Little Baldy Dome

Little Baldy Dome is a broad granite summit just over 8,000 feet high above Generals Highway in Sequoia. The payoff is a wide, open panorama after a sustained climb, so save it for a day when you want a real hike. Plan on roughly 3½ to 4 miles round trip from Little Baldy Saddle; reported totals vary a bit.

The trail starts across Generals Highway from a small roadside turnout. Forest switchbacks climb steeply at first, then ease along a ridge through new growth and a young sequoia grove. The last stretch crosses exposed granite to the top. Parking is at the saddle turnout, so this is a small trailhead rather than a large lot.

From the broad, fairly flat top, look east toward the Great Western Divide, then west over the foothills toward the San Joaquin Valley. Coastal mountains are visible only in exceptionally clear air. Low shrubs and stunted conifers dot the open summit, whose uneven granite has no safety rails. For a photo, include some bare rock in the foreground with the layered ridges beyond; it shows both the dome and the scale of the view.

The dome’s rock forms long, curved layers only a few inches thick, like an onion’s layers. Look for their curves and cracks as you move across the summit; they give the broad rock top a lot more character than a smooth platform.