The Old Baldy Trail received its name from its proximity to Old Baldy, which was the original name for Mount Wrightson. Because of its proximity to Tucson, the Old Baldy Trail is a popular hiking trail. It’s also the shortest route to the summit of Mount Wrightson.
The trail is 4.2 miles long with an elevation gain of approximately 4,000 feet. The trail begins up an old wagon road on the southeast side of the Roundup Parking Area at the end of the Madera Canyon Road. The trail is interesting as well as very useful because it provides access to a multitude of appealing destinations, such as Baldy Saddle, Mount Wrightson, Josephine Saddle and the Santa Rita Crest. It also can be used to access the Crest, Agua Caliente, Vault Mine, Carrie Nation, Josephine Canyon, Super and Temporal Gulch Trails to complete loop hikes.
The trail begins somewhat uneventfully for the first three-tenths of a mile and then veers sharply left and heads east up a mild grade. After passing a wilderness boundary sign, the trail continues into the long southeast arm of Madera Canyon. You hike approximately a mile up the trail before you come to the first real switchback. The lower section of the trail is never extremely steep; however, it climbs steadily over its entire length and seems to be almost continuously contouring around small drainages and recesses. As the trail approaches Josephine Saddle, the switchbacks become shorter, more abundant and steeper. Josephine Saddle is a convenient stopover for weary hikers needing to catch their breath and eat a snack. The saddle is also a logical place for less adventurous hikers to turn around and head back to their vehicle.
The Old Baldy Trail leaves Josephine Saddle on the same path as the Super Trail. The trail beyond the saddle shows abundant evidence of heavy use and is basically a shallow trough for a substantial distance. The trail plods up a steady grade for two-tenths of a mile to an elevation of approximately 7,200 feet, when you come to a signed fork in the trail where the Super and Old Baldy trails split. There is no sign identifying which trail is in which direction (the Old Baldy Trail continues straight ahead while the Super Trail veers to the right).
For the next 0.4 miles, the trail continues on a well-groomed path up a gentle slope, passing through a pleasantly shaded forest to a large clearing on a point. From the clearing, the trail continues through a densely wooded area that I found surprisingly overgrown with grass, especially considering how much traffic the trail has. The narrow footpath continues up a grassy southern exposure on a series of short, steep switchbacks to a second point, where the trail levels off below Bellows Spring.
Look for a sign at the spring next to a small, half-filled stone and mortar basin. There is a pipe sticking out of the brush and suspended over the basin with barely a trickle of water dripping from it. If you are a curious person, follow the pipe through the bushes a few feet to where another pipe comes down from above. I hesitate to call Bellows Spring a spring because there is a strong flow of water falling over a 15-foot-high precipice about 75 feet above the trail. I would call the source a creek. Just below the falls, an open-ended pipe protrudes out of the rocks with a substantial flow of water filling a natural rock basin directly beneath it. Another pipe transports the water from the rock basin through two meticulously placed pipes to the cement basin. A rather ingenious arrangement.
The half mile of steep zig-zagging trail between Bellows Spring and Baldy Saddle is covered with a maze of New Mexico locust, a small tree with pink flowers. Other than passing several interesting rock outcrops covered with lichen and one fairly large boulder field, the remainder of the trail to Baldy Saddle closely resembles a dilapidated stone staircase. The path is barely wide enough to walk over without rubbing against thick brush growing along both sides of the trail. The switchbacks become shorter, steeper, and more numerous the closer you get to Baldy Saddle. Someone told me there were over 30 switchbacks.
The Old Baldy Trail officially ends at a junction with the Crest and Super trails on Baldy Saddle, which is the highest saddle in the Santa Rita Mountains. Baldy Saddle is a fine place to stop, rest, catch your breath, snack and enjoy the spectacular views to the east and west. From the saddle, you have several choices: hike north on the Crest Trail to Florida Saddle, south to the summit of Mount Wrightson, east down the Super Trail, or turn around and hike back the way you came up.
Before I hiked up the Old Baldy Trail, I accessed the saddle from several of the trails on the east side of the range. On several occasions, I looked down at the Old Baldy Trail and suspected it was a difficult walk through a gnarly maze and my suspicions were correct. In my opinion, the Old Baldy Trail is the most difficult route to Baldy Saddle. The only advantage it has is its length – it is the shortest route to the saddle.
Wayne Tomasi is the author of “Exploring the Santa Rita Mountains,” which includes extensive descriptions of virtually all of the trails on the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains, as well as lesser-known remote routes. The book is available at the Patagonia Library or it can be purchased from the author.