California · Hiking · Near Silver City

Little Baldy

Little Baldy
Jun–Oct
best months

Is Little Baldy open right now?

No closures listed

The National Park Service lists no closures for Sequoia National Park.

As of · Source: NPS · Sequoia National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Little Baldy is a wide granite dome in Sequoia National Park, managed by the National Park Service. It rises to just over 8,000 feet, and the top is a flat area with patches of low shrubs and a few stunted conifer trees. The dome's surface is uneven, with long curved layers of rock about an inch thick, like the layers of an onion, and there are no safety rails. From the summit, the view to the east looks out over tree-covered hills and the Great Western Divide mountain ranges. To the west, depending on air quality, you may see a layer of haze over low foothills or the San Joaquin Valley. On very clear days, California's coastal mountains may also be visible. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the Lodgepole weather station, about 4.4 miles away, show July and August highs around 76°F with lows in the mid-40s and only a couple of wet days a month. Winter brings highs in the upper 30s and frequent snow days. The Little Baldy Trailhead sits just 0.1 mile away. Dorst Creek Campground and the Muir Grove Trailhead are both about 1.1 miles off, and the Dorst/Lost Grove hike is about 1.2 miles away.

Around this trail

Add any of these when you start a trip
  • Sleep close

    Dorst Creek Campground

    Campground

    Campground · 1.0 mi from the trail
  • If it rainsDavid Fulmer, CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

    Giant Forest Museum

    Museum

    On your way back · 4 mi

Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: David Fulmer, CC BY 2.0 (commons)

More in Silver City

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · Jun–Oct

    Best time to visit Little Baldy

    Best months: June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      39° / 17°

      9 wet · 8 snow

    2. Feb

      41° / 18°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    3. Mar

      45° / 22°

      10 wet · 8 snow

    4. Apr

      50° / 26°

      8 wet · 5 snow

    5. May

      58° / 33°

      5 wet · 2 snow

    6. Jun

      68° / 40°

      3 wet

    7. Jul

      76° / 46°

      2 wet

    8. Aug

      76° / 44°

      2 wet

    9. Sep

      70° / 39°

      2 wet

    10. Oct

      59° / 31°

      4 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      47° / 23°

      6 wet · 4 snow

    12. Dec

      37° / 17°

      8 wet · 6 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lodgepole, CA, 4.4 mi away at 6,735 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

HIKE

Muir Grove Trailhead

~2 min drive

Muir Grove offers an opportunity to hike into a sequoia grove that's off the beaten path. The gently sloping trail follows a ridgeline that offers distant views of the sequoias as you hike. Once you reach them, enjoy the quiet and calm of the area.

Stony CreekPhoto: sterferg, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Stony Creek

~6 min drive

7-mile out-and-back trail in California with 2,527 ft elevation gain.

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General Sherman Tree Trail: Halfway Point

~7 min drive

This wayside exhibit, titled "Halfway Point," shows your location in relationship to the height of the General Sherman Tree.

Silliman Lake Use TrailPhoto: ryanbjorkquist, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Silliman Lake Use Trail

~7 min drive

2.72-mile out-and-back hike in California with 1,154 ft elevation gain and loss.

Dorst/Lost GrovePhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Dorst/Lost Grove

~2 min drive

2.09-mile out-and-back trail in California with 448 ft gain and 6,639 ft max elevation.

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Hidden Springs Road

~5 min drive

9.74-mile out-and-back trail in California with 3,340 ft elevation gain.

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There it is!

~7 min drive

As you stand on the path before this exhibit, notice the pavement has a textured feel. Under your feet, rows of paving stones radiate out in concentric circles from a central point. They represent a cross-section through the base of the General Sherman Tree. The outer edge…

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Panther Gap-Lakes

~8 min drive

1.79-mile out-and-back trail in California with 766 ft gain and 8,048 ft max elevation.

Muir GrovePhoto: sterferg, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Muir Grove

~3 min drive

2.49-mile out-and-back trail in California's Muir Grove with 299 ft of elevation gain.

HIKE

What Brings Them Down?

~7 min drive

This wayside exhibit, titled "What Brings Them Down?," shows photos and explains why sequoia trees fall.