California · Rock climbing · Mammoth Lakes

The Alcove

Alcove, The is a California climbing area with 9 routes on 5 difficulty grades.

9 routes
V0- – V5+
Bouldering

Is Alcove, The open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

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

Best time to visit The Alcove

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°

  2. Feb

    41° / 18°

  3. Mar

    45° / 22°

  4. Apr

    51° / 27°

  5. May

    60° / 35°

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

  7. Jul

    78° / 49°

  8. Aug

    77° / 47°

  9. Sep

    71° / 40°

  10. Oct

    61° / 30°

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

  12. Dec

    41° / 17°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mammoth Lakes Rs, CA, 19.4 mi away at 7,804 ft. The station sits about 700 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The Alcove is a bouldering area in California's Inyo National Forest, within the White Mountain Ranger District. It sits on city land, and the Alcove Area and Rimview Cliffs climbing areas lie just 0.1 mile away. The climbing here is all bouldering, with nine routes spread across the boulders. The grades run from V0- to V5+, with the median at V2. Among the named routes are Problem F at V0-, Girdle Traverse at V3, and Center Direct at V5+. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mammoth Lakes show July highs around 78°F and lows near 49°F, while winter highs stay around 41°F. Tuff Campground is about 2.2 miles away, and the Lower Rock Creek hike is about 2 miles off. Sand Canyon, a mountain biking area, is about 2.9 miles away.

Routes (9)