Bald Hill by Manke Mountain overlooks Deschutes River near Alder Lake. Nisqually River spans the northern foothills through the state park and the nearby Hugo Peak. Meanwhile, the route comes from the south through the northwest ridge.
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Bald Hill at a Glance
Access: Bald Hill Road
Round Trip: 7.6 miles
Elevation Range: 920′-2026′
Essential Gear: none
GPS Track: available
Dog-Friendly: yes
Playlist: Beats
Hiking Near Deschutes Falls Park
Bald Hill was a surprise find after scouring new places near Alder Lake. With the few records of ascents, I thought the area was on private land. So, without a backup plan, we went down to Deschutes Falls Park to check out the access regardless.
The 1.5-hour drive wasn’t far, but going through places like Roy and Yelm made it seem that way. As it turned out, the gate at the end of the main road had a clear private sign. But as luck would have it, the second one from the end didn’t have one. So, off we went!
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Exploring the Northwest Ridge
It was time to explore where the road would lead without route info. The mild incline went up 350′ before dipping slightly to the hairpin in 1.5 miles. Beyond there, the main roadway continued uphill as the side paths stayed flat, dipped, or dead-ended.
Spotty views en route faded as the road continued on the timbered northwest ridge. Then, it was an unexciting 1.5 miles until the fork to the radio tower, where trees began to thin out. The upper road led into the woodsy summit at the final junction before ending abruptly.
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Viewing Gifford Pinchot from Bald Hill
With zero views, we returned to the clearing by the fork with south vistas. We didn’t explore the east ridge, but the earth view showed several openings along the ridgeline. I was not in the mood to fight the brush past the lower road, which also ended by the trees.
I didn’t recognize other high points besides Quiemuth Peak in the east. We stopped by the tower on the way out for the west views as I contemplated visiting different places. But since the “D” light started flashing on the drive here, I wanted to GTFO before I needed a tow!
See more trip photos here.