Bald Mountain
Seasons
Checklists
Location
From Pedee drive a mile west and turn right on Pedee Creek Road. In about 2.5 miles take a Left on to Bald Mountain Rd (it may not be labeled) which parallels a small creek. In one mile you reach a gate which is sometimes closed for fire season or for other reasons, but if open, drive 6 miles, mostly uphill to a fork in the road. Take a Left at the fork and shortly you will come to a gate where there is a wide spot to park.
From there you will need to walk 2 miles to the crest of the road where you need to turn right at another gate. This is the road to the top of Bald Mt, and is another mile of steep gravel roads. At the top is a small radar installation and a large field. The view is great and on a clear day you can see the ocean to the west and the Cascade Mountains to the east, and Mary’s Peak to the south.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
Ruffed Grouse, Sooty Grouse and Mountain Quail have been seen along the roads in this area. The whole road can be good for stopping along, and the hike up the road can also be productive with birds such as Hairy Woodpeckers, Red Crossbills, Pine Siskins and Canada Jays. The peak has open grassy habitat and is the area to most likely host rare birds.
While not quite in the same class as Mary’s Peak, it should have some of the potential as what has been seen there. So far the only rare birds have been Cassin’s Finch, Gray-crowned Rosy Finch and Townsend’s Solitaire, so a few more trips there may yet yield other birds of interest (with things like Clark’s Nutcracker, Mountain Chickadee or Snow Bunting all possible). Sooty Grouse has been found in the spruce forest near the top. This is a good area for finding Red Crossbills and Pygmy Owls. Be forewarned that the hike to the top is all uphill, so this jaunt is not for the faint of heart. Round trip is roughly 6 miles of hiking.
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