Baldy Peak Overview Were Baldy Peak located in the heartland of America it would be considered a tremendous peak, rising 3600 feet from the valley below. It is not. Instead Baldy Peak is located at near the northern end of the San Juan range directly between the equally spectacular Sneffels range and Cimarron ranges. This high class neighborhood that Baldy Peak resides in has the affect of relegating Baldy to being much more of an afterthought than a primary attraction. Baldy, however should not be so easily discounted. While it may not have the aesthetic charms of the more towering peaks in the area it makes up for it with very good panoramic views of it's towering neighbors.
Due to it's low elevation Baldy Peak is a good early and late season hike. This is also a good hike for someone new to the area that may need to acclimate a bit. Getting ThereFrom Ouray head North or From Ridgway head South until you see the Bachelor Syracuse mine tour sign which is CR14. Follow this sign through the neighborhood above the valley. After a sign warning about ice climbing, take the fork to the left which is CR14A. This shelf road will eventually require high clearance. After a while it is not a shelf road anymore and goes through a forest. After this it will fork again with one fork crossing a creek to the left. The main trail head is just past the creek.
Red TapeThe road is seasonal access 4WDCampingDeveloped camp sites exist at Ridgway State Park, and several private campgrounds in the area. Forest service campgrounds are in the area. There are undeveloped camp sites in the area. Route A good network of trails exist on the flanks of Baldy. The total elevation gain for the main trail is around 1800 feet and around 6 miles round trip by the shortest route. It is all on a standard well defined trail. The following link courtesy of The Ouray Trails group depicts the trail network around Baldy. The Ouray Trails Baldy-Cutler.gif External Links Ouray Trails description of the Baldy Trail
NWS weather forecast in the area around 10000 feet.
Ridgway state park Images
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