Big Top
Big Top is a California climbing crag with 8 routes, sport and trad.
Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 8 routes
- 5.3 – 5.11a
- Trad · Sport
Is Big Top 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 Big Top
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, 12.7 mi away at 3,249 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Big Top is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park, within the Joshua Tree Wilderness in California. The National Park Service manages the land, and the area sits inside designated wilderness, so it is a destination for climbers who plan to spend the night on park land. The climbing here is a mix of trad and sport routes, with eight routes in all. The YDS grades run from 5.3 to 5.11a. Some of the named routes are More My Speed at 5.3, Zelda at 5.5, and Under the Big Top at 5.11a. Trad is the dominant style, with six trad routes to two sport ones. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons. At a weather station in Yucca Valley, about 13 miles away, typical averages run from highs near 73°F with lows around 46°F in April to highs near 80°F with lows around 50°F in October. Summer highs typically reach the mid-90s. Other climbing areas sit close by, including Group Campsites Road at 0.3 miles and Grain Central Station at 0.4 miles. For a walk, the Big Pine Trail is about 1.7 miles away.
Routes (8)
Facts about this crag
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