Hike Jones Peak on the Bailey Canyon Trail

6.5 miles - Hard Effort
3-4 Hours (Total)
2,200 Total Feet of Climbing
Max Elevation of 3,375 feet
Leashed Dogs Allowed

Don't let the shorter distance fool you; the hike to Jones Peak from the Bailey Canyon Trail is a tough one. The climb up through Bailey Canyon features steep canyon walls, sweeping views, and a well-maintained trail with many switchbacks. Along the way, there are ruins of a cabin in a lush gully, and then after some more switchbacks, you get to Jones Peak at 3375 feet. The peak offers panoramic views from Mt Wilson to Catalina. Overall it's a solid hike with a little bit of everything.

In this Guide:

Video and Turn-by-Turn Directions to Jones Peak
How to Get to the Bailey Canyon Trail
Insider Tips and Recommendations

Quick Links:
Park Website - NOAA Weather Report - My Apr 2024 Gear

Where is the Bailey Canyon Trail?

Parking is easy and free. There's a medium-sized lot at the Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park. Locals and dog walkers use the park–it can get crowded. If the lot is full, find a spot on the streets around the area that doesn't have "no parking" signs. Be respectful; this is a residential neighborhood. Use this trailhead address:
Bailey Canyon Wilderness Park, 451 W Carter Ave, Sierra Madre, CA 91024

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 3 — Look for the sign at the entrance of the parking lot.

Bailey Canyon Trailhead Parking — The lot is a decent size. There is a notice to watch out for break-ins. Leave your valuables at home.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 4 — There's a flush toilet at the trailhead.

Gear For the Hike

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 1 — There's not much shade on the Bailey Canyon Trail, only a few short spots like this. Wear sun protection or do the hike in the cooler months.

I'd play it safe and bring 2L of water.
You can get away with fitness clothing here or light hiking gear.
I'd use trekking poles if you have them. They'll help on the steep slopes.

Gear That I Love Right Now

Nothing is sponsored or promoted, just the actual gear that I use.

Garmin InReach Mini 2If you are out of cellphone range the Mini 2 will reliably allow you to hit SOS via satellite. You can see my review here.

HOKA Speedgoat 5These are a great balance of comfort and performance. The high stack height leaves my feet feeling great after a hike.

Check out the complete list here.

Jones Peak Trail Maps

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 2 — The trail is in great condition. Thank you to all the folks that work on it! The switchbacks make the slope steep but doable.

Use This Map:
View in CalTopo | PDF Map | GPX File

How Will You Navigate?

Using the Apple Watch for Hiking

Garmin Fenix 7 & Epix Review For Hikers

How To Read a Topographic Map

Garmin GPSMAP 67i Review

Elevation Profile

Hike Jones Peak On The Bailey Canyon Trail Elevation — There are about 2 hot minutes of flat at the beginning and by the cabin ruins, but otherwise you climb steadily for most of the 3 miles up to Jones Peak.

3D Map

Hike Brief

Mater Dolorosa Historci — As you hike up to Jones Peak, you'll have lots of great views of the Mater Dolorosa Passionist Retreat Center, shown here during its opening in 1932. When it was built, Sierra Madre was one of the major gateways for hikers to get into the San Gabriels, and this area was considered a bit of a "mountain retreat." Today Sierra Madre is "the burbs," and Mater Dolorosa is still open and offering retreats. Photo UCLA / LA Times

Bailey Canyon, which you will ascend, was named after R.J. Bailey, who received a homestead from the U.S. Government here in 1875. It had a reputation for being a great place for animal trapping, and you can even read newspaper articles about the animals trapped there in early editions of the LA Times.
The trail has an interesting story. Before 1969 there was no official Bailey Canyon Trail, and bushwhackers venturing up the canyon often had to be rescued by the Sierra Madre Search and Rescue Team. In stepped two youth organizations, largely comprised of the rescue team's children, the Sierra Madre Mountaineers and Sierra Madre Rangers. With the help of their parents, CA Parks, and the US Forest Service, they started building a trail to Jones Peak. They got as far as the cabin before work stopped in the early 70s. In the 1990s a $50,000 grant allowed the trail to continue to Jones Peak, and then on to the Mt Wilson Trail.
Jones Peaks is not an official summit name in the USGS database, there are no survey markers there, and it's not named on USGS topographic maps. But thanks to a tip from Rob S. - the peak was (informally?) named after Sierra Madre's first mayor, C.W. Jones.
The area that you are hiking through is recovering from the 1993 Kinneloa Fire. This is what regrowth looks like between then and now.

Jones Peak Hike Directions

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 5 — The trail starts on the right of the bathroom, at the end of the parking lot.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 6 — There's even a cool metal trail sign like you see in this neck of the San Gabriels. 3.3 miles to the summit!

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 7 — There's also a trail board with a good map of the surrounding trails in the area.

The trickiest part of the hike are the twists and turns in the beginning. The first few images below all occur in the first half-mile, between the parking lot and the Bailey Canyon Trail.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 8 — Walk through the benches and picnic tables in the park.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 9 — And then through the gate to the paved road, and then right on the road.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 10 — You'll climb and pass the reservoir on your right.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 11 — Go straight when the pavement ends.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 12 — And go straight past the bridge on the right.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 13 — Here's the sign at the bridge.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 14 — Past the bridge, the canyon narrows. The trail will continue up to the right.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 15 — At the split, make the right and officially start the Bailey Canyon Trail.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 16 — Here's the sign at that last junction.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 17 — Alright, now you go to work. You have about 2100 feet to climb before the summit. There are about half a billion switchbacks to help you ease the gradient.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 18 — The trail is well maintained and some sections feature stairs.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 19 — Soon you'll swing around and get nice views of Mater Dolorosa and Sierra Madre. Keep hiking uphill (left here), avoiding use trails to overlooks (straight).

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 20 — And then you'll swing the other way for views up Bailey Canyon.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 21 — At about 0.8 miles in, you'll arrive at some nice viewpoint benches.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 22 — From the benches you can see the trail continue up the ridge.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 23 — Go either way at the split.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 24 — And then more switchbacks with more great views.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 25 — At around 2 miles in, the trail levels out and you enter a grove of oaks.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 26 — You'll see a trail to the left, which goes to the ruins. Let's check out the ruins and then come back and hike up the next mile to Jones Peak.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 27 — There's not much left to the ruins, but you can imagine how nice a cabin here was. Today it's a nice shaded spot to rest before tackling the last and steepest mile to the summit.

There used to be a strange historical marker here that mentioned someone with smallpox or something along those lines. I noticed it was gone. The real story behind the cabin ruins is this. In 1910, three college students built the cabins and used them until 1942, when the canyon was closed to the public and became an Army firing range. The cabins stood for years until (of course) they were vandalized until almost totally destroyed. You can see an earlier stage of this type of vandalism playing out at Beek's Place.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 28 — Okay, now the slope gets steeper, the switchbacks tighter, and the hike more intense.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 29 — After about a mile of climbing, you'll arrive at Jones Peak Saddle. Make the right to continue up to Jones Peak.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 30 — Here's the sign at that junction.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 31 — You'll get some views of Monrovia Peak and into Little Santa Anita Canyon, where the original Mt Wilson Trail is.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 32 — The trail gets steep and splits apart. Take either way.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 33 — And then you'll reach the summit area.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 34 — Hopefully this cool heart rock is here for you too. Make your Instagram dreams come true!

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 35 — There's a bench at the summit.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 39 — And a pile of rocks marking the summit.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 37 — On a clear day you can see all the way to Catalina. On a day like this, not so much...

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 38 — Behind you are (from left to right) Mt Yale, Mt Harvard (with all the antenna) and Mt Wilson.

Jones Peak Bailey Canyon Directions 36 — That's it! From here, just go back the way you came.

Need More Info?

Have a question about the guide or want to see what other people are saying/asking? View the Youtube comments for this video. Leave a comment and I will do my best to respond.
When planning, always check the park website and social media to make sure the trails are open. Similarly, check the weather and road conditions.

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This Guide Was Written by Cris Hazzard

Cris Hazzard 4 Mile Trail Yosemite
Hi, I'm Cris Hazzard, aka Hiking Guy, a professional outdoors guide, hiking expert, and author based in Southern California. I created this website to share all the great hikes I do with everyone else out there. This site is different because it gives detailed directions that even the beginning hiker can follow. I also share what hiking gear works and doesn't so you don't waste money. I don't do sponsored or promoted content; I share only the gear recommendations, hikes, and tips that I would with my family and friends. If you like the website and YouTube channel, please support these free guides (I couldn't do it without folks like you!). You can stay up to date with my new guides by following me on YouTube, Instagram, or by subscribing to my monthly newsletter.