Mount Baldy

Mt. Baldy is the largest and least disturbed of only a handful of balds remaining in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Although also known as Lookout Mountain, Mount Baldy earned its name because wind has clearly shaped this bald community with stunted, wind-contorted conifers at its highest elevation. Towering 730 feet above Lake Superior in northern Keweenaw County near Eagle Harbor and Lake Bailey, the mountain offers spectacular panoramic views of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula.

The preserve features a craggy, mile long ridge top that harbors a “northern bald” community, containing several nearly treeless openings. Northern balds are restricted to large escarpments of volcanic bedrock ridges and are characterized by sparse vegetation, areas of exposed bedrock, and thin, slightly acidic soils. This ridge-line drops in a precipitous 230 ft. cliff along the south face, and more gently, in forested slopes northward to the shores of Lake Bailey. Down slope and along the ridge stunted oak forest dominate the preserve and further down the vegetation is dominated by a mix of conifer and northern hardwood forest. Local inhabitants include the black bear, snowshoe hare, peregrine falcon, ruffed grouse, golden-crowned kinglet, black-throated green warbler and yellow-rumped warbler.

While bedrock balds are common in the Appalachians and adjacent Canada and New England, Mt. Baldy is the least disturbed example of only a handful of known occurrences of a northern bald natural community in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Other similar ridge-tops in the Keweenaw all have signs of previous forestation, such as stumps and charcoal, and require further study to determine proper classification and quality ranks. Thus, this is likely the finest example in Michigan with natural alpine-like vegetation. Northern Michigan balds have a distinctive flora, probably due to the less acidic basalt/conglomerate bedrock compared to Canada and New England, and the climatic distinctness compared to Appalachian balds.

From the parking area along the Eagle Harbor Shortcut Road, the hike up Mt. Baldy is a steady, uphill 3 mile climb. It can take 2 hours to reach the summit, but the views of Lake Superior and the Keweenaw Peninsula are well worth it. Because of the thin soils, which cause shallow rooting, and harsh conditions, vegetation can be extremely slow to recover or reestablish following excessive trampling. Please stay on the trail. 

The Nature Conservancy allows hunting for white-tail deer on this preserve to reduce threats too many deer pose to our conservation targets. All hunters are required to receive a permit from TNC as well as a Michigan deer hunting license. Additionally, hunters must report any deer taken from the preserve.

If you plan to visit, take Brockway Mountain Drive between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor, there is a little turn off on the side of the road, right next to a Preserve sign that offers a spectacular view of Mt. Baldy.

PERMITTED ACTIVITIES:

• Hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing
• Bird watching, nature study and photography
• Research projects and educational studies with approved permit
• Hunting with a TNC-issued permit for whitetail deer

PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES:

• No motorized and non-motorized vehicles, including bicycles
• No building of new trails
• No pets
• No hunting or trapping without a TNC-issued permit
• No removal of plants or animals (alive or dead)
• No removal of rocks, water, or other non-organic materials
• No camping, bonfires, fireworks, or other fires
• No firewood collecting
• No littering