Find Nearby Peaks

This peak is not in the book. Published November 2019

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Mount Baldy is one of three ranked summits at the northernmost tip of the Caribou Range. The other two peaks are a bit higher and reside to the northeast. Mount Baldy sits above the upper reaches of Antelope Creek. The easiest ascent route is via FST-166/Antelope Creek Trail and the southeast shoulder. USGS Point Lookout

Northeast Shoulder/North Ridge, Class 2

Access

Antelope Creek Road/FSR-037 is located 13.0 miles north of the Swan Valley junction (of US-26 and ID-31) and 24.4 miles east of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest Office in Idaho Falls. It is signed with a simple street sign and heads due south from US-26. Reset your odometer at the base of Antelope Creek Road.

At 3.1 miles, go left at a junction. At 6.1 miles, go straight at a junction. At 6.9 miles, reach the Caribou National Forest Boundary and a cattle gate. There is a shaded campsite to the left here and a large parking area. At 7.7 miles, reach a small trailhead parking area along Antelope Creek. Park here (6,387 feet). FST-167 (an ATV/MC trail) continues up Antelope Creek from here.

The Climb

From the Antelope Creek trailhead parking area, bushwhack west up a steep scrub slope, staying close to the edge of the forest. At some points, it’s best to be slightly IN the forest when the terrain is a little less steep and the brush is a bit thinner. Reach a flat area at the east end of a ridge at Point 6789. This is the east edge of the northeast shoulder. From here, you can see two ridge humps to the southwest on the summit ridge of Mount Baldy. The first one is completely bald (Point 7208). The second one is forested on its north side and, ironically, is Mount Baldy. It does not appear to be BALD from here.

Meander west through thick brush using a cattle/game trail to help. The shoulder soon bends left/southwest. Continue up the brushy terrain (with scattered pines nearby) to approach Point 7208. Hike briefly on an old jeep road (not shown on maps) to reach the west side of Point 7208. Leave the road to scramble up short scrub to the top of cairned Point 7208. You have reached the north ridge of Mount Baldy. Follow the ridge south to a saddle, finding an old jeep road there.

Follow the jeep road briefly. Regrettably, it ends at the south end of the saddle. From the end of the road, follow a cattle trail south up the ridge crest. The terrain is now thick brush and scattered pines. Bushwhack up through a short patch of thick pines (no trails here) to reach the summit of Mount Baldy. The summit is open on its south slope but is densely forested with pines on its north side.

East Shoulder/East Face, Class 2

Access

Same as for the northeast shoulder/north ridge

The Descent

From the summit, descend east down a poorly-defined ridge with an obvious gully on its left/north side. The terrain is initially thick scrub. The terrain morphs into a mix of scrub and scattered pines and then becomes pure forest. To remain in open terrain as long as possible, descend right/southeast to find a cattle trail in a dry gully. Follow the cattle trail down the gully to quickly reach Antelope Creek Trail (FST-166), which is actually an old jeep road. You must jump Antelope Creek (a small stream) to finally climb up onto the awaiting road. Descend FST-166 to its genesis at an unmarked “T” junction where it meets FST-167. Go left onto FST-167 and follow that old road briefly back to the trailhead parking area.