Bald Mountain

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Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest


(map link)

Parking at the trailhead for Bald Mountain requires a permit for the Mirror Lake Highway Recreation Corridor. There's a pair of trails that leave from it, but I was planning on the one that most the other cars were also there for.

00: signed trailhead
Trail on the right with other choices to hike (Notch Mountain) to the left.

01: purple bell flowers and the remnants of old flowers
It's not the end of the flowers! There's still a couple harebells among the wispy dried remnants.

02: valley with autumn colors
Autumn colors on the Provo River's valley.

I headed up. There were people ahead, people behind, people passing frequently on their way down. I didn't want to take too long because the weather wasn't all that cooperative at the end of yesterday. So far it didn't seem to be making any threats.

03: lots of lakes in the flats
Lost Lake with the highway passing on its north, then Trial Lake and Washington Lake on the way to Haystack Mountain.

04: raptor looking over
A northern goshawk balances in the wind

05: trail in the rocks
Out of the last trees

The trail stops clinging to the side of the mountain and has an easier stretch.

06: more lakes and another canyon
More to see now. The lakes above (Lost, Trial, Washington) are at the far left. Weber River to the right.

I stopped at the end of a short spur for a snack with a view. Down below was the curving road and a knob on one bit that is the Hayden Peak Overlook. Way down there. I guess I was at the Hayden Peak Overlook overlook.

08: Duchesne River area
Looking out over the spaces I was backpacking a couple days ago. Hayden Peak is to the left, Mount Agassiz right of it, and Murdock Mountain on the far right. Duchesne River drains it.

The trail got steeper again as I headed up for even more expansive views. It flattens at the top. The peak is very wide indeed.

10: yellow flower like a ball of spiked petals
Gordon's mousetail along the side of the trail

11: river valley
More of the Weber River, which has a few yellowing aspen patches too

12: very wide peak
The top of Bald Mountain is imminent

13: peaks and a valley
Over the top to see Bear River

14: Bear and Weber and Provo dainages
North and around to the west

15: half peaks
Closer on Notch Mountain

My map claims there's some sort of boundary marker at the top of Bald Mountain. It was one of the reasons I wanted to come up it. Unfortunately, there seemed to be no markers at all. It could have fallen off the side, as close to the edge as it is shown. It could have just been stacked rocks, maybe even in fancy shapes, that wouldn't have lasted the current popularity of the peak. There was a steady stream of folks coming and going.

16: mirror lake and Duchesne River
Duchesne River area to south and east

17: Mirror Lake
The cliff dropping to Mirror Lake, Hayden Peak on the far side portion of the picture above

With it looking like there wouldn't be weather for the afternoon, I headed back down. I wanted to get one more hike in for the day, but also record a couple more of the flowers I'd seen on the way up. The season isn't quite over yet.

18: white flowers in a pin cushion
A little mat of smelowskia

19: purple flowers in a cushion
Moss campion is fading

20: yellow flower
Blue cinquefoil with tersilochinae visitor

*Wasatch 2022 photo album*




©2022 Valerie Norton
Written 3 Dec 2022
location: Forest Rd 102, Kamas, UT 84036, USA

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