All Locations > California > Sequoia & Kings Canyo…

Big Baldy Rock Climbing

Climbing Area Map

Routes in Big Baldy

L › R R › L A › Z

	Better Together T 5.10a 6a 18 VI+ 18 E1 5a
	Caught in the Act T 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b
	Drillathon T 5.8 5b 16 VI- 15 HVS 4c PG13
	Free Enterprise T 5.12a/b 7b 26 VIII+ 26 E5 6a
	Gully of Descent T 5.6 4c 14 V 12 S 4b PG13
	Phrenology T 5.10 6b 20 VII- 19 E2 5b PG13
	Spine Line T 5.9 5c 17 VI 17 HVS 5a
	Stickup T 5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b A0
	Welcome to Big Baldy T 5.11b 6c 23 VIII- 23 E3 5c
	Young Eagle T 5.10+ 6b+ 21 VII+ 20 E3 5b

Order Wrong? Sort Routes

Explore this area in 3D

Use onX Backcountry to explore the terrain in 3D, view recent satellite imagery, and more. Now available in onX Backcountry Mobile apps! For more information see this post.

Elevation:	8,000 ft	2,438 m
GPS:	36.6602, -118.8837 Google Map · Climbing Area Map
Page Views:	10,745 total · 77/month
Shared By:	Limpingcrab DJ on Apr 14, 2013 · Updates
Admins:	Mike Morley, Adam Stackhouse, Salamanizer Ski, Justin Johnsen, Vicki Schwantes Page Updates (admin only)

See Weather Forecast

Access Issue: Always check SEKI road conditions and peregrine closures Details

The SeKi Rock Climbing website nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/… has current closures as well as other climbing information for visitors.

Moro Rock (SEKI) and Chimney Rocks usually have nesting closures every year from April 1 to August 15.

As of April 2016, all routes are open to climbing.

Description

Big Baldy is a dome just inside the border of Kings Canyon National Park. If you don't mind a snowy approach you can climb Big Baldy just about year round as most of the climbs face South or West. No matter the season, the view from the summit is an amazing panoramic of the great western divide and the nearby Chimney Rocks.

Big Baldy rarely has climbers so you will probably be sharing the rock with a few lizards and birds. The rock quality is excellent and the climbs are mostly cracks of all difficulties with some clean knob and slab routes thrown in. All climbs (that I know of) lie between "Spine Line" on the northwest face and "Stickup" on the southeast. The rock is great but some of the cracks have lichen or moss from lack of traffic.

Getting There

There are two ways to get to Big Baldy from the Generals Highway.

1) A few miles north of the Montecito Lodge is the Big Baldy trailhead. The trail rises gently for a couple miles to the high point at Big Baldy Peak (8209 ft). An unmaintained trail goes roughly one more mile south to Big Baldy, the dome.

2) (preferred route, but seasonally closed road) From the Generals Highway between the Big Baldy trailhead and the Stony Creek Lodge, take Road 14S29 west. There is a sign that reads "National Forest Organizational Camps, San Joaquin Far Horizons." Follow the main road and signs for about two and a half miles until a split. Go right up the hill (14S33) and take the most used road until you reach a radio/cell phone tower. From the tower hike up to the ridge and Big Baldy will be less than 1/2 mile south.

Once you reach Big Baldy, descend slabs to the base along the west side for most climbs. A few can be reached by a slightly more difficult descent along the east face.