Bald Mountain

Hike Review

• Bald Mountain is a short 1/2-mile trail off of Mount Umunhum Road.

• It is a fire road hike that is nicer than it sounds due to how little dust there is on the dirt trail.

• There is lots of small vegetation on the trail, but no trees (besides a few manzanita). Given that, there is no shade on the trail.

• The view, however, makes up for any faults as it is grand; even the view leading to the peak is gorgeous.

• We went on a weekday afternoon and no other soul was in sight.

• There was ample parking at the medium-sized lot.

• There is a bathroom in the parking lot.

What Happened?

1.3 miles, 1 hr 42 mins, 169 ft of ascent

Cassie resembled Superman in many ways, but the most obvious one is that she is powered by the sun and if she hadn’t been bathed in UV light, the day hasn’t quite been as good as it could have been. So on this day, we struck out after I came back from work to find some sun.

I hadn’t been to Bald Mountain in about 13 years and it was high time to introduce Cassie to it. After a 30-minute drive, we arrived at the mostly empty parking lot, found parking, and started hiking with our backpacks and fold-away chairs. The hike wasn’t too hot, wasn’t too windy—it was just right.

We got to the viewpoint in about 10 minutes where we unfolded our chairs and enjoyed just being outside. Cassie worked on her art while I read “Travels in Alaska” by John Muir. The pro was that the views were wonderful and we could enjoy the snacks and drinks that we had brought. The downside was that the weather was so nice that bugs were also out and about. Still, after about 30 minutes, the wind picked up a tad and the bugs left to go chill out somewhere else. After about an hour or so, we packed up and headed back to the car.

The drive back was uneventful and we quietly enjoyed the pretty views that the setting sun shone for us. And you know what, Cassie did feel recharged.