My girlfriend and I hiked this trail yesterday at 5AM. We parked at the end of Baldy Rd and made our way through the parking lot and up the short, but steep, climb that intersects the main trail. As soon as we hit the main trail we made a left and proceeded to take the Baldy Bowl Trail. This was our first time going this route but it was a good one! I was slowing my girlfriend down though since I packed somewhat heavy (a tripod, a camera body w/grip, and 2 lenses…). I summited in about 4 hours (without a heavy load I would normally do 3:30), with frequent breaks, while my girlfriend did it much faster and waited for me (I love her :P). The trail was free of snow (there was a tiny ice patch near the beginning), but the weather was amazing overall. Plenty of foot traffic on the main trail (not so much on the Baldy Bowl Trail), as usual, but all friendly encounters with “good morning” greetings and all. After taking our photos at the top, we headed back down towards Devil's Backbone and ultimately reached our car.