Heaton Flat to Baldy summit loop up Big Horn Ridge and down San Antonio Ridge - trip report and photos
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:04 pm
I'm moving to the east coast at the end of the week, so this was my final hike here! ? I had to make it a good one!
Placing the register at West Mermaid and reaching Triplet Rocks were the other hikes I wanted to get in and did in recent weeks, and something on Baldy was going to be my last one. Baldy might be a bit overdone and I've been there plenty of times, but it's place in local hiking made it appropriate for a last trip. The great thing about it is that there are so many possible routes that aren't like the 405 at rush hour, so I figured I'd do one of the harder ones. The original plan was to carry a bunch of beer up and pass it out to random people on the summit just for fun, but as my planned route got harder with each iteration (first North Backbone to Baldy and back, then Heaton to Iron to San Antonio Ridge to Baldy and back) I realized it would be hard enough without 24-36 cans of beer weighing me down. Looking at the map I was reminded of Big Horn Ridge and since it's so rarely visited I figured that would be a good option. A loop is always cooler than an out and back and I'd be solo so I needed a way back to my car anyway. I decided I'd start at Heaton Flat, find a way to Big Horn Ridge, take that to Baldy, then return via San Antonio Ridge and Iron, then back to Heaton. The only other trip report I've found was Ze's from 2009, so information is obviously a bit limited, but I knew if I found a way to BHR the rest would be fine. The unknown part was just how to get to the ridge from Heaton Flat, since Ze did it from the east side of the ridge and I'd be coming from the west. Thanks to Dima's mine exploration I knew it would be pretty easy to get to Coldwater Canyon from Heaton. The western slope of BHR in that area is heavily vegetated, so my plan was to hopefully take a random gully that would hopefully be brush free and just follow that up to the ridge, the same way Dima and I reached the ridge below Triplets last week. If that didn't work, I'd just try and figure something out while there.
I left Heaton Flat right at 6am and began the climb, I was moving slower than I hoped but eventually reached the junction with the old trail at 8am. The trail is crowded with brush and washed out in places, but easy to follow. I was very appreciative of Dima's work cutting back the yucca along the way! After passing Widman Ranch I eventually reached a point where it was so washed out and steep it was pretty sketchy, but when I looked back behind me I saw the old rope tied there and realized this was the spot to drop into Coldwater Canyon. The area is shady and pleasant, with steady flow in the stream. I had originally intended to follow the canyon up past the bend and take one of the gullies there, but pretty quickly I saw a very minor one that looked viable and decided to just start heading up there and see what happened. It ended up not continuing very far, but luckily all those small trees (scrub oak I think?) actually do a great job of shading the ground to prevent much plant growth at ground level. As a result the ground is covered in a somewhat slippery layer of dead leaves, but has almost no other vegetation to get tangled up in. Once my little gully ended I basically just went straight up the slope, dodging between the trunks. There were a few rocky spots, I slipped a little here and there on the steep and loose slope, and had to make some minor adjustments around denser patches of vegetation, but there were no significant obstacles overall. It certainly took a fair bit of energy, but I eventually made it to Big Horn Ridge at point 6388 without much trouble. From reading Ze's description of getting there from Cattle Canyon I think this approach is easier due to lower vegetation density.
Once on the ridge I took a break and saw a helicopter flying around the summit of Baldy. I wondered if there was a rescue operation, but from what I saw it didn't seem stop long enough to pick anyone up and I don't see anything in the news today. From 6388 the climb up to Baldy is long and steep, but very straightforward. You can generally stay very close to the top of the ridge, occasionally dropping a little below on the west side to avoid some tricky spots or areas of dense vegetation. The eastern side is generally too steep and should be avoided. At times you have drop down a bit to cross some pretty steep slopes and then go back up to the ridge again, but overall it isn't too bad. At least with the line I took I rarely encountered anything more than steep class 2 terrain, as long as you stay away from the eastern side the exposure is very limited. There are very old saw cuts on some trees and large shrubs along the ridge and I saw a small cairn on point 7245, but saw no recent signs of people. Ze posted a picture of one of the old metal triangle signs at 6388, I didn't see it but wasn't specifically looking. There are frequent game trails that are often on or just below the ridge line that were helpful in places. Other than that you just keep going up, with the vegetation gradually thinning as you gain elevation, with nice views of the neighboring ridges and peaks. Once on the ridge it's basically the same terrain and conditions as the Bear Canyon trail on the next ridge over, except without the whole trail part.
I eventually got to the end of Big Horn Ridge at point 9425 and rejoined the trail, following it to the Baldy summit. There were three female bighorn right along the ridge which was nice because I hadn't seen any in quite a while. The summit was a zoo as expected at 3pm on a Saturday, so I tagged the sign then went 100 yards west along the ridge to watch the sheep that were still there and enjoy my summit beer (I didn't bring any to share, but didn't deprive myself!) and food in peace. While doing this a glider flew over the ridge, which was kind of neat. After a nice break I passed over West Baldy and started down San Antonio Ridge. While this isn't an official trail, it seems more worn in than the last time I was there, with more (and sometimes excessive) cairns along the way. The main use trail along the ridge fades a bit at the halfway point and I ended up wading in pointy bushes a couple times, but overall it's pretty easy to follow. The scrambling at Gunsight Notch and beyond definitely requires care and attention, but I had already been there three times before, so it went smoothly, reaching the summit of Iron at 7pm. The descent from Iron after a long day is always a bit of a slog, but was uneventful besides stirring up a rattlesnake in the bushes just off the trail. I got back to my car at Heaton Flat at 10:20pm, very satisfied with the trip!
Stats: 16 hours and 20 minutes, 22.8 miles, 9,800ft gain/loss.
Trash found and packed out: Two water bolttles, one food wrapper, ~15 balloons.
Placing the register at West Mermaid and reaching Triplet Rocks were the other hikes I wanted to get in and did in recent weeks, and something on Baldy was going to be my last one. Baldy might be a bit overdone and I've been there plenty of times, but it's place in local hiking made it appropriate for a last trip. The great thing about it is that there are so many possible routes that aren't like the 405 at rush hour, so I figured I'd do one of the harder ones. The original plan was to carry a bunch of beer up and pass it out to random people on the summit just for fun, but as my planned route got harder with each iteration (first North Backbone to Baldy and back, then Heaton to Iron to San Antonio Ridge to Baldy and back) I realized it would be hard enough without 24-36 cans of beer weighing me down. Looking at the map I was reminded of Big Horn Ridge and since it's so rarely visited I figured that would be a good option. A loop is always cooler than an out and back and I'd be solo so I needed a way back to my car anyway. I decided I'd start at Heaton Flat, find a way to Big Horn Ridge, take that to Baldy, then return via San Antonio Ridge and Iron, then back to Heaton. The only other trip report I've found was Ze's from 2009, so information is obviously a bit limited, but I knew if I found a way to BHR the rest would be fine. The unknown part was just how to get to the ridge from Heaton Flat, since Ze did it from the east side of the ridge and I'd be coming from the west. Thanks to Dima's mine exploration I knew it would be pretty easy to get to Coldwater Canyon from Heaton. The western slope of BHR in that area is heavily vegetated, so my plan was to hopefully take a random gully that would hopefully be brush free and just follow that up to the ridge, the same way Dima and I reached the ridge below Triplets last week. If that didn't work, I'd just try and figure something out while there.
I left Heaton Flat right at 6am and began the climb, I was moving slower than I hoped but eventually reached the junction with the old trail at 8am. The trail is crowded with brush and washed out in places, but easy to follow. I was very appreciative of Dima's work cutting back the yucca along the way! After passing Widman Ranch I eventually reached a point where it was so washed out and steep it was pretty sketchy, but when I looked back behind me I saw the old rope tied there and realized this was the spot to drop into Coldwater Canyon. The area is shady and pleasant, with steady flow in the stream. I had originally intended to follow the canyon up past the bend and take one of the gullies there, but pretty quickly I saw a very minor one that looked viable and decided to just start heading up there and see what happened. It ended up not continuing very far, but luckily all those small trees (scrub oak I think?) actually do a great job of shading the ground to prevent much plant growth at ground level. As a result the ground is covered in a somewhat slippery layer of dead leaves, but has almost no other vegetation to get tangled up in. Once my little gully ended I basically just went straight up the slope, dodging between the trunks. There were a few rocky spots, I slipped a little here and there on the steep and loose slope, and had to make some minor adjustments around denser patches of vegetation, but there were no significant obstacles overall. It certainly took a fair bit of energy, but I eventually made it to Big Horn Ridge at point 6388 without much trouble. From reading Ze's description of getting there from Cattle Canyon I think this approach is easier due to lower vegetation density.
Once on the ridge I took a break and saw a helicopter flying around the summit of Baldy. I wondered if there was a rescue operation, but from what I saw it didn't seem stop long enough to pick anyone up and I don't see anything in the news today. From 6388 the climb up to Baldy is long and steep, but very straightforward. You can generally stay very close to the top of the ridge, occasionally dropping a little below on the west side to avoid some tricky spots or areas of dense vegetation. The eastern side is generally too steep and should be avoided. At times you have drop down a bit to cross some pretty steep slopes and then go back up to the ridge again, but overall it isn't too bad. At least with the line I took I rarely encountered anything more than steep class 2 terrain, as long as you stay away from the eastern side the exposure is very limited. There are very old saw cuts on some trees and large shrubs along the ridge and I saw a small cairn on point 7245, but saw no recent signs of people. Ze posted a picture of one of the old metal triangle signs at 6388, I didn't see it but wasn't specifically looking. There are frequent game trails that are often on or just below the ridge line that were helpful in places. Other than that you just keep going up, with the vegetation gradually thinning as you gain elevation, with nice views of the neighboring ridges and peaks. Once on the ridge it's basically the same terrain and conditions as the Bear Canyon trail on the next ridge over, except without the whole trail part.
I eventually got to the end of Big Horn Ridge at point 9425 and rejoined the trail, following it to the Baldy summit. There were three female bighorn right along the ridge which was nice because I hadn't seen any in quite a while. The summit was a zoo as expected at 3pm on a Saturday, so I tagged the sign then went 100 yards west along the ridge to watch the sheep that were still there and enjoy my summit beer (I didn't bring any to share, but didn't deprive myself!) and food in peace. While doing this a glider flew over the ridge, which was kind of neat. After a nice break I passed over West Baldy and started down San Antonio Ridge. While this isn't an official trail, it seems more worn in than the last time I was there, with more (and sometimes excessive) cairns along the way. The main use trail along the ridge fades a bit at the halfway point and I ended up wading in pointy bushes a couple times, but overall it's pretty easy to follow. The scrambling at Gunsight Notch and beyond definitely requires care and attention, but I had already been there three times before, so it went smoothly, reaching the summit of Iron at 7pm. The descent from Iron after a long day is always a bit of a slog, but was uneventful besides stirring up a rattlesnake in the bushes just off the trail. I got back to my car at Heaton Flat at 10:20pm, very satisfied with the trip!
Stats: 16 hours and 20 minutes, 22.8 miles, 9,800ft gain/loss.
Trash found and packed out: Two water bolttles, one food wrapper, ~15 balloons.