California · Rock climbing · Desert Hot Springs

Barker Dam Area

Barker Dam Area in California has 24 climbing routes with 18 difficulty grades, offering bouldering, sport, and trad.

Barker Dam AreaPhoto: cappellacci, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
24 routes
5.5 – 5.12a/b
Trad · Bouldering · Sport

Is Barker Dam Area 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 · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Barker Dam Area

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.

  1. Jan

    58° / 38°

    4 wet

  2. Feb

    61° / 39°

    3 wet

  3. Mar

    67° / 40°

    3 wet

  4. Apr

    73° / 46°

    2 wet

  5. May

    82° / 52°

    1 wet

  6. Jun

    91° / 59°

    0 wet

  7. Jul

    96° / 66°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    96° / 68°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    89° / 60°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    80° / 50°

    1 wet

  11. Nov

    66° / 41°

    2 wet

  12. Dec

    58° / 34°

    4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yucca Valley, CA, 15.4 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 1,200 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.

Barker Dam Area is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits within the park's own boundaries, about 15 miles from the town of Yucca Valley. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Yucca Valley show April highs around 73°F and October highs around 80°F, while summer highs there reach the mid-90s. A fee is charged for climbing at this area. Oasis Rock, Escape Rock (Southwest Face) and Rat Rock all lie about 0.1 mile away, and the Barker Dam Trail is about 0.2 mile off.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Oasis RockPhoto: cappellacci, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Oasis Rock

~0 min drive

Oasis Rock in California offers 9 traditional climbing routes across 8 difficulty grades.

Escape Rock (Southwest Face)Photo: cifraser1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Escape Rock (Southwest Face)

~0 min drive

7-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options on the Southwest Face.

Rat RockPhoto: cappellacci, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Rat Rock

~0 min drive

Rat Rock in California has 7 traditional climbing routes ranging from moderate to hard.

Escape RockPhoto: Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Escape Rock

~0 min drive

Escape Rock is a California climbing crag with 4 routes spanning 4 difficulty grades.

Lakeside Rock North (aka Oregon Trail)Photo: Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lakeside Rock North (aka Oregon Trail)

~0 min drive

7-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options.

Rockworks RockPhoto: Tony Webster from Portland, Oregon, United States, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Rockworks Rock

~0 min drive

Rockworks Rock in California offers 9 climbing routes ranging from 5.10 to 5.12a, with sport and trad options.

Lakeside Rock - West FacePhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lakeside Rock - West Face

~0 min drive

9 mixed and trad routes on the west face of Lakeside Rock, facing a lake in California.

No Falls WallPhoto: Joseph from Cabin On The Road, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

No Falls Wall

~0 min drive

No Falls Wall in California has 8 routes across 6 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

Gunsmoke WallPhoto: cappellacci, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Gunsmoke Wall

~0 min drive

Gunsmoke Wall in California has 22 bouldering routes across 11 grades.

Room To Shroom AreaPhoto: cifraser1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Room To Shroom Area

~1 min drive

6-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options.