California · Rock climbing · Twentynine Palms

Atom Smasher Boulders

Atom Smasher Boulders in California has 22 climbing routes across 15 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad styles.

Photo: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

22 routes

5.7 – 5.13d

Trad · Sport

Is Atom Smasher Boulders open right now?

Alert in the area

The National Park Service lists 3 alerts for Joshua Tree National Park.

Partial Trail Closure of West Side Loop
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park
Inaccurate Third-Party Apps
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park
Oasis of Mara Trail Partial Closure
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park

As of Oct 24, 6:30 pm PDT · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Atom Smasher Boulders

Best months: October–May. 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
58° / 38°
4 wet
Feb
61° / 39°
3 wet
Mar
67° / 40°
3 wet
Apr
73° / 46°
2 wet
May
82° / 52°
1 wet
Jun
91° / 59°
0 wet
Jul
96° / 66°
2 wet
Aug
96° / 68°
2 wet
Sep
89° / 60°
2 wet
Oct
80° / 50°
1 wet
Nov
66° / 41°
2 wet
Dec
58° / 34°
4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yucca Valley, CA, 13.6 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 900 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.

Atom Smasher Boulders is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park, California, within the Joshua Tree Wilderness. It sits inside a stretch of National Park Service land, which also makes it a designated wilderness area. The area has 22 climbing routes, 17 of which are traditional and five are sport. The YDS grades run from 5.7 to 5.13d, with the hardest route being La Machine at 5.13d. Among the traditional routes, Isotope is 5.9+ and was first climbed by Tony Yaniro and Ron Carson in 1983. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Yucca Valley run from highs around 73°F in April to about 80°F in October. That station sits several hundred feet below the boulders, so temperatures at the climbing area run a little cooler. Several other climbing areas sit within a short distance, including Hooter Rock at 0.2 miles, The Super Dome at 0.5 miles, and Siberia at 0.6 miles. For a hike, Willow Hole Trail is about 1.5 miles away.