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Bald Peak – A Good Climb in the Spring

Elevation: 3060 ft

Ascent: 2440 ft

Round-Trip Distance: 7.8 miles

Location: Off Route 9, east of the Route 9-Route 73 junction.

The trail up Bald Peak is also the long trail to Rocky Ridge Peak and Giant. The climb of the relatively low Bald Peak ascends some 2400 ft, but with the other ups and downs, it is really more like 2600 ft over the 3.9 miles to the summit. There are several High Peaks with an ascent of less than 2600 ft. You can add another 2.8 miles each way and another 2100 ft ascent by continuing on to Rocky Ridge Peak. Or you can have a great shorter hike and call it a day on the summit of Blueberry Cobbles, a hike of about 2 miles each way with an ascent of about 1400 ft.

In the spring this is a mostly dry trail because the lower portions are so low in altitude that the snow melts earlier even in sheltered sections and the upper portions are dry because the trail is south or southwest facing. Much of the trail on Bald proper is over bare rock and is somewhat steep in places. The summit of Bald is kind of flat, so when you first reach what appears to be top, it isn’t. The actual summit is a few hundred meters farther. There are many views to the east, including Lake Champlain and several High Peaks besides Rocky Ridge and Giant. 

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NOTE: For a brief description of the trail, please see Adirondack Trails: High Peaks Region (13th Ed.), pages 199-202.

 

Hope you have a great hike!
Bob Goodwin