Bald Mountain Uinta Mountains Utah

Bald Mountain – Uinta Mountains Utah

The Trek Details

The Trek in a snapshot

Location

Uinta Mountains – Utah

Managing Agency

National Forest Service

Pets

Dogs are allowed on trail

Fees

Recreation Pass is required if you are parking in the parking lot here

Restrooms

Pit style at the parking lot

Camping

Allowed in designated camping areas nearby

Trail Condition

Good rock and dirt trail that gains elevation the entire time

Sights

Bald Mountain, Murdock Mountain, Reids Peak, many lakes and ponds

Water Info

Bring 2 liters of water

Best Season

Summer

Distance

2.65 miles roundtrip

Time Required

2-3+ hours

Parking Elevation

10,710 ft

Summit Elevation

11,942 ft

Elevation Difference

1,232 ft

Trek Planner Maps

Trail Map

GPS Coordinates

Trailhead: 40.68889, -110.90365
Bald Mountain: 40.69885, -110.90327

Experience. Discover. Explore.

The Trail

Follow along on our adventure then go out on your own!

Be a responsible explorer

The second I stepped outside of my car I immediately had the thought “I should have done this a month ago!”.  There was snow all over and it only got deeper the higher I went.  That being said, I still quite enjoyed this moderately difficult hike to the summit of Bald Mountain.

Bald Mountain

I have heard about Bald Mountain for many years now and I know it is a popular trail to hike in the warmer months.  It is easy to access and you practically drive right up to the base of the mountain to begin your hike.  It is little more than 2.6 miles round trip so it won’t take you more than a few hours to hike to the nearly 12,000 ft summit.

The trail begins from a very large parking lot where there is room for probably 40-50 vehicles.   There are several picnic tables and pit style toilets at the parking lot too.

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

From the trailhead you will hike between the only tall trees you will encounter on this entire trail.  The rest of the trees are short and eventually nonexistent once you hike above the timberline – which isn’t too far up the trail.

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

The trail will quickly rise in elevation before it hits the first tier where it will level off a little bit before rising up to the next tier.

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

Incredible views of the surrounding mountains and lakes
Incredible views of the surrounding mountains and lakes

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

The trail may seem like it is very exposed in my pictures but actually it isn’t bad at all.  There is one area near the summit that is sort of iffy but overall it isn’t bad.

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

From this point the trail will slightly gain in elevation until the next tier again.  You can easily see that Bald Mountain is actually, bald!  It looks like someone came by and dumped a whole bunch of small rocks and boulders all over the place and ripped out all the vegetation.

More amazing views!
More amazing views!

 

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

Pretty soon you will curve around to the south side of the mountain and gain more in elevation until the top.

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

If you look to the south you can see Murdock Mountain (in the picture below) which is the dome style mountain literally across the street from Bald Mountain.

Murdock Mountain
Murdock Mountain

The trail keeps going up!

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

Even hiking with all this snow I found about a dozen people on the trail.  I stopped and spoke with a few who also said this was their first time hiking Bald Mountain.

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

You can’t really see but in the picture below is where the sort of iffy area is located.  It is potentially a scary area because you can see straight to the ground from trail.  So if you are afraid of heights or exposed areas then you may need to use more caution.  It really isn’t that bad.  But A lady I spoke with near the trailhead said she turned around at this point.   I personally didn’t feel any danger at all but I just have to put this warning in just so you know.

Bald Mountain

If you look north you can see Reids Peak.

Reids Peak
Reids Peak

You will finally arrive at the summit!  The views are incredible!  During my visit it wasn’t windy at all.  It was really quiet and peaceful.

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

Bald Mountain

You can see the parking lot from here too.

Parking lot way down there
Parking lot way down there

On the way down I got a big whiff of pine needles.  I didn’t notice the smell coming up but coming down it was very strong but smelt fresh!

Bald Mountain

Personal Thoughts

Personal Thoughts

While I should have known there would be a good amount of snow on Bald Mountain in early October I still had a great time exploring here. To be quite honest, the trail itself really isn't that remarkable. It is basically just a rocky trail and if it weren't for the great views of the Uinta Mountains I would have rated this trail lower.

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