(a) Castle Rock - Southwest Face
Castle Rock - Southwest Face in California has 6 routes across 5 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Photo: sergei.gussev, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 6 routes
- 5.6 – 5.11b
- Sport · Trad · Mixed
Is (a) Castle Rock - Southwest Face open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name (a) Castle Rock - Southwest Face, so check the source for the area it covers.
Radford Fire Closure Area
Agency closure covering Mountaintop Ranger District · Order 05-12-52-24-06 · USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District
Safety Alert - Falling Rocks at Bonita Falls
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · Order 05-12-00-26-05 · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit (a) Castle Rock - Southwest Face
Best months: May–October. 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
46° / 24°
6 wet
Feb
46° / 24°
6 wet
Mar
51° / 27°
6 wet
Apr
57° / 31°
4 wet
May
66° / 37°
2 wet
Jun
75° / 43°
1 wet
Jul
80° / 50°
2 wet
Aug
79° / 49°
3 wet
Sep
73° / 44°
2 wet
Oct
63° / 35°
2 wet
Nov
53° / 28°
3 wet
Dec
46° / 24°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Big Bear Lake, CA, 2.7 mi away at 6,753 ft. The station sits about 600 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.
(a) Castle Rock - Southwest Face is a climbing area in California's San Bernardino National Forest, within the Mountaintop Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the southwest face of Castle Rock sits among a cluster of climbing areas, with (b) Castle Rock - South Face and (c) Castle Rock - Southeast Face both about 0.1 mile away. The area offers a mix of styles, with sport and trad climbing and one mixed route. Grades range from 5.6 to 5.11b, and the routes include The Sphynx (trad, 5.6), Ball and Chain (sport, 5.9+) and Holy Fingers (sport, 5.11b). The Turret (trad, 5.8) is another option. Summer is the warmest stretch, with typical July highs around 80°F and lows near 50°F, based on averages from a nearby weather station at Big Bear Lake. Winter brings typical highs in the mid-40s and lows around 24°F. The Castle Rock hike starts about 0.4 mile away, and Bluff Mesa Group Camp is about 0.8 mile off. Big Bear Lake lies about 1.2 miles away for lake fishing.
Routes (6)
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