(b) Castle Rock - South Face
(b) Castle Rock - South Face in California has 7 climbing routes on the south face.
Photo: sergei.gussev, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 7 routes
- 5.8 – 5.12a
- Sport · Trad
Is (b) Castle Rock - South Face open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name (b) Castle Rock - South 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 (b) Castle Rock - South 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.
(b) Castle Rock - South Face is a climbing area in the Mountaintop Ranger District of San Bernardino National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several Castle Rock climbing faces, with the Southeast Face and Southwest Face each about 0.1 mile away. The area has seven routes, a mix of sport and trad climbing, with grades ranging from 5.8 to 5.12a. Castle Crack is a trad route at 5.10c, and King of the Castle is a sport route at 5.12a. Hammock Boys, a sport route at 5.11d, was first climbed by Gary Henning and Brent Webster in 1997. Summer is the warmest stretch. Typical averages from the nearby Big Bear Lake weather station, which sits about 600 feet lower, show July highs around 80°F with lows near 50°F. Winter highs there hover around 46°F, with lows in the mid-20s. The Castle Rock hike is about 0.4 mile away, and Bluff Mesa Group Camp is about 0.8 mile off. Big Bear Lake, about 1.2 miles away, offers fishing, and Boulder Group Camp is about 1.2 miles away.
Routes (7)
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