Higher Cathedral Rock
Higher Cathedral Rock in California has 17 climbing routes across 12 grades.
Photo: Capt' Gorgeous, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 17 routes
- 5.8 – 5.12b
- Trad · Sport
Is Higher Cathedral Rock open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Yosemite National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Yosemite National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Higher Cathedral Rock
Best months: March–June and September–November. 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.
Jan
48° / 29°
9 wet
Feb
51° / 30°
9 wet
Mar
57° / 33°
10 wet
Apr
63° / 38°
8 wet
May
70° / 45°
6 wet
Jun
80° / 51°
3 wet
Jul
89° / 57°
1 wet
Aug
89° / 57°
1 wet
Sep
83° / 51°
2 wet
Oct
71° / 41°
3 wet
Nov
56° / 32°
6 wet
Dec
46° / 28°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yosemite Park Hq, CA, 3.5 mi away at 4,018 ft. The station sits about 1,400 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.
Higher Cathedral Rock is a climbing area in California's Yosemite National Park, within the Yosemite Wilderness. The National Park Service manages the land, and the rock sits in the backcountry of the park. The area's climbing routes are all trad, with one sport route, and they grade from 5.8 up to 5.12-. Renaissance Wall is the easiest at 5.8, while The Last Crusade is the hardest at 5.12-. Book of Job and Power Point fall in between, at 5.10 and 5.11+. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run from highs around 70°F and lows near 45°F in May to highs around 71°F and lows near 41°F in October. That station sits well below the rock, so temperatures up high run cooler. Higher Cathedral Spire and Middle Cathedral Rock are both close by. The Bridalveil Fall Trail and the Rockslides hike are about a mile away.
Routes (17)
Facts about this crag
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Capt' Gorgeous, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Higher Cathedral Spire
~0 min drive
6 trad routes at Higher Cathedral Spire, California, spanning 6 difficulty grades.
Photo: Capt' Gorgeous, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Middle Cathedral Rock
~0 min drive
Middle Cathedral Rock in California has 52 climbing routes across 20 difficulty grades.
Photo: Capt' Gorgeous, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Lower Cathedral Spire
~0 min drive
Lower Cathedral Spire in California has 6 trad routes on 3 difficulty grades.
Photo: Seth Tisue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)The King Boulder
~1 min drive
King Boulder, The in California has 7 bouldering routes with difficulty grades from 5.10 to 5.12.
Photo: Seth Tisue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Cathedral Boulders
~1 min drive
Cathedral Boulders in California has 9 bouldering routes across 7 grades.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Lower Cathedral Area
~1 min drive
Lower Cathedral Area in California has 4 routes with mixed and trad climbing.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Mecca
~1 min drive
Mecca in California offers 22 climbing routes across 10 grades, with sport and trad options.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Lower Cathedral Rock
~1 min drive
Lower Cathedral Rock in California has 18 climbing routes across 12 grades.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Leaning Tower
~1 min drive
5 trad routes at Leaning Tower in California, 3 difficulty grades.
Photo: dconvertini, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Leaning Tower Base Routes
~1 min drive
5 trad routes at Leaning Tower Base Routes in California.
Also worth it near here
Photo: Walter Siegmund (talk · contribs), CC BY 2.5 (via Wikimedia Commons)Bridalveil Fall
~1 min drive
Photo: Anke Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Bridalveil Fall Trail
~2 min drive
Photo: Jeffrey Pang from Berkeley, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Dewey Point
~2 min drive
Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Camp 4
~4 min drive
