Trip report
Jul 6, 2023 — Baxter Mountain is a short outing, the trail clearly popular for families looking for a hike and offering a quick viewpoint along the way. While not one of my favorites in the area, this hike did work as a nice add-on to nearby Hurricane Mountain. From the trailhead, I walked through the forest on a wide trail, crossed a powerline scar, then followed the initial meandering switchbacking ascent.
After the first half mile of these switchbacks, the trail changed in character quite a bit by narrowing and ascending more steeply to a junction, where a sign marked the direction for Baxter Mountain. Heavily-eroded by years of hikers losing the poorly-marked trail, the slope had splotches of exposed rocks and roots. All obstacles had walk-arounds, but you could add some Class 2 scrambling into the mix. There were blazes nailed to trees, but I often felt some of the social trails along the way were more obvious than the official trail. All options ultimately led back to the proper route.
I reached the false summit of Baxter Mountain, which might be confused for the actual high point since there was a nice overlook to the south and only flat-looking forest in the direction of the true high point. However, the true summit is located a bit farther along the trail, requiring a short dip to a minor saddle and then up to the high point. The views here were nearly nonexistent.