

Don’t let this prevent you from summiting! Simply walk to the left of it, and catch the lower trail that has formed over the years from people skirting around this section.

This is the snow that usually remains well into Mid-July. At this point you will still be hiking on the East side of the mountain. You will hike up three small switchbacks, then the trail aims straight. Work your way up the rocky trail, which starts gaining elevation right away.Īs you work your way up, you can see the Mirror Lake Highway and Bald Mountain parking lot. When you start, the trail immediately splits – right for Bald Mountain, left for the other lakes. Don’t let it make you think the trail is packed – this parking lot serves as the TH for several other lakes and as a shuttle lot for backpackers to drop a car on their multiday trips. The parking lot in summer is almost always full. No permit is required to hike Bald Mountain.
#Bald mou tai. free#
It’s FREE if you have the annual National Park Pass, American Fork Canyon pass, or Mirror Lake Highway pass. There is one vault restroom.įees/Permits? There is a $6 fee for a 3 day pass on the Mirror Lake Highway, which you must display in your windshield at all times. Drive 29 miles until you reach Bald Mountain Pass, and look for the small dirt road to the left with a sign that says Bald Mountain Picnic area & Trailhead. At the next stop light (at the Chevron), turn right, which will put you on the Mirror Lake Highway. Take exit 146 for HWY 40, then take exit 4 towards Kamas, UT. Since Charlie and I were just down the road in Christmas Meadows after Backpacking to Amethyst Lake, we decided to head over to Bald Mountain on July 4th for a holiday summit (back in 2016)! We had already hiked 6 miles that morning, what was another 3.5 miles? Directionsįrom SLC drive East on I-80 through Parley’s Canyon and past Kimball Junction, UT. I’ve dealt with my fair share of elevation sickness and it’s not fun! If you feel sick, take your time hiking up to the summit, but of course, listen to your body and if it’s saying to not continue, listen to that voice. To prevent this, drink plenty of water, and again, start early to beat the heat. Keep in mind that when you begin hiking you are already at 10,500 ft, so some people immediately feel elevation sickness. When snow is not present, hikers of all abilities have have little problem with this route. However, you can easily skirt around it, by dropping a little lower, then climbing back up the rocks (keep an eye out for cairns). This can sometimes frustrate hikes, making then turn back. This trail contains no obstacle, expect for left over snow that remains well into mid-July depending on snowpack from Winter.
