West Baldi Trail 96 - East Baldi Trail 95 and Crossover Trail
This is perhaps the most picturesque tropic system in the White Mountains. I usually travel around the city a dozen times a year. I like to start along the river and climb over the valleys to greet the 100 km mountain views. Wildlife is fantastic and trails are available for 9 months of the year.
Directions: There are many ways to access the heads of the trail. From Eagar, AZ, take the US260 west of the Great Lake Crossing (County Road 261), follow until you intersect County Road 273 (Forest Road 113), turn right (west), past the Lake Lake stop, you first exit East Baldi number 95, continue for less than 3 miles, and you will arrive at a new bridge known as the "Crossing the Sheep." This is an unofficial route for West Baldi Trail No. 96, turn south and walk along the old bridge to the park. However, if you continue to the west for another 1/4 mile, the official path “West Baldi Trail No. 96” will begin. From Greer, AZ, take Northwoods Road to County Road 273, turn left (east), and after a couple of miles you will come to a new western star West Baldi # 96 before the Sheep Pass. From Alpina, Arizona, drive to 249 Forest Road (William Valley Road) west to the Great Lake, you will cross the 273 County Road after entering Big Lake, turn left (west) and go to Ovches Crossing or up 1/4 mile hill to the fact that the western tribe "Broddy" No. 96 "trail-head" has a primary room for rest, there is no water.
If you are going to go hiking in the 18-kilometer-long Baldi-Super-Loop Bay, I highly recommend that you begin your trek at the Sheeps Crossing. N3357.590 & W10939.495 & nbsp; - Elevation 9185. Get access to the head of the trail from the Sheep crossing the West Baldi Trail No. 96, or from the actual West Trail West, west of the Cross of Sheep. The reason is that you will keep your feet dry until the very end of the trek. However, there is now a rudimentary bridge across the West Fork of the Small River CO, which can be used for the crossover trail - two ponderosas are divided in half and installed into place. From the Sheep Cross, just head south along the path and you will come to the gate. This gate means West Baldy Trailhead’s “old” parking area. Go through the gate and turn left along the trail. If you follow the trail to the right, you will be taken back to the real trail for West Baldi Trail No. 96. After a quarter mile or so, you will come to a sign saying that Phelps Cabin is 3.25 miles - this is Western Baldi Crossover Trail and Phelps Cabin was torn down by the Forest Service several years ago. Continuing south along the main trail, you will be seen in the wide open valley with the West Fork of the Little Colorado River as your companion for several miles. Trout fishing was good, but the game “Gambling and fish” poisoned the whole trout ... apparently to create a habitat for the native Apache Trout, but there seems to be no living creatures - a very tangled approach to wildlife management !!
After an hour or so of a busy, fairly high level of trekking, you will cross a small bridge and begin your ascent of Mount Baldi to the southeast. At this place there is a pleasant recreation area with a large rock and beautiful views. The ascent will be sharply reduced by a couple of miles when you negotiate a series of switchings. This is the strongest campaign on the Super Loop. The trail is well worn and the route search should not be a problem. After the last turn, you will “reach the top” at a height of about 11,000. At this stage, you are about 1.5 miles from the border pole of the reservation. This section of the trail is unique because you are traveling at a fairly high level of about 11,000. The borderline pole is located in a small clearing and is the intersection of West Baldi Trail 96 and East Baldi Trail 95. N3355.015 & W 10933.965 & # 39 ; - 11,195 heights. If you made it this far, you just climbed a little more than the 2000s in a vertical height! You can turn around and go back along the West Baldi Trail, but I recommend to continue your hike on East Baldy Trail 95.
East Baldi Trail number 95, in my opinion, the more picturesque of the two paths. It does not have such a high level of use as the West Baldy Trail and offers fantastic panoramic views. In addition, you are less than half a mile from the wreckage of the plane from the border booking pole, which adds a bit of mystery to your trip. The aircraft is easy to detect if the vegetation is not too heavy. You will come to a clearing with a lot of rockfalls. This is a simple place to memorize, as you will be very careful to put your feet to avoid twisting the ankle on irregular rocks. On the opposite side of the stone massif you will see south to the mountain, and you will see the wing and fuselage of an older model aircraft. Your descent will lead you through a small bridge stream, and then a few switches - you will roll along a fairly level path. After a mile or so, the trail will turn 90 degrees east and before you become a scenic vista. Take a few minutes to climb to the top of the worldview, and you will look over a hundred miles northwest to Flagstaff and the mountains. Humphreys, the painted desert to the north, even Mount Escondido to the northeast, near Kemado, New Mexico.
By lifting the trail again, you will go down several transitions and the trail will turn to the north. After a mile or so, you will come across an open area of smooth volcanic rock for 200 yards or so. This is a great place for rest and recreation. It looks amazing, and the dark stone feels great on your bare feet - as a rule, and from the wind! If you are not ready to rest, you are only a mile from the best picnic area I found in the White Mountains. N3355.535 & W10931.175 & nbsp; - height 10,170. The area consists of pyroclastic volcanic rocks, and there are numerous hoodoos (irregular cushions of stone - also my golden retriever). This is a fantastic place with a jaw that lowers the panorama and a lot of “butts” to sit down and relax. As soon as you descend and go through the hoodoos, you will find yourself in a heavily forested area. Drainage for the East Fork Little River Colorado will be on your right (south). The trail will fly a mile through the forest and then open in the valley itself. After another short stroll along the river, you will find yourself on the route for East Baldi Trail 95 and Galbadon camping less than 1/4 mile from the northeast.
East Baldi Trail 95 has a new car park, which can be accessed by any vehicle - N3355.800 & W10929.500 & # 39; - elevation 9480. I traveled a lot on this road in the winter months at 4x4 - the roads are not supported in winter, so be careful. When you pass through the gate to the trail, the crossover path will be on your right (west). Crossover Trail itself is a great place for hiking. The trail is just over 3 miles from the intersection of the sheep and curls up and over several small “round tops” and then throws you into several beautiful meadows. These meadows are usually full of moose! Despite the fact that the Sheeps Crossing Trailhead is lower than the Trail # 95 head - the Trail Crossover will give you some heart pumps in the mountains in the frame of your Super Loop Hike beer. The trail will drain into the sewer for several hundred feet before you arrive at the West Fork of the Little Colorado River. Sometimes there are log bridges for logs, but their routing is washed away - there is currently one in place. However, if there is no bridge, it is best to grab a branch and give it the best jump over a small stream - or just jump and wade across, usually water is no more than 18 inches. Do not ruin your day at this moment, as you are less than half a mile from your original trophy at the Sheeps Crossing junction and 1.3 miles from the actual head of West Baldy # 96.
Mount Baldi A super loop is usually a 6-8 hour trip ... my best time is 5 hours, really ungulates. Remember to pack rain jackets in the summer months and always wear layered nylon outerwear. The region is characterized by a 30-degree temperature swing. To accurately follow the UTM provided by the GPS, configure the GPS on the WGS84 database.
Author's Note: Super Loop Mount Baldy received low damage in some areas due to 538,000 acres of Wallow Fire (summer 2010). Currently, most species are a burnt mosaic. It was the largest wildfire in Arizona history, burning 850 square miles. The author lost his home and two businesses because of the irresponsibility and negligence of the Apache National Forest Management Team. Thousands of lives were affected and the government did not provide economic assistance in the area. The author now lives 300 miles from the Grand Canyon South Territory.
