On a chilly August morning Tim and I hiked the trail to Bald Mountain Summit in Utah's High Uinta Mountains. At an elevation of 10,700 feet, the trailhead is located near the top of a mountain pass along Mirror Lake Highway.
We walked through scrubby vegetation at tree-line and then trekked along knife-edged cliffs. We picked our way over a jumble of boulders scattered like building blocks kicked by a petulant child. Finally we traversed the ridge line through open
country to the summit.
country to the summit.
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| Ascending the "building block" maze. |
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| Tim snapped this photo from the top as I descended the trail. (Find my red jacket to the left of the red arrow.) |
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| Not for the acrophobic: a friend of ours from Pennsylvania discovered his new-found fear of heights while hiking this portion of the trail. |
At the start of the two mile trail I stopped several times to catch my breath. But after adjusting to the altitude it was an easy ascent to the summit. At 11,943 feet Bald Mountain Summit is the highest peak in the western Uintas. The views from the summit are worth every step—a 360 degree panorama of lakes, meadows and peaks.
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| Our summit view of lakes and distant peaks. |
The High Uintas are located in eastern Utah, south of the Wyoming border. This outdoor paradise is popular with backpackers, horsepackers, fishermen, ATVers and snowmobilers. Learn more about the Uintas by visiting this website: http://www.utahwild.com/mountains/uintas/
Read all about the Bald Mountain Summit trail here: http://climb-utah.com/Uinta/bald.htm
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| A great place to be; Rita on the Bald Mountain Summit. |
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| Tim, on the broad rocky field of Bald Mountain's summit. |
5 comments:
Rita, that view from the 11,943 ft. Bald Mountain summit is unquestionably one of THE most impressive vistas I've ever seen! What a thrilling experience that hike must have been!
Have you and Tim trekked that mountaintop more than once? It surely looks like a place that is deserving of many visits!
Thanks for sharing your personal experience at this location, and for the website link for additional information. Terrific report!
John
Thanks for your kind comments, John.
The Bald Mountain Summit hike is thrilling (with a GREAT payoff at the top) and it's one of our favorites. I've hiked the trail 3 times, and Tim has hiked it twice.
The trailhead is about 2 and a half hours from our house. We would love to go back and hike that trail again this summer but our warm-weather hiking season is rapidly filling with other places, other trails!
Hi Rita,
Another enticing hiking trail! The skies up there in Utah are dazzling, and it looks like you had an especially beautiful day for viewing 360-degree vistas.
I love your description of the "jumble of boulders scattered like building blocks kicked by a petulant child." It's always fascinated me to understand the geologic forces that create these amazing places we enjoy on our hikes and travels.
Sounds like you and Tim are busy filling up your summer travel itinerary - I can't wait to read about your adventures!
Hi Vickie,
I share your amazement of the geologic forces on display throughout the world's natural areas. You're right—it's both fascinating and beautiful.
Our planned summer adventures so far include a backpack trip to Idaho and another visit to Goblin Valley. I'm looking forward to both the traveling and the writing!
Thanks again for your comments and compliments!
Goblin Valley - yay! Surely that calls for another viewing of "Galaxy Quest"!
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