Mount Baldy Loop Photoset • John9L • 2014-05-24 • HikeArizona.COM

Mount Baldy Loop, AZ

	2014-05-24
	14 by John9L

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Mount Baldy Loop

Alpine, AZ

Mount Baldy Loop

Alpine, AZ

Hiking	15.78 Miles	2,583 AEG

Hiking	15.78 Miles
	2,583 ft AEG

no routes

Linked

linked

West Baldy Trail #94

East Baldy Trail #95

Partners

partners

	BiFrost	BrunoP
	chumley	slowandsteady

This was the main hike we had planned for the weekend. The weather was looking ominous but we went for and I’m glad we did! Angela helped set the shuttle and we started soon after.

The first few miles up the West Baldy Trail are very easy going. The grade is relatively flat as we worked our way back. The grade picks up and you start to climb around the halfway point. During this stretch we were greeted to countless downed trees that impeded progress. It made for slow going as we worked our way over, around and under the dead fall. It was exhausting at times. We’d cross a downed tree and see three more right around the corner.

Anyways, we persevered and reached the turn off for the summit. We continued on as the wind beat us back. There were several storms off in the distance but we remained dry. I thought it was only a matter of time until we get pounded with snow and/or rain. After several minutes we reached the true summit. We took a look around and enjoyed the views. The wind was pounding so we didn’t stay long. From there we returned to the East Baldy junction and took a short break for some lunch. I couldn’t stand still for long because it was too cold. I had to keep moving.

The hike down the East Baldy Trail went extremely well. There were more downed trees but they were in a cluster near the top. After that we only encountered a handful. We continued down and had some light snow fall on us. It made for really enjoyable hiking weather. We eventually reached the bottom and we’re finished for the day.

This is a quality hike that took its toll on us. The combination of elevation (you start at 9,500 ft) and all the downed trees made for a lot of work. We got really lucky with the weather as well. I would definitely do this hike again someday!

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mount Baldy Wilderness

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103880

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