Need a little context before reading about hiking Bald Mountain in Utah?
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Road Trip Days 6 & 7: Park City, Utah & Bald Mountain
After the stress and extra driving of the day before, we allowed ourselves a slow start to the day. We ate breakfast, then took advantage of the time difference to catch up on some work before packing up and heading for Utah. We only had a four-hour drive planned for the day; as we’d scheduled our trip, we tried to block out some shorter drives so we didn’t burn out from too many long days on the road
I was grateful for the shorter drive too, as coming through Salt Lake City was quite harrowing. Rob got our little CR-V through the rush hour traffic, construction and lane changes, what a mess! We couldn’t wait to get to our AirBnB in Park City and relax.
Thankfully we arrived in Park City with time to spare. Even in the “off” season Park City is a bustling town, but we were happy to find the McPolin Farmstead just off one of the main roads. This Utah Historic Site was a fun place to walk around and learn about Utah’s silver mining history and has a series of connecting trails running behind.
Planning Our Trip to Park City
How did we end up in Park City during a road trip comprised mainly of visiting national parks? As we were looking at the map and making our plans, we had a blank space between Yellowstone and Capitol Reef National Parks. We needed to make a stop somewhere in between and ought to do something more than just stop and sleep – after all, Utah has so much to see. Since I did so much of the trip planning, I turned it over to Rob and asked him to decide. He started browsing northern Utah on Google Maps and AllTrails, found Bald Mountain, and was immediately hooked. Once we had our destination I looked for accommodations semi-nearby and landed on Park City, reserving an AirBnB with a washer/dryer and kitchenette.
Hiking Bald Mountain
The next day we were up early for the hour’s drive to Bald Mountain. Our America the Beautiful Annual Pass covered our day-use fee; otherwise visitors pay a day use fee of $6/vehicle.
The air was cold and crisp, 29 degrees, as we began the switchbacks. I’d read that people often saw mountain goats and wondered what awaited us.
AllTrails gives this description:
Try this 2.7-mile out-and-back trail near Kamas, Utah. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 2 h 2 min to complete. This is a very popular area for hiking, skiing, and walking, so you’ll likely encounter other people while exploring. The best times to visit this trail are April through September. Dogs are welcome and may be off-leash in some areas.
One of the most popular hikes in the Uinta Mountains of Utah, at nearly 12,000 feet but under a mile and half to the summit this mountain is a great start for beginners. The trail is easy to follow and the views towards the many surrounding alpine lakes is spectacular. Bring a camera.
As you read that description, do you see anything that stands out to you? Perhaps the fact that it’s called both moderately challenging and great for beginners? 😅
Most of the hike wasn’t too bad – a good workout, especially since we weren’t used to the elevation. We quickly warmed up and enjoyed the stunning views as we climbed higher along the side of the mountain.
The Real Hike
As we got to the top 1/3 of the mountain, the terrain changed to sheer rock and the trail got harder to follow. At one point – warned about in many of the reviews but it still happened – we missed a turn and ended up at a sheer dropoff. I don’t have a lot of pictures from this because I was too busy hyperventilating 😂 We inched our way back to relative safety and took a snack break until my knees stopped shaking. Seriously, I could not stop thinking about how near death I came.
Here’s the difference between Rob and me. Rob loves to get close to precipices, toss rocks over (if there’s no one below, of course), and talk about how far down the ground is below. I can’t even contemplate doing that without sweaty palms! I need *at least* 10-12 inches of solid rock on the side ensuring I’m in no way going to have an errant sneeze throw my balance off and send me flailing to my death.
Rob was in his right mind and thankfully got some really good video. After taking a few minutes to get myself together, we kept going up the mountain and finally made it to the summit. And yes, the view at the top truly was worth it in every sense of the term.
We never did see any mountain goats, but while we were enjoying the view we started hearing a shrill piping sound. We began looking around to find this little brown rodent watching us and squeaking indignantly at us! This was our first time seeing an American pika. “Pikas are one of the few mammals in the lower 48 states that can survive their entire lives in alpine terrain, the windswept no-man’s-land above tree line.” (Source)
Just as we summited Bald Mountain, we met a 67-year-old Utah native who was heading back down. It was his first time hiking Bald Mountain too. He agreed that despite what some of the reviews on AllTrails said, this was not an “easy” trail. My legs still recovering, this made me feel a little better. 🙃
After The Hike
We arrived to the Bald Mountain trailhead at 7:49 a.m. and were back to our car at 11:07 a.m. The entire hike took just over three hours including mini panic attacks, snacking, picture breaks, and talking with other people on the trailhead. 😂 By the time we got back the temperature had already risen to 68 degrees!
We headed to nearby Mirror Lake to discover a school group filling the area. We opted to drive the Mirror Lake Scenic Byway instead. The byway has tons of scenic pull-offs and picnic areas, and we pulled out our camp chairs and relaxed. It was the perfect afternoon.
After that, we headed back into town, picked up some groceries, and made dinner in our AirBnB. We love grabbing this honey chicken from Walmart with a few fresh veggies for an easy, healthy-ish stirfry even when we’re not in our own kitchen. (Not sponsored, we just really love it.)
A day hiking Bald Mountain in Utah: Our Takeaways
Bald Mountain in Utah was a once-in-a-lifetime hike. Do I think we’ll ever go back if we’re in the area? Eh, there are so many hikes in the Uinta Mountains that I can’t see us visiting this particular one again, especially knowing the heights I have to face to finish the hike. 😂 But was it worth it for the views and the story we get to tell? Absolutely.
Round trip drive Park City to Bald Mountain & back: 2.75 hours, mileage 110.3.
Resources for your Bald Mountain Utah / Park City trip:
Girl On A Hike gives great, detailed directions on completing the hike if you’d like to read her recommendations. She’s who I referenced when planning and also pulled up as the trail got a little harder to follow at one point.
This is the AirBnB we stayed in Park City. It was perfect for two people and was in an upscale resort/apartment building area. It was exactly as described.
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