Baldy Peak via Bar Canyon

Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, NM Chihuahuan Desert

Trip stats

Distance
5.9 mi
Net Gain
2,900 ft
Time
4-6 hrs
YDS Rating
Class 2
Route
Out/Back
Peaks
1

Ratings out of 10

Effort
4.1/10
Personality
6/10
Beauty
7/10
Solitude
3.8/10
What do these mean? →

Peaks on this hike

Summits listed in route order

  1. Baldy Peak
    8,445′ elevation · N/A prominence

Route map + Trailhead

Trailhead Coordinates

32.304561, -106.593541

The directions link below drops a pin on the trailhead coordinates and lets Google Maps pick the route. If the drive has rough roads or access issues that GPS nav might get wrong, I cover that in my trip report.

Trip report

Oct 5, 2018 — Although it's one of the taller peaks in the Organ Mountains, Baldy Peak isn't technical compared to what you'd expect to see from observing the Organ Mountains from below. It's separated from the jagged peaks of the northern Organs, but is super pretty and gives you some great views the whole way up.

Starting at the Soledad Canyon Day Use Trailhead, the junction of Soledad Canyon and Bar Canyon, and head up the flat and well-maintained trail past some ruins and into Bar Canyon, where you'll be stopped by Bar Canyon Waterfall (Google Maps has them labeled improperly as of 10/2018). Apparently there's a Class 2 route to get up and over the falls and into the canyon bed, but I didn't know this and instead did some Class 4 moves to get up the waterfall. Either way, you should end up back in the canyon where there is some minor bushwhacking, but nothing too annoying. The canyon opens up and enters a wide area. The beta I read recommended going up the canyon where you can scramble up a scree field. I love avoiding scree when I can, and opted to head up the ridge to the right of the canyon (south side). I came down the scree field on my way back down later (see map), and definitely recommend using the ridge rather than the "standard" route up: you get nicer views and avoid scree and bushwhacking.

From the ridge at the top of the scree gully (the head of Bar Canyon), continue along a Class 2 ridgeline to get to the summit of Baldy Peak. You can see Organ Peak to the north, as well as the more jagged Organ Needle farther north. I was also pretty inspired to bag more of these peaks by looking south toward the southern Organ Mountains.

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Photos

28 photos

  1. Starting from the Soledad Canyon Day use Area, head up the well-traveled trail into Bar Canyon.
  2. Ruins along the Bar Canyon Trail.
  3. Entering some narrows just before Bar Canyon Waterfall.
  4. Waterfall. Fun Class 4 scrambling to get up via the waterfall, but apparently there is a Class 2 route to avoid the sketchy waterfall scramble.
  5. Looking down from the top of the first set of falls.
  6. Narrow section above the first set of falls before starting the sketchiest stuff.
  7. The top of the falls looking down into the narrows of Bar Canyon.
  8. Continuing up the canyon.
  9. Bar Canyon opens up. You can see the screen field in the center (standard route, but it's dumb), and the more pleasant ridgeline on the right.
  10. I opted to take the ridgeline on the way up.
  11. Looking back into Bar Canyon on the way up the ridgeline.
  12. Still along the ridgeline, you can see the scree on the left.
  13. At the top of the ridgeline, looking north toward Baldy Peak (white blip in the center).
  14. Looking south toward another peak, Bar Canyon on the right.
  15. Heading up the ridge to Baldy Peak.
  16. On the way up to Baldy Peak looking back toward the ridgeline, Bar Canyon on the right out of frame.
  17. Baldy peak on the right.
  18. Ridgeline I came up on on the right, southern Organ Mountains on the left.
  19. Close-up into Bar Canyon.
  20. Approaching Baldy Peak summit.
  21. Baldy Peak summit, looking east toward Organ Peak.
  22. Baldy Peak summit looking north toward the northern organs (Organ Needle).
  23. Baldy Peak summit looking south toward the ridgeline I came up.

Photo 1 of 1

Hire me or show some love!

Hire or refer me as a web developer, or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so it's funded by yours truly. It also takes a ton of work to edit photos and write these reports. I really appreciate it!