The Balconies
14-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options.
Photo: RuggyBearLA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- 14 routes
- 5.5 – 5.11b
- Trad · Sport
Is Balconies, The open right now?
Alert in the area
The National Park Service lists an alert for Pinnacles National Park.
Fire Danger HIGH
Park alert covering Pinnacles National Park · NPS · Pinnacles National Park
As of · Source: NPS · Pinnacles National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit The Balconies
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
63° / 34°
12 wet
Feb
64° / 36°
11 wet
Mar
68° / 38°
10 wet
Apr
72° / 39°
6 wet
May
80° / 43°
3 wet
Jun
89° / 47°
1 wet
Jul
96° / 50°
0 wet
Aug
96° / 50°
0 wet
Sep
92° / 48°
1 wet
Oct
82° / 43°
3 wet
Nov
70° / 37°
7 wet
Dec
62° / 33°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Pinnacles Nm, CA, 1.7 mi away at 1,307 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
The Balconies are a climbing area in Pinnacles National Park, within the Hain Wilderness in California, managed by the National Park Service. The park charges a fee for visits. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 80°F and October highs around 82°F, while July and August average about 96°F. Several climbing areas sit right next door, including the Upper Flumes Formation about 0.1 mile away and the Lower Flumes Formation and Machete Ridge each about 0.2 mile off. The Balconies Cliffs Trail is also about 0.2 mile away.
Routes (14)
Facts about this crag
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Machete Ridge
~0 min drive
Machete Ridge in California has 4 sport and trad climbing routes on rock faces.
Photo: Vadim Manuylov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Lower Flumes Formation
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Lower Flumes Formation in California has 10 sport climbing routes across 4 grades.
Photo: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Bad Man Mezzanine/Lower and Upper Terraces
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11-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options spanning 7 difficulty grades.
Photo: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Main Face
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Main Face in California has 9 climbing routes across 7 grades.
Photo: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)West Side
~1 min drive
West Side in California has 32 climbing routes across 15 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Photo: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)The Bouldering Rock
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10 bouldering routes in California, 5 difficulty grades.
Photo: Vadim Manuylov, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)The Stronghold - Lower Tier
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The Stronghold - Lower Tier in California has 9 climbing routes.
Photo: RuggyBearLA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)The Stronghold - Upper Tier
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The Stronghold - Upper Tier in California has 7 routes ranging from moderate to hard, offering sport and trad climbing.
Photo: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)High Peaks North
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High Peaks North in California has 11 climbing routes with sport and trad options.
Photo: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Condor Crags
~2 min drive
Condor Crags in California has 5 climbing routes with 4 difficulty grades.
