California · Rock climbing · Lone Pine

Candlelight Buttress

Candlelight Buttress in California has 12 climbing routes across 8 grades.

12 routes

5.9+ – 5.12a

Sport · Trad · Mixed

Is Candlelight Buttress open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Effect
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-26-23 · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Help Halt Golden Mussel Invasion
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness Campfire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-25-04 · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Golden Trout and Hoover Wilderness Campfire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-25-05 · USFS · Inyo National Forest

As of Oct 24, 10:55 am PDT · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Candlelight Buttress

Best months: June–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.

Jan
39° / 17°
9 wet · 8 snow
Feb
41° / 18°
10 wet · 8 snow
Mar
45° / 22°
10 wet · 8 snow
Apr
50° / 26°
8 wet · 5 snow
May
58° / 33°
5 wet · 2 snow
Jun
68° / 40°
3 wet
Jul
76° / 46°
2 wet
Aug
76° / 44°
2 wet
Sep
70° / 39°
2 wet
Oct
59° / 31°
4 wet · 1 snow
Nov
47° / 23°
6 wet · 4 snow
Dec
37° / 17°
8 wet · 6 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lodgepole, CA, 27.4 mi away at 6,735 ft. The station sits about 1,600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Candlelight Buttress is a climbing area in California's Inyo National Forest, within the Mt. Whitney Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the buttress sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking destinations, including Poolhall Wall, Mount Carillon, Mount Young and Mount Morgenson, all about 0.1 mile away. Whitney Trailhead Walk In Campground is also just 0.1 mile off. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the Lodgepole weather station, about 27 miles away, show July and August highs around 76°F with lows in the mid-40s and almost no snow. That station sits roughly 1,600 feet lower than the buttress, so temperatures up here run cooler. The climbing here is sport and trad, with 12 routes in all. The hardest, Jonny Cash, is a 5.12a sport route, and the easiest is Walk the Line at 5.9+. The area also holds one mixed route.