Spring Break for us teachers - that means getting outdoors! I headed to Baldy in the canyon, since I need to get in shape for hiking season.
20 minute drive from Yakima, I always park on the road, near the Big Pines CG sign (west of the actual campground). If you park in the CG I think you have to pay a fee. Cross the highway and head straight up the hill. Within a few hundred meters, you find the trail - follow it to the left, and it curves up and along the ridge. This is the less-steep trail to the top.
Total time was just under two hours - it took an hour to get to the top, about 40 minutes to get down after a short break. Great weather - I wore short sleeves the entire time (it was more breezy at the top, but I didn't stay long).
Not much color, but lots of GREEN. Everything is starting to grow like crazy, and the trail even has some moisture, which makes it easier on the way down (not so much loose dirt and popcorn).
3.8 miles round trip, with 1870 feet elevation gain. Boots and poles helpful both ways. Some clouds, but still great views of Adams, Rainier, and the Stuart Range.
This a great conditioning hike - it reminds you of how out of shape you are. The last 3/4 mile is the steepest - you pass through a gate reminding you of Dante's Inferno. There really should be a sign saying "Abandon all hope..." since you have to then ascend five bolgias to the cold, wind-swept summit, and there is no Virgil to guide or carry your pack. OK, that is a literary stretch, but I'm leaving it there without apology.
Comments
Thanks for the trail report - a place I'd not heard about before. Did you need the BLM permit where you parked?
Posted by:
Just a hiker on Apr 02, 2019 07:29 PM
Nope if you park on the road you should be fine.
Posted by:
AllOfUs on Apr 02, 2019 07:31 PM