Big Baldy Ridge

Overview

This prominent north-south trending ridge divides the Redwood Canyon and the Stony Creek Canyon along the boundary of Kings Canyon National Park and Sequoia National Forest. The ridge gets its name from the large, barren exfoliation dome at the southernmost point of the ridge. From the summit of Big Baldy, you’ll gain a spectacular view across two major watersheds, several western Sierra landmarks, and if it’s clear, the San Joaquin Valley. Starting from the trailhead adjacent to the small dirt parking lot, commence travel south along the single-track trail. Immediately, you’ll encounter a sign indicating the boundary between Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Forest. Just down slope to the left lies Montecito Lake Resort. Several side trails join the Big Baldy Trail from the resort. They are faint and have unofficial markings, which should make it easy to avoid them. If you’re visiting during the winter for some snowshoeing, keep your eyes peeled for the red reflector disks nailed to trees at regular intervals; they’ll help you mark the path. You’ll climb a brisk 250′ in the first half mile to the first of several “bald patches” along the ridge. The first few bald spots that you encounter appear to be bands of colorful metamorphic rock called roof pendants. Roof pendants occur when underlying granitic rock pushes up the layer of rock that was initially above it. This occurred during the mountain building phase in which the Sierra Nevada batholith rose up from under the earth. Most of the overlying rock eroded away, but in a handful of spots, little patches of much older rocks remain. The rocks here support a very different kind of vegetation. You’ll go from dense fir forest on the granitic rock to nearly barren manzanita and Jeffrey pines on the metamorphic rock. Buena Vista Peak After the first bald patch, the trail drops down 100′ and begins climbing to the second bald patch at 1.1 miles. Looking due west, you’ll see the gently sloping depression of Redwood Canyon. This canyon holds the largest of the Sierra

Trail Stats

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