Bald Mountain

After a day full of surfing the web for jobs, writing cover letters, and making phone calls, I needed to head out for a break from sitting and staring at a computer screen. So I headed up Sunshine Canyon to check out the small Boulder County recreation area of Bald Mountain.

The summit of (mostly) Bald Mountain.

The 7,160-foot Bald Mountain summit is in fact pretty bald, but there are also plenty of scattered ponderosa pines, shrubs, and wildflowers throughout the open space. There are several factors keeping Bald Mountain bald. Strong winds (sometimes exceeding 100 mph) are a big factor, as they create an unstable environment which makes it hard for young tree seedlings. If a seedling does manage to take root, then it must compete for water which is scarce because the mountain is too high for heavy rainfall and too low to accumulate snow. And to top it off, the soil is poor and has insufficient nutrients to sustain lots of plants.

The property became Boulder County's first park in 1973. Before that it was used by pioneers and locals for livestock grazing, mining, and logging. An old livestock loading corral and chute still stands today near the entrance. (I noticed it, but didn't take a photo.)

The trail is a short 1.5 mile lollypop loop that takes you over the summit and then around the west, north, and east sides of the mountain. There are great views of the eastern plains and Denver, as well as the peaks of the Continental Divide.

The trail approaches the summit.

I did the loop in both directions, making a very pleasant 2.5 mile walk. The whole time I could hear the activity of hundreds of birds searching for food in the trees. Part of the mountain was burned during the huge Four Mile Fire in 2010, so there are plenty of charred trees littering the landscape, many of which have been cut down by Boulder County Open Space. Lots of hairy woodpeckers were tapping away at the blackened trunks.

Some un-felled burnt pines.

At the top, I caught a glimpse of several of the distinctive Albert's Squirrels climbing trees. But the most interesting wildlife activity was dozens of what I'm guessing were some kind of nuthatch, flying busily about, picking seeds out from pine cones, and then holding them at the end of their beaks and rapping them against the branches to crack them open.

Brush reclaims the hillside.

Biking (as well as horseback riding, though there is no trailer parking) is allowed on the trail, but there were no tracks. This isn't surprising, as no cyclist in their right mind would drive up the canyon to ride something so short. However, I do have a slight itch to ride up to the trail from my house, do a lap in each direction, and cruise back down the road for a ride of about 10 miles.

Views to the east, with metro Denver and even DIA visible.

It was certainly a very pleasant little walk but nothing too special. I'm glad I finally checked it out, but I doubt I'll be back too soon, especially since I have the Mount Sanitas trails a stone's throw away from my place for when I want an easily accessible short walk just to move around a little.