Contact Info
3285 11th St.
PO Box 947
Baker City, OR 97814
- Phone:
- 541-523-4476
Basics
- Length:
- 6.5 miles
- Difficulty:
- Difficult
- Time:
- 5 - 6 hours
- Trailhead Elevation:
- 5200 feet
- Elevation Range:
- 5200 feet to 7121 feet
- Elevation Change:
- 1921 feet
- Usage:
- Moderate
- Season:
- Summer to Fall
Description
Baldy Creek Trail lies almost entirely within the North Fork John Day Wilderness, providing access to the remote Baldy Creek drainage country, Baldy Lake, and the open ridges above the Cable Cove area. The trail follows and crosses Baldy Creek many times. It passes spruce, fir, and lodgepole pine forest; grassy openings: and some boggy areas. The old Cal-Pacific power line corridor, installed in the early 1900's is still visible, intersecting the trail about 5 miles from the lower trailhead.
Baldy Lake sits in a serene subalpine basin under Mt. Ireland. The fire lookout on top of the peak can be seen from the lake's north shore. One-quarter mile before Baldy Lake, a trail forks off across the head of the east fork of Baldy Creek up to the end of Forest Road 5540-920 just below Crown Point. For a sweeping view of the historic Cable Cove mining area, take a short walk up the old road which has no public vehicle access.
Parking at the lower trailhead requires a Northwest Forest Pass.
From Forest Road 73 to Baldy Lake the trail is fairly easy with only a few short climbs, but the remaining portion on up to Crown Point is steep and difficult. Wilderness is closed to all motorized and mechanized travel.
Details
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Map + Directions
Basic Directions
From Baker City, Oregon, take U.S. Highway 30 to Haines, turn west on County Road 1146, follow the Elkhorn Drive Scenic Byway signs to Anthony Lakes (32 miles). Continue on this highway (Forest Road 73) to the trailhead, located at approximately 46 miles from Baker City. The upper end of the trail is reached by following State Hwy 7, south of Baker city, to Sumpter turn-off. From Sumpter, follow Forest Road 73 (Elkhorn Scenic Byway), for about 23 miles to Forest Road 7345. Follow 7345 for six miles to the trailhead. Road 7345 is recommended for 4-wheel drive vehicles only.
