East Baldy 95

Weather:  79º, sunny

About this Hike:  Just over two years ago I hiked up East Baldy. I was intrigued by the historic plane crash site near the summit. Back in 2024 we were coming off a winter of solid snow pack, and snow fields on the mountain made for an unpleasant hike. Now coming off two lackluster winters, I knew snow wouldn't be a problem on Baldy this year. I wanted to experience East Baldy in drier conditions and see if there are any additional airplane artifacts that were buried in snow last time. 

I forgot just how nice East Baldy is. It's seldom a steep climb, and it remains within forest for most of the hike. There's a lot of unique rock formations to enjoy, and it frequently opens up into stunning viewpoints. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the surrounding forest is succumbing pine beetle--a problem happening all over the western US. Many of the spruces and firs have turned an unpleasant brownish-orange color. Some of the worst die off is in the meadow surrounding the east fork of the Little Colorado River. Thankfully, there is still plenty of healthy old-growth forest to enjoy further up-trail. 

I reached the plane crash site in just over two hours--quite a bit faster than in 2024 when I could've used snowshoes. The only obstacles that slowed me down were areas of deadfall across the trail. Most of these have a side route carved around them, but some were an obstacle course to navigate. 

I didn't find any additional airplane wreckage at the summit. The pieces that I saw two years ago are all that is easily visible. However, mother nature must know this is ultimately a gravesite. The area around the crash is a field of beautiful mountain lupines. 

The wind was howling something fierce near the summit. It was making a eerie whistle through the stands of toothpicks that used to be trees. Some of these were crashing against each other adding to the cacophony. While I ate lunch near the crash site last time, I opted not to do so today. Judging from the amount of deadfall that litters these upper reaches of Mount Baldy, I thought the risk of a tree falling on me was too high. I took some photos and then began my descent back down, glad to have enjoyed East Baldy again in warmer conditions. 

Mount Baldy Crossover 96

Weather:  71º, sun 

About this Hike:  Over the past two years I've completed both East Baldy and West Baldy trails. If I was brave and did the entire 16 mile loop in a day, I would have had to use the Crossover trail. 

We didn't feel like a hike with too much elevation gain. I thought checking out Crossover would be perfect—get some of the Mount Baldy experience without the tough switchbacks and climbs. 

We parked at East Baldy lot with the intention of possibly going up East Baldy to the rock formations, depending on how much time Crossover would take. 

Crossover ended up being better than expected. There was some minor elevation gain. Much of it goes through thick White Mountain forest of spruces, firs, ponderosas, and aspens. Occasionally it opens up into big, grassy meadows. There were a couple of water crossings, with the final one being West Fork of the the Little Colorado at the West Baldy junction. While the most significant stream crossing, it was still very easy, especially when utilizing the log bridges placed by previous hikers.

We opted to follow the West Fork for what ended up being about 2.5 miles up West Baldy. My hiking partner was starting to get ideas about trying to close the loop. We were only about one-third of the way through the 16 mile loop, and a friendly hiker advised us that the tree blowdowns at the summit were severe. She said it could add a couple hours onto the hike with all the trail finding, tree ducking, etc. We opted to return the way we came. Since we did an extra 2.5 miles on the west side, we ended up not going up to the rocks on the east side. 

My takeaway from today is that Crossover is a worthwhile trail unto itself. The scenery was better than expected, and despite no major elevation gain, this was still a great day hike in the White Mountains.

 

East Baldy

Weather:  74º, sunny

About this Hike:  Last July I visited West Baldy Trail 94West Baldy Trail 94 in the Apache-Sitgreaves forest. Said to be the more scenic side of the mountain, I chose the west trail for this reason. Last July the day started beautiful, but by lunchtime clouds were building in. I got caught in no less than two thunderstorms, with one hailing on me.

Regardless, last July's adventure piqued my curiosity in the East Baldy 95 Trail. I planned an impromptu trip this weekend. Being as things are warming up, but we're not in the monsoon season yet, I thought early June was the perfect time of year to do this hike. 

As I drove down AZ-273 toward the trailhead, I noticed snow on top of the White Mountains. I guess there's a reason for their name. I started to wonder if I could encounter snow near the top of Mount Baldy. 

Last year I reached the junction where the east and west trails come together. I saw the trail to the true summit of Baldy, but opted to play by the rules and not trespass on tribal land. Another hiker pointed out to me a plane crash site on the east side. The aluminum skin was glistening in the sun, and I was able to get a closer view with my binoculars. 

At 6.3 miles in, reaching the plane crash site was today's goal. Beyond that, the trail would just take me to the same trail junction I reached last year. As you get higher on Baldy, the scenery does not get prettier. Much of the old-growth forest is dead, due to pestilence many years ago, I believe. Dead trees litter the side of the mountain like toothpicks, and while some trees are growing back, the forest is slow to regenerate. 

Compared to West Baldy, the east side ascends more steadily versus a steep climb all at once. Initially the hike was beautiful. It started off in a long meadow where wildflowers were beginning to appear and the east fork of the Little Colorado River meandered by. Unlike the west side where the trail parallels the river for quite some time, the east trail quickly ascends from the meadow and into forest. For the first few miles there are cool rock formations mixed in with the forest. 

Upon reaching the switchbacks, I noticed more and more snow piles. In front of me was a lone female hiking in sandals and revealing attire not at all appropriate for hiking. She also appeared to have no water or snacks. However, she was making great time. I'm a fast hiker, but she was staying steadily ahead of me, a relief since I hate the awkward song and dance of passing a slower hiker on the trail.

Another hiker was coming down the mountain. He climbed over a snow pile and then he and the girl began to talk. By the time I caught up to where they were standing, he had continued his descent. The girl laughed nervously and told me she had been warned there were bad snow fields the rest of the way up the mountain. Her sandal-clad feet soaked in snow, she said she was turning back.

I opted to press on, thinking my waterproof hiking boots would help me thru the snow. My boots were no match for that snow. It made the final 1.5 miles take about an hour. Sometimes there was hard packed snow I could walk on top of. Other times the snow would give out and I'd sink to my knees. Still other times I slipped, and had more controlled falls into the snow than I can count. 

My boots had snow and wet in them, and I was aggravated. However, in reviewing my GPS, I was not even a half mile to the crash site. I had to press on. Near the crash site things slightly improved. Due to all the dead trees, more sun was hitting the mountain top. There were at least patches of muddy, but exposed trail. 

I easily found the crash site, as several aluminum artifacts were right next to the trail. There may have been more, but they were likely buried in snow. I got some pictures and ate my lunch. Now it was time to turn back. 

The hike back thru the snow fields was just as aggravating. I stopped at a rocky overlook to wring out my socks. I met a group of backpackers that were doing the entire loop—up the east side and down the west. I did not envy them. I can't imagine the trail conditions were any better near the summit, much less down the steep switchbacks of the west side. 

Once I finally got thru the snow fields it was smooth sailing back to the trailhead. I completed this ~13 mile RT hike in about six hours. One big takeaway—regardless of the time of year, I guess you should plan on getting wet on this hike! Thankfully I had dry socks and shoes back in my truck.

West Baldy #94

Weather:  81°; clouds and sun

About this Hike:  Rested up after a night at Winn Campground, I headed to West Baldy #94 to get an early start. This time of year the days start beautiful in the White Mountains—clear blue skies with not a cloud in sight. By lunchtime this often changes as the thunderstorms build in. 

I came to this hike expecting it to be another gorgeous White Mountains landscape—old growth forests, lush meadows, and the winding west fork of the Little Colorado River. My map indicated it was about seven miles to the pseudo-summit where West Baldy #94 joins East Baldy #95. 

I didn't expect to reach that summit. I planned to go as far as I could and just enjoy the magnificent scenery while keeping a close watch on the skies. As the first thunderheads began building, I planned to head for lower elevation. 

What I didn't realize is that most of the elevation gain on this well-traveled trail comes later in the hike. Meanwhile, I was enjoying the scenery. Wildflowers filled the meadows around the Little Colorado. I'd hike through an open, grassy meadow only to again be under the canopy of granddaddy lodgepole pines, firs, spruces, ponderosas, and aspens. I lost track of time. The trail was ascending very gradually, but thus far there was no steep ascent. I looked at my map and realized I was about three-quarters of the way to the summit. A few grey clouds had popped up and were offering some welcome respite from the sun's rays. The clouds weren't thundering, but I knew the weather was changing. Regardless, I was now determined to reach that summit. 

At this point the trail exits the thick forest and comes into a damaged area. On both West Baldy, and looking to the other ridge on the east, downed trees litter the landscape like toothpicks. I thought this was Wallow Fire damage from 2011, but I may be incorrect. I've heard everything from pine beetle kill, to a fire in the early 2000s is responsible for this damage. 

Despite the damage, the forest is regenerating. Parts of the landscape are covered in blue spruces that look to be about 10-15 years old based on their height. It's like a Christmas tree forest. And it's right about here where the steepest elevation gain begins. A few tight switchbacks push your ascent above 11K feet. 

I met a friendly lady on horseback who advised me to watch for a meadow full of purple wildflowers in one of the areas where the pines had died. It was magnificent. She also told me to look out for the famed plane crash site. I was able to find the fuselage on the mountainside using my binoculars. 

Finally, I pushed ahead to the pseudo-summit. I call it this because the true summit is on tribal land and requires permission to hike to. I did find the trail that would have led to the true summit. I expected a warning sign and perhaps a gate. Logs and stones laid across the trail are the only indicator this area is off limits. It wouldn't stop anyone who wanted to just step over it. I opted to respect tribal land, and plus, the summit adds about another mile each way and I was tired. Plus I now had to hike back down seven miles.

I briefly considered going down East Baldy. After all, the sign at the junction indicated it was a couple miles shorter. But linking back to the West Baldy lot where I was parked would add more mileage. I opted to return the way I came. 

Shortly after beginning my descent, the cloudy skies began to rumble. And rumble some more. The first thunderstorm popped up and dropped some rain. The rain-cooled air actually felt pretty good. I met other hikers still on their ascent. I was surprised how most of them seemed unfazed by the afternoon weather. Meanwhile, I was hustling to get to lower elevation. 

That first storm blew through and clear skies returned. I continued on my descent, but as I came within a couple miles of the trailhead, mother nature unleashed again. Loud thunder and hail came with this one. Thankfully the hail was just an annoyance and not dangerous. I still got a good soaking. Other hikers were laughing and joking about it. I wish I could be so nonchalant, but I hate getting caught in thunderstorms. 

When I originally researched this hike, West Baldy looked more scenic to me. But now that I've seen it in person, you can bet I'll be back to do East Baldy. With a little more research and planning, I might have done both as a loop, but at the same time I look forward to returning to this beautiful area.