Baldy Peak (10,603) and Tenderfoot Mountain (8,624) by Brian Schultz Tuesday August 23, 2016

Baldy Peak:

Roundtrip mileage: 6.75 miles from Baldy Peak trailhead
Elevation gain: ~2,300'
Start to finish: 3 hours 55 minutes
Participants: Tim Briese, Brian Schultz

We bailed out on our original plans because of the terrible weather forecast so we set our sights on Baldy Peak. Its lower elevation would increase our odds of making a summit today and it was close to where we were staying in Ridgway. We drove south on Hwy 550 toward Ouray and turned left on CR 14 (marked as CR 871 on the Trails Illustrated map). CR14 turns into CR 14A and is a good road until passing the National Forest sign where it becomes rougher. Mileage from Hwy 550 to the trailhead is 3.7 miles and the last section of the road is 4x4 as it descends steeply before reaching the trailhead.

We began at 7:20 AM and took the shortest trail (Baldy trail) out of several trails marked on the posted trailhead map. This is a great trail although we did veer off the wrong way at a junction, which had the dirt trail going left and a rocky trail going right. The rocky trail is correct way to go. Otherwise, it's straightforward and we reached a trailhead sign where it's obvious to exit the trail to the summit ahead. The meadow ahead didn't have a trail initially but shortly afterward a trail showed up and continued to the summit. We stepped on top at 9:25 and enjoyed the views for twenty minutes.

Stormy weather in the distance appeared to be moving in our direction and it was raining lightly when we returned to my truck. This was a nice fill-in peak, considering the lousy forecast, and Tim and I parted company once we got back to Ridgway.

Tenderfoot Mountain:

Roundtrip mileage: 0.5 miles from gated road
Elevation gain: 50'
Start to finish: 25 minutes

I drove to Gunnison and decided to climb the mountain with the big "W" on it, a mountain that I've driven by many times over the years. The "W" stands for Western State College. I drove a road that came in from the west and when I reached a gated road south of the peak, I passed through and drove north to a locked gate on the east side of the peak. I parked at the locked gate and hiked up the short slope to the top, walked around the possible high points, and departed.