California · Rock climbing · Big Bear Lake

(c) Castle Rock - Southeast Face

Castle Rock - Southeast Face in California has 10 routes (moderate to hard) in sport and trad styles.

(c) Castle Rock - Southeast FacePhoto: sergei.gussev, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
10 routes
5.6 – 5.10a/b
Trad · Sport

Is (c) Castle Rock - Southeast Face open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name (c) Castle Rock - Southeast Face, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit (c) Castle Rock - Southeast Face

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.

  1. Jan

    46° / 24°

    6 wet

  2. Feb

    46° / 24°

    6 wet

  3. Mar

    51° / 27°

    6 wet

  4. Apr

    57° / 31°

    4 wet

  5. May

    66° / 37°

    2 wet

  6. Jun

    75° / 43°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    80° / 50°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    79° / 49°

    3 wet

  9. Sep

    73° / 44°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    63° / 35°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    53° / 28°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    46° / 24°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Big Bear Lake, CA, 2.7 mi away at 6,753 ft. The station sits about 600 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.

Castle Rock's Southeast Face is a climbing area in the Mountaintop Ranger District of San Bernardino National Forest, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several Castle Rock climbing faces, with the South Face and Southwest Face both about 0.1 mile away. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Big Bear Lake weather station, which sits a few hundred feet lower, run to highs around 75 to 80°F in June through August, with lows in the mid-40s to about 50°F. Winter there is cold, with highs in the mid-40s and lows in the mid-20s from December through February. The Castle Rock hike is about 0.4 mile away, and Bluff Mesa Group Camp is about 0.8 mile off. Big Bear Lake is roughly 1.2 miles away, and the Boulder Group Camp is a similar distance.

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