South Peak of Baldy

South Peak of Baldy
Kananaskis, Alberta
June 29, 2019
Distance: 12.5 km (7.8 mi)
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 877 m (2877 ft)

Although the South Peak of Baldy can be done as part of the Mount Baldy Traverse which includes all three peaks, it's easier to reach using the south ridge. Unlike the traverse which entails a difficult scramble after climbing over Mount Baldy, the south ridge has only an easy scramble section. The route is simple too: hike up Baldy Pass trail and after reaching the pass, turn left and follow the ridge trail 2 km to the South Peak of Baldy.

You can expect to see others on Baldy Pass trail; Dinah and I did. The popular trail begins as a single dirt path, but when it enters a stony drainage, it splits in places only to merge further on. Eventually it settles into a rooty path that extends to the treed pass.

From the pass, Dinah and I started up the stony ridge trail, actually an enjoyable ridgewalk. We soon reached The Tower, a rocky knob that we scrambled up. Beyond that, almost halfway along the ridge, is a high point. Here, before the ridge descends and then rises to meet the summit, Dinah decided to call it a day. As she waited for me, we kept in touch with cell phones.

I continued along the ridge but missed the scree trail on my left and ended up taking the trail on the right side of the ridge. I encountered some brief and easy scrambling, but nothing more difficult than The Tower. After regaining the crest, I turned onto the scree trail and trudged to the summit.

Once I finished taking photos, I cruised back taking the scree trail down. I soon met Dinah, and we returned to the pass. As we hiked back down Baldy Pass trail, we found it busy and passed groups starting up in the afternoon.

KML and GPX Tracks

Hiking up the trail. Ahead is the ridge we'll ascend.