Overview Bald Mountain is a SF Bay Area Peak that can be seen just off Mt Umunhum Rd. It is easy to find and makes for a good hike. It is located in of the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. From the summit of Bald Mountain, other peaks such as Mt Umunhum, Loma Prieta, Crystal Mountain, and Mt Chual can be seen. Bald Mountain is hiked fairly often and a fair amount of web-sites can be found with a simple Google search.
On the Bald Mountain trail there is abundant plant life. There is a Sierra Azul Plant List on the internet.
Bald Mountain is an easy mountain to get to. There are two routes to get to the top. The Easy Route is only 0.7 miles and the trail is class one all the way. The Long Route is about 6 miles long and a more difficult class one.
Getting ThereStarting at the intersection of Highway 17 and Highway 85, go south on 85 for about 2.5 miles and exit onto Camden Ave. Go down Camden for about 2 miles and then turn right on Hicks Rd. Follow Hicks Rd for about 7 miles until you reach the Hicks and Mt Umunhum intersection. Next to the intersection there is a parking area with a bathroom and maps of the Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve. Here is where the Long Route begins. About a 1.5 miles up Mt Umunhum Rd there is room for 2 -3 cars to park and the begining of the Easy Route.
Red TapeHiking to Bald Mountain on either route is completely legal. A ways up Mt Umuhum road past the Bald Mountain trail and the Barlow Road exit it becomes illegal to continue on Mt Umunhum Rd. It is very clearly marked when it becomes illegal to continue on Mt Umunhum Rd. There are signs alerting everyone not to trespass and claims there are armed guards. DO NOT TRESPASS. People who live near Mt Umunhum are very touchy about anyone hiking on the private property.
When To Climb Bald Mountain is always open for climbing so "When To Climb" is more up to the weather and your personal schedule. During the summer it can get into the nineties and can be pretty miserable depending on which route you take. During the winter it usually doesn't get below fify degrees, so if you take a sweatshirt you'll be fine. To find out what the weathers like on Bald Mountain check San Jose weather.
CampingThere is no camping in the Sierra Azul Open Space so don't try.
Mountain ConditionsI'm not currently aware of any sites that have the weather at Bald Mountain but if you look up the weather in San Jose it will most likely apply to Bald Mountain. There are no webcams on Bald mountain but pictures are easy to find if you search using the keywords "Bald Mountain Seirra Azul".
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Santa Cruz Mountains
