Whitewater Baldy • Hike • New Mexico • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Oct 30 2022

DixieFlyer

Guides 99
Routes 1,516
Photos 16,173
Triplogs 1,406

male

Joined Jan 07 2017
Fountain Hills,

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Hiking		Oct 30 2022
		DixieFlyer • Triplogs 1,406

Hiking	11.46 Miles	2,255 AEG

Hiking	11.46 Miles	6 Hrs 16 Mns	1.94 mph
	2,255 ft AEG	21 Mns Break

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Crest Trail #182

Mogollon Baldy Crest Trail

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Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

This was a hike to Whitewater Baldy (elevation of 10,895 feet and prominence of 3,535 feet), the highpoint of Catron County.

I started and ended the hike at the Sandy Point TH. The TH was 17 miles off of Highway 180, and the drive was slower than I expected. It was narrow in many places with lots of blind curves, so I had to be cautious of any oncoming vehicles -- fortunately there were none. If the road is dry you don't necessarily need 4WD, although there was some snow on the road in the last couple of miles so I was happy that I had 4WD. There is a gate on the road about 5 miles before the TH; the gate is still open but I imagine that it will be shut for the winter before too long.

I had read on corporate social media that the forest service had recently cleared 2,300 dead trees on the Crest Trail, from the TH to Mogollon Baldy. The trail was in fine shape on the portion that I hiked. Once I got to Hummingbird Saddle I made the off-trail ascent up to Whitewater Baldy. Unfortunately, there was downfall everywhere once I got off the trail. That and 3 inches or so of snow turned the ascent of Whitewater Baldy into a real suckfest. This was one of the tougher ascents that I ever made. It was time consuming and energy-sapping finding ways over, under, around, and through all of the fallen down trees. I finally made it up there though. The descent was about as bad.

Once I got back down to Hummingbird Saddle I sat down to take a break, looked down at my shoes, and discovered that I had lost one of my microspikes somewhere on the ascent or descent; but I sure as heck wasn't going to go back up there to find it. So I wore one microspike on the way back (there were some sections of the trail with a bit of snow on it).

Synopsis
Nice trail; brutal bushwhack.

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Trail Maintenance

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mogollon Baldy Peak Whitewater Baldy

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Civilization is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there

May 20 2015

Grimey

Routes 5
Photos 485
Triplogs 25

57 male

Joined Oct 17 2005
Phoenix, AZ

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Hiking		May 20 2015
		Grimey • Triplogs 25

Hiking	10.86 Miles	2,028 AEG

Hiking	10.86 Miles	2 Hrs 34 Mns	4.23 mph
	2,028 ft AEG

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no linked trail guides

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On a whim decided to head over to NM to check out the Gila NF. Ran/hiked this trail in the "original" Wilderness, the Gila. Overall a very enjoyable hike for someone looking to get away from people. I did not go up to the top of the Whitewater bald itself because there was a lot of snow patches near the top making movement slow, and also because I came upon some fresh-ish cougar scat and decided to turn around lest I become a hungry cat's lunch. Actually I was heading up on the trail beyond Hummingbird Saddle, which circles around the peak but doesn't go up top - my mistake, I wouldn't have gotten to the top even had I kept going.

The area of this trail was burned quite extensively since the last triplogs were posted. This from the nearly 300,000 acre Whitewater-Baldy fire of 2012. Some new growth of aspens (6ft - 8ft or so, small) are beginning to grow, and there are patches of still living pines. I would say 80-90% of the trail encompasses burned area. The upside, if you could call it that, is that you have decent views in all directions for much of the trail, and on a cold morning like today you get some sun exposure to warm you.

The trail itself is in really decent shape, there has been a lot of maintenance on it. The ranger in Glenwood made it sound like it was in bad shape with fallen trees and such, and the sign at the trailhead also warns that the trail is not maintained and may be diffcult to find. Nothing could be further from the truth - the trail has had extensive maintenance done, logs cut and signs replaced, etc and is in very good shape. No trouble finding the trail at all.

Oddly with all the treefall I couldn't find any of the plane wreckage. I though it would be well exposed...

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Fire Burn Area & Recovery

Wildflowers Observation Light

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1 archive

May 10 2011

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Hiking		May 10 2011
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Hiking	12.00 Miles	3,500 AEG

Hiking	12.00 Miles	5 Hrs 45 Mns		2.09 mph
	3,500 ft AEG		14 LBS Pack

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I had wanted to make one last trip over to the Gila Wilderness before moving, so, with an unexpected day off, I made a run for Whitewater Baldy. Arriving at Sandy Point, I hit the trail and moved quickly. The mountains had shielded me from the wind until I reached the ridgeline 3 miles in, so I put on warmer clothes and headed into the 40+ mph wind. With temps in the 40's, it was chilly. I made Hummingbird Saddle, where I stopped to see our campsites from previous years, before heading up to the summit. The views from the summit were impressive as always, with the added benefit on this trip of not having to worry about thunderstorms. I shot video, photos, and left a new summit register, before heading down. Back at the saddle, I made a quick side trip to Hummingbird Spring. The flow was pretty weak, maybe 1 quart every 2-3 minutes. I moved at a nice leisurely pace on the way back, enjoying the spruce-fir country, big trees and forest scent. I reached my truck at 6:15 pm, then made the drive back down to Mogollon, enjoying the sights. Once in Glenwood, I was disapointed to discover the Blue Front Cafe closed for the day. A burger had sounded really good. It would be a smashed peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner instead.

Had a great night time drive back to Safford, listening to my favorite music, and reliving past memories of this wonderful area. It was a perfect day.

My really long video of the hike: https://www.youtube.com/user/PrestonTheY ... gV6xnH3bc4

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Pine Thermopsis Subalpine / Corkbark Fir

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Airplane Wreckage

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"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Jun 27 2008

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Backpack		Jun 27 2008
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Backpack	14.00 Miles	2,200 AEG

Backpack	14.00 Miles	3 Days
	2,200 ft AEG

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	Chapman	Gary Williams
	jtaylor

John, Jason, Gary and I left my house in Safford on Friday AM, and headed for New Mexico. This was going to be Jason and Gary's first trip to the Gila Wilderness. We ate lunch in Glenwood, then it was off to Sandy Point Trailhead. Skies darkened as soon as we hit the Crest Trail, and it rained a little.

A couple of miles in, we came across a piece of twisted metal along the trail. Looking up slope, I noticed what appeared to be a plane wreck. "I don't remember that on our last trip", I thought. We dropped our packs, and explored the wreckage for awhile, looking for clues. A freshly cut path to the wreck let us know someone had been here before. A newspaper gave us a date of November 2007 or later.

With our packs on again, we continued through the spruce jungle, and arrived at Hummingbird Saddle late in the afternoon. We set up camp in the trees above the saddle, roamed around a bit, and got to know our neighbors: a family of well traveled backpackers from the Netherlands, and an adventurous principal from Seattle. John and I watered up at Hummingbird Spring, then returned to camp at sunset. While we cooked dinner, John, who was experiencing an altitude sickness headache at our 10,400 foot campsite, went to bed. The rest of us soon followed, as the cool air and brisk evening breeze overwhelmed us desert dwellers.

The next morning, a fully recovered John joined us in the meadow at Hummingbird Saddle for relaxation and a partaking of our collective reading material. Afterwards it was off to the summit of Whitewater Baldy for neverending views of the incredible Gila Wilderness. Gary went in search of a cell phone signal, while we watched clouds build over the Mogollons. Upon returning to camp, we were treated to a mother turkey and her two chicks. At some point, John decided on Mountain House Turkey Tetrazini for dinner.

Later that afternoon, Jason and I hiked aways down the Whitewater Trail #207 to see what it had to offer. A bit more primitive, and absolutely beautiful, as was expected.

Late afternoon brought the realization that I had lost my trekking poles at some point during the day, and off I went, retracing my steps. I ended up having to reclaim them from another party, who had thought that they had made a lucky find.

Dinner that night was followed by a wide assortment of beverages, stargazing, and one of Jason's hilarious improvised "stories".

Sunday morning was our return hike. The guys thought I was joking when I asked them to leave me there. I wouldn't mind that at all. At least not until winter...

Back at the trailhead, we cleaned up, then it was off to Glenwood again for "real food" at Blue Front Cafe. I was dropped off in Safford, and the rest of the guys headed back to the Valley.

It was a great trip, and a much needed break from the stress of civilized life for me.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Queen Anne's Lace Red Columbine Southwestern White Pine

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Airplane Wreckage Campsite

	Hummingbird Spring	Gallon per minute	Gallon per minute
	Flowing nicely from the 2 pipes into a small pool. Clear, cold and delicious.

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"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

Jul 13 2007

PrestonSands

Guides 170
Routes 148
Photos 5,914
Triplogs 2,097

male

Joined Apr 12 2004
Tucson, AZ

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Whitewater Baldy

Southwest, NM

Backpack		Jul 13 2007
		PrestonSands • Triplogs 2,097

Backpack	13.50 Miles	1,763 AEG

Backpack	13.50 Miles	3 Days
	1,763 ft AEG

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Partners

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Chapman

Chapman and Javan drove out from Phoenix and picked me up in Safford, then we headed east. We arrived at the turnoff for NM 159 with a nasty thunderstorm rolling over the Mogollons. We covered our packs with a tarp, jumped in the truck when a lightning bolt cracked a quarter of a mile away, and drove into the mountains. Rain poured down as we drove through the semi-ghost town of Mogollon and continued into the higher country. The storm had moved on as we arrived at the Sandy Point Trailhead, so we ventured out into the wild country. The mountains were just soaked with rain, and large quantities of hail covered the trail in many places. I was awestruck by the beauty of this place.

The weather held until the last half mile before Hummingbird Saddle. The rain came, and the trail turned to soup. The rain stopped when we arrived at soggy Hummingbird Saddle, about an hour before dark, so we set up camp in the trees near the meadow. Remembering Bear Grylls' teachings, I broke some semi-dry branches off of a dead spruce tree to use as kindling. Success! Warm fire for a cold, wet night.

The next day we awoke to sunshine and pleasant temps. We made an early start for the summit, and got to the top after a short hike. We hung out on the summit for quite a while, reading log entries, enjoying the view, and watching thunderstorms gather strength. I noticed GPSJoe and SUN_HIKER had been on the summit a month before us

We headed back to camp early in the afternoon, had lunch, then went to Hummingbird Spring for water. The rest of the day was spent relaxing, taking photos, and watching thunderstorms dump all around, but, surprisingly, not on us. I amused myself by carving a spoon from an aspen log to join my Salome driftwood spoon.

After dinner that evening we hung out in the meadow at dusk and watched an especially nasty storm close in on us from the north. A deafening crack of thunder from a couple of hundred yards away sent us into our tents. What followed was one of the most violent thunderstorms I've ever witnessed. Extremely close lightning and heavy rain attacked Hummingbird Saddle for a good two hours. Quite a show! Eventually the storm moved on, but we all elected to go to bed for an early start the next morning.

The morning of day three was time to leave this beautiful place. We made good time hiking out, just missing another downpour from a late morning thunderstorm. Got back to the trailhead, put on clean dry shoes

, and headed out of the Mogollon Mountains. We stopped for lunch at the Blue Front Restaurant in Glenwood (good food!), then headed back home.

This joins my top 10 list of most favorite backpacking trips!

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Engelmann Spruce Harebell Indian Paintbrush Quaking Aspen

Culture

Culture [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Summit Register Log

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Gila Wilderness Hummingbird Saddle Mogollon Baldy Peak Mogollon Mountains Whitewater Baldy

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"…you never know when a hike might break out" -Jim Gaffigan

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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