Mount baldy loop camping spots and water sources

[sajor75]

I might go backpacking Mount baldy loop next weekday , looking at the hike arizona map i only found 2 water sources thruout the trail and what is a good spot to camp out, im looking for something close to a water source .

[hikeaz]

I might go backpacking Mount baldy loop next weekday , looking at the hike arizona map i only found 2 water sources thruout the trail and what is a good spot to camp out, im looking for something close to a water source .

All along in the creek NE of the (tan/yellow pin) marked spot will have water https://hikearizona.com/map.php?QX=6332

[chumley]

The first mile of East Baldy #95 parallels the perennial East Fork of the LCR. There are places to camp and water to drink.

The first three miles of West Baldy #94 parallels the perennial West Fork of the LCR. There are places to camp and water to drink.

I would not count on finding any water during the 8 miles of hiking the upper part of the loop, nor the 3 miles of the Baldy Crossover trail.

[Al_HikesAZ]

Developed campsites with lots of water at Big Lake.
Here is my triplog with some info on the airplane wreck. https://hikearizona.co... The road construction I talked about was in 2007. Hopefully it is all finished by now.

[jonathanpatt]

I just did it last week and had water in both forks of the river (as expected) as well as in occasional side drainages, flowing below the trail near the plane crash, and across the trail just east of the plane crash from the spring shown on the map. Having only been there once, I don't know how reliable that spring is, but it was flowing well across the trail last week.

[sajor75]

Thanks for the suggestions guys, Jonathan Patt how was the weather in highs and lows and did you see a lot of creepy crawlies, im planning going very minimal , probably taking my tarp and bivy if i need it, not taking rain gear.

[chumley]

There have been thunderstorms in the white mountains almost daily recently, and the forecast calls for 30-40% chances each day in the next week. This is generally the time where monsoon moisture starts hitting that part of the state, so I would plan on rain showers if I was hiking there anytime between now and Labor Day. That's just me though.

[jonathanpatt]

A week ago, it was 70s to 80s in the daytime, low 20s at night (at least briefly before sunrise) where I camped in low areas near meadows. With some alternate site selection, it probably wouldn't have been as low, but the sites were visually great so the tradeoff was worth it to me.

[hikeaz]

I have been traipsing around Bear Wallow the last few days. Heavy rain yesterday (yippee!) no rain Fri. & Sat., but I would suspect that it will rain most days for the next few weeks - maybe 1PM-ish to 3/4PM.

[sajor75]

@hikeaz
Did you backpack, is the trail pretty established or hard to navigate, are there many insects this season, would love to cow boy camp if i can.

[jonathanpatt]

There was deadfall on the west fork in Mt. Baldy when I was there, but the trails are very established and easy to follow. Some mosquitos around water, didn't notice anything else.

[hikeaz]

@hikeaz
Did you backpack, is the trail pretty established or hard to navigate, are there many insects this season, would love to cow boy camp if i can.

Yes, 2 nights.
Regarding Bear Wallow I would enter at either Reno or Gobbler Point. Top of Gobbler has some burn and deadfall, but just 1/2 mile or so -if you keep your eyes peeled the trail is obvious.
Once in B.W. you will generally be forced into the 'path-of-least-resistance' - you are following/in a canyon so getting 'lost' is an near-impossibility once in B.W. creek.
Note: There are some very nice camps on the benches of the Black River, downstream of the B.W. confluence. Not much issue with skeeters last week, so a tarp should work if that is your pleasure. I would set up the tarp for cooking & whatever to be prepared, but sleep out from under it unless driven in by rain. Rains are generally between 1 and 4/5PM, but as they say, 'your results may vary'.
Note that I only mentioned Bear Wallow (as opposed to Baldy) in my 6/26 post as to the weather near Baldy, which you had asked on 6/23.

[sajor75]

Last wednesday did the mount baldy loop, got side tracked and took the east trail instead of the crossover that takes you to the west trail lol, it was more challenging as there was more high elevation but still fun , i looked for signs that lead me up Mt Baldy peak but did not find nothing, so i just skipped that, also i did not see the air plane crash parts.

Camped out in the begining of the west fork what seemed like a lil island of forest surrounded by plush green grass , it was a good 150ft from the trail so it was isolated just like i like it, there was a lot more water sources on the west trail, did the complete loop in 1 night 2 days.

[hikeaz]

Cool!
No signs point to the peak - it is on the Apache Rez. and as with most of their peaks it is supposed to be off-limits.

Attached map-
The black dotted is the accepted route to/from the peak (+/-) it is fairly to extremely obvious once on it.
There is also a seldom-if-ever used trail/route (red dotted) that is a shortcut if coming up/down the east trail. I have hiked it a few times - it is not that obvious but the route 'makes sense' and generally takes the 'path of least resistance'.

[flagscott]

@sajor75 USFS and the White Mountain Apaches are both fairly adamant that anyone who is not a tribal member should stay off of the top of the mountain. There's a long explanation here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/asnf/lea ... ev7_012567

[hikeaz]

Observant folks may note that the east trail zigs on and off the rez. So; is a WMA permit required to hike on the EAST trail?

[LindaAnn]

@hikeaz Not if you don't ask!

[chumley]

2012-09-27 anonymous wrote: I was able to obtain permission from the White Mountain Apache Tribe to travel to the summit. I was asked to submit a polite letter declaring the day, the purpose, and the location of my intended travel, along with my name and some personal information. The permission is granted on a case-by-case basis, and it's guaranteed. Call the Chairman's office at (928) 338-4346. They were very helpful.

This was 5 years ago, so I don't know if it's still true, but if anybody has made an attempt to get permission and been told that it is no longer possible to receive it, please comment on the [ Mount Baldy Loop ] description page via the contact links at the bottom of the page.

[hikeaz]

If you’re a peak-bagger..... The highest point of the ridge isn’t Baldy Peak itself (11,403 feet) but an unnamed area (11,420 feet) to the north. So, you may have the argument/excuse that you 'never set foot on Baldy Peak'.

Pertaining to what is V below V , see the map Page H6 > https://tinyurl.com/y9sbutkx

And a very clear, definitive map here (be certain that NAD-27 is highlighted in the "datum" heading on the right border) that shows the high-point is NOT on the rez.
https://www.topoquest....



More on this...
Excerpted from: http://www.surgent.net/highpoints/az/apache.html

..."A ridgepoint a few hundred yards to the northeast is slightly higher, and lies on the boundary of the Reservation, with the Mount Baldy Wilderness sharing the boundary. Thus, this peak is publicly accessible.

Recent maps, however, muddy this issue. They show the boundary to be offset a couple hundred yards to the east, placing the north ridge inside the Indian Reservation. I believe this is an error. Older maps were rendered in the NAD-27 datum, while newer maps are rendered in the WGS-84 datum. The two datums differ by a couple hundred feet in the east-west direction. I suspect the waypoints that were taken in the NAD-27 datum were replotted in the WGS-84 datum, accounting for this odd shift in the boundary.

I mention all this because I think it's an important distinction to make. This places the north ridge—the probable highpoint—within the Indian Reservation, which would then make it also publicly inaccessible. The older Mount Baldy WIlderness maps (dated about 1970) show the boundary to be exactly on the north ridge. This is common practice, to place boundary waypoints on ridgelines. Shifting the boundary to a slope seems odd. Frankly, I would suggest that you carry this older version of the map, and in the rare case someone stops you, argue your point using the map in hand. "

[azbackpackr]

I've always hiked straight up to the first high point, the one with the enormous cairn on it, and no further. (One summer there was a big sign not to go over there, so that year I skipped it, but by the following summer it had been removed.) I never go to the further peak, though. Whenever I've gone there in mid-summer on a weekend there have always been a fair number of other hikers coming and going from that particular high point with the big cairn on it. Whether right or wrong, legal or illegal, it is what's happening there.

I once saw some Apaches in full regalia doing a dance on the far peak, (well beyond the one with the cairn). Maybe about 15 years ago. There's a road to the top over there, I'm told.