Last time I rode Alpine Baldy was back in October last fall so I needed to come back at the end of the summer to see how the atmospheric rivers treated the trail and any other wind storms.
I parked at the power lines just past the target area / borrow pit and climbed the road to the trailhead and then up the trail. There are a couple spots on the road to be careful of where water damage has washout spots. There are also a couple trail drainages that you will want to walk around. I took a lot of pictures in the Trailforks Activity log to show damages to the trailhead road and trail drainages. You will see those at the link here. It is amazing how much nature can change the terrain in both positive and negative ways depending upon your perspective. There has been a lot of erosion and a lot of growth. You’ll get the impression that nature wants the trail back from the humans.
Between the trailhead and basecamp area at 4300’, there are many places to get wet in the foliage if it has rained. Alder saplings and baby hemlocks hang in the trail in spots. If you come across a spot where both exist, favor the alder since the hemlock needles hold much more water to paint you with!! ;-) After the basecamp, the trail is in great shape except for the big root ball destruction. Just be careful there.
The Meadow traverse was beautiful today and tread is in good condition. There were rain drops starting when I summited the trail so I put on the PVC raincoat, my winter waterproof Endura gloves, and light rain pants on for any storm or all the water on the brush I will be descending through at speed. The heavy gloves saved my fingers from whips and impacts and water wasn’t a worry anymore. The descent was fun but visibility was hindered at times.
Once I got back to the trailhead, the rain stopped and I removed the extra gear and descended the road back to my truck. The road descent was a blast! No cars and I reached 38 mph a couple times before slowing for switchbacks. It was a fulfilling day! :-)