Bishop Peak
Bishop Peak in California has 25 climbing routes across 15 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.
- 25 routes
- 5.6 – 5.11c
- Sport · Trad · Mixed
Best time to visit Bishop Peak
Best months: Year-round. 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
65° / 44°
9 wet
Feb
65° / 44°
9 wet
Mar
67° / 46°
8 wet
Apr
69° / 47°
4 wet
May
72° / 49°
2 wet
Jun
76° / 52°
1 wet
Jul
78° / 54°
0 wet
Aug
80° / 55°
0 wet
Sep
80° / 54°
1 wet
Oct
78° / 52°
3 wet
Nov
71° / 47°
5 wet
Dec
64° / 44°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at San Luis Obispo Poly, CA, 2 mi away at 308 ft. The station sits about 1,100 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Bishop Peak is a climbing area in California's Bunnell Open Space, a city-managed parcel of open land. The peak sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Summit Blocks - East (Main), Garden Wall and P-Wall all about 0.1 mile away. The Bishop Peak Trail starts about 0.2 mile off, and the Felsman Loop Trail is about 0.3 mile away. The climbing here is sport and trad, with 25 routes in total. The YDS grades run from 5.6 up to 5.11c, and the hardest of the named routes is The Greatest Commandment, Mark 12:30 at 5.11c. The Merkin is a mixed route at 5.8-. Summer is the driest and warmest stretch. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs around 80°F with no wet days, while winter brings highs in the mid-60s and about nine wet days a month. That station sits roughly 1,100 feet lower than the peak, so temperatures on the rock run cooler. For an overnight stay, Cerro Alto is about 9 miles away and Morro Bay State Park Campground is about 10 miles away.
Routes (25)
Bishop Quarry(2)
Disappointment Gully(1)
Grotto, The(2)
Jamcrack Wall(4)
Midnight Spire(1)
Owl's Perch Area(4)
Summit Blocks - West(3)
Summit Ridge Crack(1)
Wild, Wild Western Pinnacles (aka Orange Rocks)(4)
Y-Crack Area(1)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)P-Wall
~0 min drive
P-Wall in California has 39 climbing routes across 16 difficulty grades.
Photo: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Hidden Gully
~0 min drive
Hidden Gully in California has 6 routes across 6 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Photo: hakkun, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Chlorissa
~0 min drive
Chlorissa is a California climbing area with 10 routes on 7 difficulty grades.
Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Cabrillo Peak
~13 min drive
Cabrillo Peak in California has 12 climbing routes with 11 difficulty grades.
Photo: Mike Baird from Morro Bay, USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Rock Land
~13 min drive
Rock Land in California has 13 routes across 9 grades with mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Photo: Sergei Gussev, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Grime Dog Wall
~18 min drive
Grime Dog Wall in California has 6 routes with 5 difficulty grades, offering bouldering and sport climbing.
Photo: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Morro Bay Harbor
~18 min drive
Morro Bay Harbor, California climbing area with 2 routes.
Photo: vonguard, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Breakwater Boulder
~18 min drive
Breakwater Boulder in California has 6 bouldering routes across 5 grades.
Summit Blocks - East (Main)
~0 min drive
Summit Blocks - East (Main) in California has 14 climbing routes.
Garden Wall
~0 min drive
Garden Wall in California has 7 climbing routes with 5 difficulty grades.
Also worth it near here
