The Benches
Benches, The is a California climbing crag with 10 sport routes across 8 grades.
- 10 routes
- 5.8 – 5.11+
- Sport
Is Benches, The open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Tahoe National Forest.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Tahoe National Forest · Order 17-26-25 · USFS · Tahoe National Forest
Camping and Campfire Restrictions-Truckee and Sierraville Districts
Agency alert covering Tahoe National Forest · Order 17-25-05 · USFS · Tahoe National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Tahoe National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit The Benches
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
44° / 25°
Feb
46° / 26°
Mar
51° / 27°
Apr
56° / 30°
May
64° / 37°
Jun
75° / 43°
Jul
82° / 48°
Aug
82° / 47°
Sep
76° / 44°
Oct
65° / 37°
Nov
51° / 30°
Dec
43° / 25°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lake Spaulding, CA, 0.7 mi away at 5,156 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
The Benches is a sport climbing area in the Yuba River Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California, about 0.7 miles from the Lake Spaulding weather station. It sits among several other climbing areas, with Slide Wall and The Moon each about 0.1 mile away. The climbing here is all sport, and the routes run from 5.8 up to 5.11+. The median grade is 5.10b, with Cast In Stone at 5.8 and Lightning Bolt at 5.11+ among the named routes. The area is a compact cluster of crags, so it works well for a short session or a day spent exploring the surrounding climbing. Summer is the warmest stretch. Typical averages from the Lake Spaulding station show July and August highs around 82°F with lows in the upper 40s, while winter highs sit in the low to mid 40s. Nearby, the Spaulding Lake Trail and Sierra Discovery Trail are both within about 2 miles. Rucker Lake campground is about 2.2 miles away, and Fall Creek offers canoeing about 3.4 miles off.
Routes (10)
Lightning Bolt Crag(4)
Negativity Slabs(4)
Sun Bench, The(2)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: ericheath, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Stress Management Boulders
~2 min drive
Stress Management Boulders is a bouldering area in California with 9 routes.
Photo: ericheath, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Stress Management Boulder
~2 min drive
Stress Management Boulder is a California bouldering crag with 8 routes.
Photo: ericheath, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)The Scoop
~2 min drive
Scoop, The in California has 6 bouldering routes across 5 grades.
Slide Wall
~0 min drive
Slide Wall in California has 10 routes across 5 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.
The Moon
~0 min drive
7 climbing routes in California, grades 5.10 to 5.12, sport and trad.
The Fortress
~0 min drive
The Fortress in California has 8 sport climbing routes across 5 difficulty grades.
Elder Wall
~0 min drive
Elder Wall in California has 5 sport climbing routes ranging across 5 difficulty grades.
Steel Monkey Wall
~0 min drive
Steel Monkey Wall in California has 13 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and trad options.
Chalkporium
~0 min drive
Chalkporium in California has 6 sport climbing routes across 5 grades.
The Dollar Store
~0 min drive
Dollar Store, The is a climbing crag in California with 6 routes.
