Mileage: 7 miles RT to lakes, 9.4 miles to Bald Mountain
Gain/Highest: 1,100ft/4200ft (lakes), 4623ft to Bald Mountain above
Map: Green Trails Silverton No. 110 and Index No. 142
Favorite Eats After Hike: LJs Bistro & Bar, Mirkwood Public House, Creekside Ale House, Glorybucha Microbrewery, River Time Brewing, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty please.
My Hikes:
11/8/2015
This was my second time on this trail, last fall we bailed before making it all the way up to Bald Mountain too. There is a tree over the road about 1.3 miles before the trailhead, so you have to hoof it in from there. Just like last time, most of the trail is a river of water rolling over rocks and roots as it makes its way below Mallardy Ridge and up into the maze of tarns at 3500 feet.
As always, the many boot paths through the tarns will keep you on your toes. The general direction is to the west and up another six hundred feet to where the Cutthroat Lakes nest below Bald Mountain.
The snow started when I got to the upper Cutthroat Lake, but I was determined to make it up to the Bald Mountain East Peak so I put on rain gear and continued. There was about 3-4 inches of snow at the top of the ridge and I turned around there.
11/2014
The first time I went to Cutthroat Lakes Via Walt Bailey was with my mom on a frozen fall day. There were not a lot of other people but I remember there being a Mountaineers hiking group on the trail that day. Mostly because they talked about being in the Mountaineers and then proceeded to take a snack break by sitting in the middle of the trail blocking it and left one of their group far behind when he hurt himself.
Anyway, the trail was filled with rocks and roots and so much water. We eventually made it up to the tarns area and followed a boot path around to the right and up again to make it to Cutthroat Lakes. We continued around on the far side of the lakes and began up the trail to the saddle below Baldy but at this point my mom had really slowed her pace and we only had so much time to we turned around before making it.
Directions: Follow the Mountain Loop Highway east for 7 miles past the Verlot Service Center and turn right onto Forest Road 4030, just before crossing the large red bridge. Continue up this road for 1.4 miles. Arrive at a fork in the road, and turn right for FR 4032. Continue along this road for about 5.5 miles to the end of the road. Parking is limited here, with space for only about two or three cars.
Click here for more hikes along the Mountain Loop HWY.
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