BALDY WATER SLIDE

 I finally had the opportunity to check out the famous Baldy Water Slide.  It started out being one of those hidden gems in the San Gabes that is seldomely visited and. is probably more popular with canyoneering. 

However, lately this area has been very popular on social media. The true name is Baldy Water slide. People have been calling it Stoddard Falls or Antonio falls which is false. There truly is a Stoddard falls but in a different location and the Antonio Falls is off the Mt. Baldy road. 

Anyways, I was very excited about this hidden gem. After reviewing the videos on YouTube it looked very worthy of my time. 

It is very easy to get to but there are a few obstacles along the way. From the Barret-Stiddard road it is a short walk along a fireroad then you have to drop down a steep rocky slope with the aid of a rope. Once you arrive at the first water hole, it is a short distance upstream. 

The first obstacle: A rock face that you have to walk along a narrow path with the assistance of a rope. Clinging to the rope and navigating along this pathway is quite a challenge to some. If you loose your grip you can fall into a deep pool below. When I was there I observed many in-experienced kids trying to do this. To add, you really need to feel comfortable with rock scrambling on a ledge and wear the appropriate shoes to do this. 

The second obstacle: A huge knocked down tree which aids as a climbing ladder that is wedged between two rocks. It does help you to get up and over another ledge where the famous water side exists. 

The slide is a forty-foot waterfall. The pool at the bottom is very deep. I dared not to step in and see how far I would sink to the bottom. Instead, I sat on top of a huge boulder and observed others. You definitely need to be a good swimmer or very tall otherwise the water goes over your head. 

On a positive note, the blue-green crystal clear water was spectacular!  It was truly a gem.! I felt as though I was at some tropical island because it is rare to find Emerald color swimming holes in this area..

The water slide looked like so much fun!. I was tempted but as I watched others slide down from the trail above. It looked dangerous but the kids were very successful and no one was harmed. 

I managed to take a short video. https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvxR7zgNypW/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Also, there was a rope and some people were trying to climb up it to get to the top but failed. 

As I mentioned earlier,  it looks like a playground for Canyoneers. There were hooks in the rocks around the waterfall that was obviously used for rapelling, 

Just before checking out the Baldy water slide, I led a small group to Stoddard peak to get more mileage then we ventured out towards the water pools. 

We also went downstream first to check out the canyon and it was well worth the effort. I had never been downstream and wanted to explore this area. The canyon was amazing. As we walked through the creek, we were pleasantly surprised by the many, huge swimming holes we encountered. The pools were pristine with colors of Emerald-green and crystal clear. 

We took advantage of every water pool by jumping in to cool off. As we were walking along the canyon, we also found many cascades and mini-waterfalls. The canyon was shaded with lots of trees.. Again, I was in such awe of this hidden gem. It was so serene and yet there was no one around to take advantage of this gorgeous canyon. 

After having our fill of excitement then we headed upstream to check out our planned destination.