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.

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.