Ketchum, Idaho.
Just as Zermatt has its Matterhorn, so Ketchum has its Bald Mountain.
While the hike up Baldy is far different from its Alpine counterpart, both summits are readily accessible from the resort villages at their base. From anywhere in Ketchum, or Sun Valley for that matter, the base of Baldy is within walking distance. And from there the summit is only about five miles and 3,400 feet of elevation gain away.
Baldy is best known for its skiing, of course, but increasing numbers of summertime visitors are discovering its wildflower-laden slopes and fir forests. Managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management, the mountain is open to the public without charge, although access to some areas is restricted during ski area construction.
For many years hikers and mountain bikers have used the Sun Valley Company’s access roads to climb the mountain. But now, after four years of trail re-construction by Forest Service and BLM crews, a completely separate Bald Mountain Trail is open and ready for travel. The trailhead is located on the River Run side of the mountain near Sun Valley Co.'s ski lift. A bridge crosses the Big Wood River near the resort's parking lot and is closed to unauthorized vehicles, but hikers are free to scramble through the security gate onto public land on the west bank.
A sign near the River Run lift points the way to the trailhead, which is marked by a kiosk with a map and some history of the trail. The first mile-and-a-half of the trail climbing up to an overlook platform is the most heavily used, as trail runners, horseback riders and mountain bikers join many day hikers on a quick 3-mile round trip.
Running parallel with the Big Wood for much of the way, the path crosses talus slopes populated with mouse-like pikas and passes through stands of Douglas fir busy with squirrels and chipmunks. Tall stalks of paintbrush and low-lying monkeyflowers color the hillsides. When it reaches Frenchman's Gulch, the first gulch north of River Run, the trail begins its winding climb to the overlook. Here the trail follows portions of an old skid road used by loggers more than a century ago who felled trees for railroad ties. The skid road was extended to the top of the mountain early in this century for pack trains servicing a Forest Service lookout at the summit.
By the late 1940s, when motorized vehicles replaced pack the trains, the Bald Mountain Trail fell into disuse. Broken up by Sun Valley Co. ski runs, it was all but forgotten until a joint effort by the resort, the BLM, the Forest Service, and local community interests was started in 1988 to reopen a non-motorized route to the summit.
At the overlook, a wooden viewing platform perching dramatically on a south-facing promontory, travelers pause to take in the scenery. The Pioneer Range rises due east with the pyramid-shaped Hyndman Peak poking above the horizon. Below, the tree-lined river winds through a rolling valley layered with expensive condominiums and resort developments. The famous Sun Valley Lodge is visible at the mouth of Trail Creek Canyon and the streets of Ketchum, bestudded with some landmark buildings, spread out below. Red-tailed hawks and golden eagles linger on the updrafts in Frenchman's Gulch, often rising at eye level to the overlook.
Beyond the overlook, the trail is sparsely traveled. It climbs through forests weakened by a pine beetle infestation, their needles red and brown. Western tanagers and Mountain bluebirds make brilliant darts of color through the still air and Downy woodpeckers break the silence with their staccato drumming. Gaining elevation steadily, the trail crosses a succession of ski runs -- Graduate, Lower College, Flying Squirrel, Upper River Run, Limelight -- that become broad meadows laced with wildflowers in the summer. Lupine, yarrow, wild phlox, goldenrod, blue asters and scarlet gilia decorate grassy slopes thick with tiny finches and thirsty hummingbirds. Deer and elk frequent these meadows and an occasional porcupine can be spotted at the forest edges, grazing somnolently on young aspen suckers.
Two-thirds of the way up the trail, near Mid-College Run, is a drinking station dedicated to the late Louis Samuel Stur (1924-1989), "Mountaineer, Gentleman and Ambassador of Sun Valley," according to the dedication plaque. The water fountain at the site serves not only human trail users, but includes a run-off fountain for thirsty pets and a trough for wildlife. Shaded and quiet, it makes a lovely rest stop on the climb to the summit or a 7-mile round-trip destination for the less adventurous.
The final mile-and-a-half of trail climbs to the Forest Service lookout, constructed in the late 1930s with help from the Civilian Conservation Corps. The stone-and-timber building overlooks the Smoky Mountains to the south and west, the Boulder Mountains and the Sawtooth Range to the north, and the Pioneers to the east.
The descent from Bald Mountain is no comedown. Following the same course, it would be a swifter journey were it not for a succession of expansive and breathtaking vistas that command attention.
How to get there: Bald Mountain Trail is located just a few blocks from downtown Ketchum. At the Main Street intersection with Sun Valley Road at the center of town turn west (away from Sun Valley) and go past the Ketchum Post Office, following the road as it curves south and becomes Third Ave. Five blocks later you will pass the Tyrolean Lodge and enter Sun Valley Co. property. The road leads to a parking area near the Big Wood River and across a bridge from the River Run ski lifts. Cross the bridge on foot or with a bike (no unauthorized vehicles allowed) and look for the directional sign indicating the trailhead. A new kiosk marks the base of the Bald Mountain Trail.
For more information on the trail, contact the BLM in Shoshone at (208) 886-2206 or the Ketchum Ranger District at (208) 622-5371.
