We wanted to get one more camping trip in before winter moved in so we headed up to Bald Mountain (517) near Red Feather Lakes. I have never been on this trail before and I was surprised with the amount of spur roads and primitive camping spots, while we only saw a couple other people the entire time we were there it looks like it would be busy in the summer months. Even though it is being well used it is in very good condition, there is not trash or beer bottles laying around and the signs are not shot up, a good example of responsible forest use. I was with a group of people I work with and we had a mix of trucks, motorcycles and ATV's along for the ride. We arrived mid morning on Saturday and the sun was shinning and it was about 50 degrees it looked like it was going to be a really nice day. We easily found a camp site that would accommodate multiple vehicles. We headed up the road and about 3 miles in the trail starts. The trail is narrow and rocky with heavy tree cover. To our surprise everything on the North face had a couple inches of wet snow on it making the trail a little more challenging. The group was filled with new riders and a new Jeep driver so about a mile or so into the trail they decided that the snow and large rocks were too much for them an that we would head down to 7 mile trail so the kids could ride a little more comfortably. The seven mile trail was definitely a better chose for beginners and my Son enjoyed as we sped over the water bars in the landcruiser. We finished the day up with a potluck dinner and many fine beverages as the weather cooled down and a light dry snow started. A pretty good weekend. The Bald Mountain trail looks like a lot of fun so I will be back next year to see what the rest of it looks like.
