California · Rock climbing · Twentynine Palms

The Black Rocks

Black Rocks in California has 5 traditional climbing routes.

5 routes
5.10- – 5.10c/d
Trad

Is Black Rocks, The 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 The Black Rocks

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, 16.3 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.

The Black Rocks are a climbing area within Joshua Tree National Park 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 in Yucca Valley show April highs around 73°F and October highs around 80°F, while July and August average about 96°F. That station sits well below the park, so temperatures at the rocks run cooler. Several other climbing spots lie within a short distance, including Bighorn Pass Boulders about half a mile away and Trifling Rock and Dissolution Rock at about 0.6 miles. Barker Dam Nature is a hike just over 0.7 miles off.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Trifling RockPhoto: Wattewyl, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Trifling Rock

~1 min drive

Trifling Rock is a California climbing crag with 3 routes and 3 distinct difficulty grades.

Dissolution RockPhoto: stevehfung, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Dissolution Rock

~1 min drive

Dissolution Rock in California has 5 trad climbing routes with 4 difficulty grades.

Dissolution CorridorPhoto: stevehfung, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Dissolution Corridor

~1 min drive

5 routes at Dissolution Corridor in California, grades range from 5.10 to 5.12a.

Fat Lip BoulderPhoto: Nfrastructure, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Fat Lip Boulder

~1 min drive

Fat Lip Boulder in California has 6 bouldering routes with 4 difficulty grades.

Indian Wave BouldersPhoto: Robb Hannawacker, while working for Joshua Tree National Park, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Indian Wave Boulders

~1 min drive

12 bouldering routes at Indian Wave Boulders in California.

Hunk Rock - East FacePhoto: Robb Hannawacker, while working for Joshua Tree National Park, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Hunk Rock - East Face

~1 min drive

Hunk Rock - East Face in California has 9 climbing routes with 5 difficulty grades.

Hunk Rock - West FacePhoto: stevehfung, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hunk Rock - West Face

~1 min drive

Hunk Rock - West Face in California has 5 traditional climbing routes on 4 difficulty grades.

Ash Gordon RockPhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Ash Gordon Rock

~1 min drive

Ash Gordon Rock in California has 7 climbing routes with 6 difficulty grades.

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

Lakeside Rock - West Face

~1 min drive

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

South Wonderland ApproachPhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

South Wonderland Approach

~1 min drive

South Wonderland Approach in California has 10 routes across 8 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.