Bald Mountain Loop

Johnson Village, Colorado (Chaffee County)

Last Updated: 06/02/2021
4.5 / 5 ( 13 reviews )
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Information
Nearby Trails
Status: Open
Typically Open: Year Round
Length: 3.9 miles
Highest Elevation: 9576 feet
Duration: About 1 hour
Shape of Trail: Loop
Best Direction to Travel: N/A
Nearest Town: Johnson Village
Nearest Town w/ Services: Johnson Village
Official Road Name: 300B, 300B.1
Management Agency: San Isabel National Forest
District: Salida Ranger District
Showing 0 trails within 2 miles

Highlights

Highlight: Bald Mountain Loop
Bald Mountain Loop (FS Roads 300B and 300B.1) is a spur 4WD road off of Bald Mountain Gulch (FS Road 300) in the Fourmile area of Colorado, southeast of Johnson Village. It provides expansive views of the Arkansas River Basin and Collegiate Peaks. There are many other 4WD roads in the vicinity, so Fourmile is ideal for a weekend excursion of trails, camping, hiking, and fishing. Be sure to include the panoramic Bald Mountain Loop.

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Weather

7 day forecast for Bald Mountain Loop

Route Information

Technical Rating:
( MODERATE )

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Waypoints

1. Trailhead (0 mi)
The trailhead is located approximately two miles north of Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area on FS Road 300, Bald Mountain Gulch.

Directions to Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates: 38.773790, -106.031680

Starting Point: Johnson Village

Direct route: From Johnson Village, travel one-quarter mile east. Take Chaffee County Road 301 heading south. Follow CR 301 and turn left on Chaffee County Road 300 just before intersecting with Highway 285. Follow CR 300 south to its end at the Ruby Mountain Campground, Brown's Canyon National Monument and the Bald Mountain Gulch trailhead. Drive north 2.9 miles on Bald Mountain Gulch to find the trailhead for Bald Mountain Loop. Overland route: Exit Highway 24 to Chaffee County Road 307 approximately 9 miles east of Johnson Village. Proceed one mile and turn onto FS Road 187, Bassam Park Road. Follow Bassam Park Road for another mile to the intersection of FS Road 300, Bald Mountain Gulch. Take Bald Mountain Gulch for approximately 5.5 miles to the Bald Mountain Loop trailhead.

Camping

Dispersed

Trail Reviews (15)

Author:
Ian
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
Fun loop that’s slightly more difficult than most of the other trails in the area. This trail is pretty tight with the possibility of pinstriping from branches. 3+ point turns needed for larger vehicles on the switchbacks. There were a few bighorn sheep at the top which complimented the views of the mountain range.
Author:
Carlo Donzelli
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
Fun trail with a couple of easy rocky obstacles. Beware of the road edges that can get very soft especially after the rain. At waypoint 5 I went too wide and sinked my rear driver tire while turning right to go up the switchback. Great views at the top!
Author:
Nik Verbeck
Official Crew
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Getting to be a little more of a challenge as the years go on with this trail. Over winter there appears to have developed some more deeper washouts and more rocks are getting exposed. Keep an eye out for the outside edges as they are spongy and not stable.
Author:
Reba timothy
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
Beautiful trail. Ran it counter clockwise. Definitely not a lot of places to pass but we luckily didn't run into anyone. Spectacular views, all through the trail...i'd run this again. Didn't get many pics of the trail just some video but I'll add a photo from the top with my dogs for reference + one headed back down.
Author:
Josh S
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
Trail is open and dry. Had it to myself which was nice because there are very few places to pull over on this trail. The whole trail is a narrow shelf road and passing spots are usually 100 yards spread apart.
Author:
Josh S
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
Fun trail with nice views over Buena Vista. All the obstacles are on the east half of the loop. Trail doesnt have many passing spots.
Author:
James Snow
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
I went up this trail just after daylight and by the time I got to the top the sun had just come out. What a gorgeous view. Highly recommend going up if you are in the area. Very fun trail.
Author:
Darryl Johnson
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
Fun trail with some great views. Running it counter clockwise makes it easier to handle the switchbacks for those who are unsure of their ability on shelf roads. The view from the top was amazing, just can get a little windy. Don't forget to play on flex rock at the top for some good photo ops.
Author:
Tracy Barker
Official Crew
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
One of the best trails in the area for valley and mountain views! I met a Jeep at the top, and while we were chatting a small group from Texas arrived. They were with the All-4-Fun event (Mile Hi Jeep Club) going on this week.
Author:
BrianRD
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
I enjoyed this trail, great scenery, moderately challenging in spots
Author:
Neal A. Tew
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
I led a small group here on both 6/28 and 6/29 as part of the Overland Bound Buena Vista June Jam. We ran counter-clockwise both days so we were uphill in the rocky sections. No real difficulties encountered and no traffic on these days! If you'd like to avoid the rocky switchbacks on the east side, just go up and back down on the west side. That would be a left at the fork on the way up. Excellent views! A great place for lunch on good weather days. After this consider going up nearby Little Cottonwood Creek trail. It makes for a fun ride.
Author:
Neal A. Tew
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
We did the loop in counter clockwise direction based on previous reviews. Road was dry and we encountered no difficulties. I was in a stock full-size Chevy along with a mild Tacoma and a built JKU. We.reached the top about noon along with some soft hail or graupel. Excellent views!
Author:
Ryan Boudreau
Official Crew
Status: Impassable
Offroaded on:
Rating:
Deep snow covers most of the trail. A few well built UTVs came down and told us they didn't make it very far. We decided not to try it after that.
Author:
David
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
This was actually a good challenging trail. As mentioned it is narrow and has no passing on the east side of the loop. The switchback at Waypoint 6 has eroded and the rocks are quite a bit more exposed. It did require use of my rear locker. Awesome view at the top of the Collegiate Peaks!
Author:
Todd
Official Crew
Status: Open
Offroaded on:
Rating:
This trail is a lollipop shape with one out and in that loops. We drove the loop counterclockwise to have the advantage of going uphill on the narrow switchbacks. The trail is mostly loose scree, narrow and no passing on the eastern side of the loop. The view at the top is totally worth the drive.

Questions & Answers (0)

Writer Information

Tracy Barker

Mapping Crew - Colorado
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Tracy is an outdoor enthusiast originally from north Alabama. His family moved to central Utah when Tracy was a child, and subsequently to southern Utah, where he fell in love with the Rocky Mountains. His favorite activities are family trail rides and camping with small groups. He started many years ago in his dad's F-150 pickup truck, and subsequently his own 4x4 acquisition, a 1975 Ford Bronco (in 1991).
For individual use only, not to be shared.

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