Oct 12, 2018 — This traverse from South Baldy to North Baldy in the Magdalena Mountains starts up the Copper Canyon Trail, heads along the ridgeline, and comes back down on an old mining road. It took multiple maps to determine if this was a viable route, since I couldn't seem to find any sources who tried to make the two peaks into a loop. I was a little hesitant because generally New Mexico's more remote mountain trails are poorly maintained, but this was definitely a bushwhack-free trip.
I parked at Campsite 1 in the Water Canyon Campground because there's no official day use trailhead at the campground. You could just drive up to the Copper Canyon Trailhead, as well.
From the Water Canyon Campground, pass a cattle guard and head up to the start of the Copper Canyon Trail. Alternatively, you could park at the Copper Canyon Trailhead rather than Water Canyon Campground, but it really doesn't matter if you're doing the whole loop. The Copper Canyon Trail is a well-maintained trail that takes you up to the saddle just north of South Baldy. Follow the North Baldy Trail for a bit until you're just below South Baldy. I opted to leave the trail and bag the peak (apparently you can also drive up to it?), rather than skirt the west side and come up a dirt road to the summit. From the summit of South Baldy Peak, head along the North Baldy Trail, which pretty much follows the ridgeline all the way to North Baldy Peak, a few miles away. To bag North Baldy without getting scratched to death, take the dirt road around to its northeast slope and head up that way. After summiting, take this dirt down past an old unsealed mine, and old mining cabin, and all the way back to the Water Canyon Campground.
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