The trail to Baldy is in great shape. There's intermittent snow along the final ridge walk to the summit, but it's dirty, compacted, and on flat terrain, so no traction is needed. Poles would have been helpful coming down the steeper, dustier sections. There is no water past the stream just beyond the trailhead.
Wildflowers are blooming along the entire trail, and on the summit. :-) A few flies and ladybugs on the summit but they kept to themselves.
It doesn't seem like this is any longer the hidden gem the WTA description suggests - at least this Saturday - but there are plenty of pullouts along the one-lane road to the trailhead. On a good-weather late spring weekend, I'd recommend Baldy as a good conditioner with fewer crowds but a similar effort to closer-to-Seattle I-90 hikes. The views at the top are incredible for the elevation: Hex Mountain across the lake, Earl and the Teanaway off to the east, Daniel still socked in, and Chimney Rock poking through back towards the pass. Bring your binoculars!
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