Page 83 - Volume 3 - Walks In The Black Range

24. Bald Hill Spring
Bald Hill Spring is located at 33.004758, -107.726254. Access is shown in the image to the right. After crossing North Percha Creek on Forest Road 157 (sometimes shown as Forest Road 57 or North Percha Road) continue to a road junction at “A”. From “A” follow the road/stream to the northwest and then travel uphill to a well maintained tank. The spring is in the gully to the right as you face the tank from the downhill side. The pipe which is used to fill the tank is visible in several places and the spring is easy to find.
The ford at North Percha may be impassable following high water events and Forest Road 157 will be in varying degrees of “maintained” depending on water events, recent rains, snow, or when the Forest Service last ran a grader through the area. During trips in July and September of 2017 I chose not to cross one of the wash crossings on the road north of North Percha, making for about a 2.5 mile roundtrip walk to the spring. Generally, an ATV or short- base jeep-type vehicle with high clearance should not have any trouble with the road.
It is possible to drive up the road from “A” for quite a way if you would like, eventually the road is blocked by fallen trees at about its terminus. The road terminus is roughly were the route to the spring turns uphill.
This is one of the better maintained springs in the range. The tank is sound and about 100’ from the spring. The spring is in a wash with significant rock in the area, that and a bit of fencing is sufficient to keep cattle out of the spring. The spring is roughly 1/2 the way up the hill.
The walk to the spring, including the last uphill section which is either bush-whacking or following a cattle/game trail is not terribly strenuous. This is good country for rattlesnakes, so watch your step and keep your ears tuned. I
B
C
have not seen any type of snake on my ventures into this area. “B” on the map above indicates the location where Ipomea gilana was first found, this is a new endemic plant species - endemic to the Black Range.