Hi fellow hikers! Welcome to my article on Mount Baldy via Register Ridge. My name is Bianca and I am from New York State. Whenever I tell people where I am from, they immediately think that I am talking about the city. But where I grew up, New York looked a lot different than the tall buildings of Manhattan. I am from Upstate and close to the Adirondacks.
If you haven’t heard of the Adirondacks, it is a vast area comprising many hiking trails, lakes and mountains. Growing up, we used to go there all of the time. I loved being outside and exploring everything that it had to offer.
As I got older, I began traveling with my best friend. My first road trip to the west coast is what got me hooked on traveling. I couldn’t believe that the US had so many different sceneries. I was just so used to what we had on the east coast that I assumed I would need to travel to another country to see views like I did in California or Washington. How wrong I was!
The mountains on the west coast were huge compared to what I was used to. We hiked up to glacial lakes, walked through canyons and climbed sand dunes. I knew right then and there that this was going to be a way of life.
Inspiration to Hike Up Mount Baldy
When I moved to Vegas, I knew that I needed to find some hiking friends in the area. I decided to join a local hiking group on Facebook. There were constant events being posted and one of the events was for Mount Baldy.
We were all ready to go, but the weather didn’t work in our favor. We were bummed that we couldn’t go but decided on another peak instead. A few months later, I contacted a friend to see if he had any hikes planned for the weekend and what do you know – he was heading up Mount Baldy!
I was ecstatic and decided to take the four-hour drive from Vegas to meet up with him for the climb. We completed the hike on May 1st of this year. The weather was nice when we started. The snow was pretty much all melted by this point except for a few spots up top, which was quite cool.
As we started to ascend up Mount Baldy, the wind picked up since we were at such a high elevation. I wasn’t prepared for that part and was so grateful that my friend brought an extra pair of gloves. They were much needed!
Mount Baldy via Register Ridge
We hiked Mount Baldy via Register Ridge. This is considered the more difficult climb up Baldy because the elevation gain is spread over a shorter mileage compared to the other route. Instead of stopping at Mount Baldy, we decided to do a hat-trick and hit Mount Harwood and West Baldy too.
The hike was beautiful. Coming from Las Vegas, it is always great to travel to California and see all of the greenery and landscapes. The trail to Mount Baldy via Register Ridge was rocky and steep with patches of snow up top.
My favorite part of the hike was definitely hitting the peak at Mount Baldy. I was with a group of dancers and it is their tradition to dance when they make it to the top. It was a fun celebration to watch and join in on! I also got to see my first sun halo on this hike as well, which was pretty awesome.
The view at the top was amazing. You can see mountains upon mountains in the distance! It is always an accomplishment when I hit a new peak. The feeling I get on top of the mountains is what keeps me coming back.
Need to Know Before you Go
As mentioned, we did take the hardest route up Mount Baldy. I would say this route is not for the casual hiker. It is a leg burner and cardio workout for sure! Although it was only 8 miles round trip, the elevation gain was 4,000 ft. – so you are gaining about 1,000 ft. per mile. Just keep this in mind.
Always practice “leave no trace” principles and hike in a responsible and eco-friendly manner. Whatever you pack in, pack out. Leave the trail the way you found it so that others can experience it in the same way.
Definitely go prepared. Bring water and food. Always take layers. Even if the temperature is nice at the bottom, the peak can be a whole different story. I made the mistake of forgetting gloves and if my friend didn’t have an extra pair, I would have been miserable. Have fun and go at your own pace. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as you make it to the summit!
