California · Rock climbing · Truckee

Brain Block

Brain Block in California has 8 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad options.

8 routes
5.6 – 5.14a
Sport · Trad

Is Brain Block open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Tahoe National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Tahoe National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Brain Block

Best months: May–September. 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

    41° / 17°

    11 wet

  2. Feb

    43° / 18°

    10 wet

  3. Mar

    48° / 22°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    53° / 26°

    7 wet

  5. May

    63° / 33°

    6 wet

  6. Jun

    73° / 38°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    82° / 44°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    81° / 42°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    74° / 36°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    63° / 29°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

    7 wet

  12. Dec

    39° / 17°

    10 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Donner Mem Sp, CA, 4.6 mi away at 5,937 ft. The station sits about 1,000 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Brain Block is a climbing area in the Truckee Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California. It sits within the same cluster as East Face Main and Cannibals Gully, both about a tenth of a mile away, and the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail #2000 passes about 0.4 miles off. The area has eight routes, seven of them sport climbing and one trad, with grades ranging from 5.6 up to 5.14a. Among them are Missing Mind at 5.11b, Brain Science at 5.13a, and Rocket 13 at 5.14a, which was first ascended by Alan Moore. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 82°F and lows near 44°F, with only about two wet days that month. That station sits roughly 1,000 feet below the area, so temperatures here run cooler. Winter brings typical highs in the low 40s and lows around 17°F. Beyond the climbing, the Lake Mary Trail starts less than a mile away and Milton Reservoir is about 1.4 miles off. Donner Creek, a canoeing spot, lies roughly 2.9 miles away, and Granite Flat campground is about 6 miles out.

Routes (8)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Grouse #6Photo: Jonathan Fox, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Grouse #6

~1 min drive

Grouse #6 in California has 4 bouldering routes across 3 difficulty grades.

Cuckoo's NestPhoto: donner summit historical society, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)

Cuckoo's Nest

~1 min drive

Cuckoo's Nest in California has 8 climbing routes with mixed, sport, and trad styles.

The PerchPhoto: Dana L. Brown, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Perch

~2 min drive

Perch, The in California has 6 trad climbing routes across 5 grades.

East FacePhoto: Jonathan Fox, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

East Face

~1 min drive

East Face in California has 24 climbing routes across 13 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Cannibals Gully

~0 min drive

Cannibals Gully in California has 12 routes with mixed climbing styles (mixed, sport, trad) and 10 distinct difficulty grades.

East Face

~0 min drive

East Face in California has 4 trad routes on 3 difficulty grades.

Tunnel Rock

~0 min drive

Tunnel Rock in California has 9 climbing routes across 8 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Gully - Left Side

~0 min drive

Gully - Left Side in California has 7 climbing routes with mixed and trad protection.

North Face Main

~0 min drive

North Face Main in California has 15 climbing routes across 12 grades, featuring mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Train Time Wall

~0 min drive

Train Time Wall in California has 9 climbing routes across 7 grades.