W6/SS-285 Bald Mountain

 It was too hot to do a hike in the desert, so a drive to the Sierra was in order. Today I had three peaks near Kennedy Meadows picked out. First up was Bald Mountain. This peak in Sequoia National Forest has a manned fire lookout on top.

Start of the walk.

There is a good quality road to the summit. A sedan might be able to make it, but I didn't want to get stuck, so I just walked. I parked where 22S77 leaves the main paved road, 22S05. There was plenty of space to park.

Up the road.

It was a pleasant walk under blue skies that slowly got more cloudy. There are no intersections in the road, just follow it up to the top. Higher up there are some excellent views and some climbable rocks. A short distance below the summit the road is gated to cars, but open to hikers.

Gate just below the summit.

We went around the gate up to the summit. As we approached a dog started barking at us, but it was up at the top of the tower, so no worries. As I began to set up, the warden came down to ask what I was doing. I gave a quick explanation, and he then returned to the cabin at the top.

There is no cell service on top, so I relied on RBNHole to spot me. It came through this time, and I made my contacts.

View back to the tower.

The views on top are excellent, as you'd expect, and I could've spent all day up there. But there were more summits calling my name, so I packed up and headed back to the car, taking the road down again. Back at the car I drove over to the start for Pine Mountain.

Trailhead: 22S77, either where it leaves 22S05 or at the gate near the top.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map.
Route: Follow the road up to the summit.
Red Tape: None.