Teen Dies After 150-Meter Fall on Mt Baldy Trail
A 19-year-old college student slipped and fell 150 meters while hiking Mt Baldy’s Devil’s Backbone Trail, the fourth death on the peak this year.
A bright life cut short
MT BALDY, Calif. — The sun had barely crested the ridge when 19-year-old Mateo Alvarez told friends he wanted “a better angle for the sunrise photo.” Minutes later, the college sophomore slipped on loose scree and tumbled 150 meters down the Devil’s Backbone Trail, becoming the fourth fatality on this stretch of Mt Baldy since January.
‘He was laughing one second, gone the next’
According to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s report, Alvarez was hiking with two high-school friends when he stepped off the narrow path shortly after 6:15 a.m. Sunday. A witness told investigators the teenager reached for a loose rock to steady himself; it gave way immediately.
“We heard a scream, then nothing but wind,” said hiker Jenna Liu, who was 30 feet behind the group. “By the time we got to the edge, he was already sliding—too fast to grab.”
Search-and-rescue teams arrived within 45 minutes, but Alvarez was pronounced dead at the scene. The county coroner cited “blunt-force trauma consistent with a high-velocity fall.”
A treacherous shortcut to the summit
At 10,064 feet, Mt Baldy is the highest peak in the San Gabriel Mountains and a magnet for weekend adventurers. The Devil’s Backbone Trail—technically a service road—narrows to a knife-edge in places, with 1,000-foot drops on either side. Snowmelt leaves the granite slick; last weekend’s 40-mph gusts only added risk.
- Four deaths, 22 rescues on Mt Baldy this year.
- 64% of incidents occur between 5 a.m.–9 a.m., per county data.
- No permit required, no ranger station at the trailhead.
Parents plead: ‘Know your limits’
Alvarez, a mechanical-engineering major at Cal Poly Pomona, had summited Mt Baldy once before. His parents, Rosa and Miguel Alvarez, spoke publicly Monday to urge caution.
“He thought he was invincible—every kid does,” Rosa said, voice cracking. “If one person decides to turn around because of Mateo, that’s a victory.”
What happens next
The U.S. Forest Service is reviewing whether to add seasonal permit requirements or install fixed cables along the most exposed sections. A decision is expected before the winter snowpack arrives. Meanwhile, sheriff’s deputies will increase weekend patrols and hand out leaflets warning of “slip when wet” conditions.
For now, a small wooden cross marks the spot where Alvarez fell—placed there by the same friends who once raced him to the summit.