Hike Baldy Peak via Bar Canyon Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, NM

Oct 05, 2018 — Although it's one of the taller peaks in the Organ Mountains, Baldy Peak isn't technical compared to what you'd expect to see from observing the Organ Mountains from below. It's separated from the jagged peaks of the northern Organs, but is super pretty and gives you some great views the whole way up.

Starting at the Soledad Canyon Day Use Trailhead, the junction of Soledad Canyon and Bar Canyon, and head up the flat and well-maintained trail past some ruins and into Bar Canyon, where you'll be stopped by Bar Canyon Waterfall (Google Maps has them labeled improperly as of 10/2018). Apparently there's a Class 2 route to get up and over the falls and into the canyon bed, but I didn't know this and instead did some Class 4 moves to get up the waterfall. Either way, you should end up back in the canyon where there is some minor bushwhacking, but nothing too annoying. The canyon opens up and enters a wide area. The beta I read recommended going up the canyon where you can scramble up a scree field. I love avoiding scree when I can, and opted to head up the ridge to the right of the canyon (south side). I came down the scree field on my way back down later (see map), and definitely recommend using the ridge rather than the "standard" route up: you get nicer views and avoid scree and bushwhacking.

From the ridge at the top of the scree gully (the head of Bar Canyon), continue along a Class 2 ridgeline to get to the summit of Baldy Peak. You can see Organ Peak to the north, as well as the more jagged Organ Needle farther north. I was also pretty inspired to bag more of these peaks by looking south toward the southern Organ Mountains.