Middle Palisade shares the same ridge in which you will find seven of California's fourteeners, this is the Sierra Crest. The trail to the west face of Middle Palisade follows the South Fork of Big Pine Creek through a rugged canyon and over South Fork Pass where it then descends into a lakes basin and traverses over steep rock to the west face. The Smoke Buttress approach climbs eleven pitches up a steep buttress. The crux is at the tenth pitch where the route climbs a steep headwall. Once the buttress is completed, its Class 3 and 4 climbing up a couloir and along a ridge to the summit. Contact Inyo National Forest for required camping permits. There is much snow early in the year which requires the use of more gear and essentially more weight to carry. Can be climbed year-round, but the ideal time to go is between May through October. Difficulty Rating: IV 5.9 A1