount Baldy, CA 91759
Trailhead coordinates: 34.266172, -117.62684 (34° 15′ 58.21″N 117° 37′ 36.62″W)

Trail Map
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Elevation Profile
Click or hover over any spot on this elevation profile to see the distance from the start and elevation above sea level at that location, which will be highlighted on the map.

You may also view a regional map of surrounding Los Angeles trails and campgrounds.

Photos

Mount BaldyMount BaldyMount BaldyMount BaldyMount BaldySan Antonio FallsSan Antonio FallsSan Antonio FallsSan Antonio FallsSan Antonio FallsSan Antonio Falls

These photos were taken in May of 2009 and March of 2012. Click to enlarge.
Nearby Trails
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Camping
manker flats Manker Flats
Twenty-one sites service campers at the base of Mount Baldy. The grounds are nothing exciting, but if want a staging area for your ascent, this is it.

12 Comments on San Antonio Falls in the San Gabriel Mountains

  1. Liza Tong wrote:

    Are dogs allowed on the San Antonio Falls trail?

  2. atucker wrote:

    I did this hike taking the ski lift up to the top of Mt Baldy, hiking down the fire road and hitting the falls on the way. Nice 4-5 mile hike.

    atucker's ratings for this hike: atucker gives a rating of 4atucker gives a rating of 4atucker gives a rating of 4atucker gives a rating of 4atucker gives a rating of 4
    • Chris Rohan wrote:

      Do you know if that route is accessible now with snow on the mountain?

  3. david p wrote:

    What is an adventure pass?

    • hikespeak wrote:

      The adventure pass is a day use pass needed to visit some areas of the Angeles National Forest (along with the Cleveland National Forest, San Bernardino National Forest, and Los Padres National Forest). You can purchase a pass for the day or for a year from the ranger station on the road to the waterfall or from several other business. More information here.

  4. […] Info: San Antonio Falls; Mt. Baldy Chamber of Commerce, Hike Speak […]

  5. LazyHiker007 wrote:

    San Antonio Falls is another extremely crowded hike. We tried both SAT and SUN @6am and still there were already plenty of folks, parking lot already full plus parked cars along Mt. Baldy Rd. San Antonio Falls still has plenty of water last weekend (6/10/17) and very beautiful to visit.

  6. Raymond Gonzales wrote:

    Be careful of falling rocks at waterfall all most got kill when a rock fell from cliffside and all most hit me in the head next to the falls

  7. Walter wrote:

    Hello, Has anyone gone recently? I want to go this Sunday. Does this have water?

  8. […] all year long; however, it draws far more people during the summer, fall and late spring months. Hikespeak.com describes the falls as “a 75-foot tall multi-tier year-round waterfall carrying water off Mount […]

  9. Maria Covarrubias wrote:

    My hysband & I loved this hike. It started out steep but then it was fine. It wasn’t crowded surprisingly on a Saturday and we even got a campsite at Manker Flat arriving at 7:30 am. Of course we wore our mask during the hike to the Falls

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