California · Rock climbing · Joshua Tree

(c) Vagmarken Buttress Right

11-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options.

Photo: Ed Dunens, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

11 routes

5.3 – 5.10b/c

Trad · Sport

Is (c) Vagmarken Buttress Right 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 Oct 24, 6:30 pm PDT · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit (c) Vagmarken Buttress Right

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, 11.9 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 1,000 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.

(c) Vagmarken Buttress Right is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among a cluster of other climbing areas on Vagmarken Hill, including the Vagmarken Hill - Chores Of Yore Crag and the Vagmarken Hill - West Face, all about 0.1 mile away. The area also has a sport route, Left Handed Lesbian, and the hardest climb here is James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party, a trad route at 5.10b/c. The climbing is mostly trad, with 10 trad routes and one sport route among the 11 listed. The grades run from 5.3 up to 5.10b/c, so there is a range of options for climbers of different abilities. The first ascent of Left Handed Lesbian was by Todd Swain in 2004, and James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party was first climbed by Geoff Archer, Todd Gordon and Alan Bartlett in April 1991. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. 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 roughly 1,000 feet lower than the park's higher ground, so temperatures on the buttress run cooler. A fee is charged for park activities. The closest camping is Sheep Pass Group, about 6 miles away.