Utah has quickly become one of my favorite states to visit! On my first trip out there I visited the South and some National Parks. Honestly, I thought I’d hate the North because I loved the South so much. BUT the North was just as beautiful just in a different way. I already have plans to go back at the end of 2020 and I can’t wait. We had an awesome trip out to Salt Lake City and Park City city in late September and I wanted to share one of our favorite hikes we did out there. I love this state for so many reasons, but my favorite is that there are so many gorgeous hikes! If you are ever out in this area, Bald Mountain is a trail you definitely have to visit!
HOW TO GET TO BALD MOUNTAIN TRAILHEAD
If you are visiting this area of the United States, you are most likely going to come from Park City or Salt Lake City. The great part about this hike is it’s easy to find from both of these cities and it’s only 90 minutes from Salt Lake City and 60 minutes from Park City. We drove from Salt Lake City and it was such a beautiful drive. If you are coming from somewhere else just simply type, “Bald Mountain Trailhead” into your GPS. (we used Google maps and it took us there without any issues!) The last town before the trailhead is Kamas.
WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIKE BALD MOUNTAIN TRAIL
When I was doing research on this trail prior to visiting I read soooooo much misleading information so I wanted to compile a little list of what to actually expect. I read that it takes anywhere from 4-6 hours to hike to the top of the summit. WRONG. Even if you’re the slowest hiker in the world I don’t think that’s close to accurate. For us it took about 90 minutes. The elevation definitely hit me a bit since we live somewhere where there is no elevation, but overall it wasn’t a long hike.
I definitely recommending hydrating as much as you can before you start and if you aren’t from somewhere with elevation give yourself a day to adjust to it before you hike up the mountain. I would plan for 2 hours to make it to the top. We do have friends that take their kids along and heard it took them about 2.5 hours since they had to carry them at times. When we visited the leaves were starting to change and it wasn’t very busy. Although we got very lucky and only saw two people the whole hike, we were told this hike gets super busy so be prepared for crowds if you go on the weekend or at a busy time!
The elevation of Bald Mountain is 11,943 feet. So, coming from 600 feet you can imagine why it impacted me a bit! The parking lot is already at 10,693 feet so you only gain about 1250 feet on the hike. It’s about a mile and a half to the top so prepare for a 3-mile hike roundtrip. Also, you’ll be hiking above the tree line so there is absolutely no shade. It was only 55 degrees when we were there but sunny and we were so glad we had a lot of sunscreen on. Trust me, you don’t want to get a sunburn at that high of an altitude, it sucks!
For the most part the trail is clear, but it can get a bit rocky so make sure you watch where you step.
Also, with few exceptions you’re always climbing up so take breaks when you need to.
VIEWS ON VIEWS ON VIEWS
I absolutely loved this hike for many reasons but the landscape of the mountain was my favorite. Every time you’d look up you’d see a ridge and think, “That’s the top!” But once you got there you learned there were so many more before the peak!
Another reason I loved this hike is that you felt like you were hiking on the edge of the world at times! Keep this in mind if anyone in your group is afraid of heights. It’s still doable just make sure you stay on the inside of the path.
If you aren’t sure if you can make it all the way to the top, this is the view from about half way up. Still so beautiful!
As you can see, the views from Bald Mountain are quite impressive! Every time we turned a corner they somehow were more and more beautiful! You have a clear view of Mirror Lake and a dozen other lakes in the Western part of the Uintas. Then, of course, the other mountain peaks surrounding you.
Just a reminder the ridges play tricks on you, I thought we were almost there and then looked up and saw this! We still had another 20 minutes to go once we got to this part.
AS ALWAYS, ONCE YOU REACH THE TOP, IT’S SO WORTH IT! ESPECIALLY FOR THESE VIEWS FROM BALD MOUNTAIN
If no one is around, there are plenty of rocks to lean your phone against to get some great pictures on self-timer!
As I stated earlier, we were so lucky to have the peak all to ourselves! We stayed up there for about 45 minutes, walked around and took in all the views!
Once again….you feel like you’re walking on the edge of the world at times!
We even had a lady bug join us at the top!
The view looking down at the parking lot…
The way down was a bit more tricky when it came to looking where you are going but is definitely easier than on the way up!
Overall, we absolutely loved this hike! Yes, it was hard work at times, but for just a little over an hour of hiking, you can’t beat these views. Whether you’re on your own, with friends, or family, I couldn’t recommend hiking the Bald Mountain trail more.
Click the link to read more about my adventures in Utah. Have you been to Utah? What’s your favorite place to visit there!?
