California · Rock climbing · Desert Hot Springs

Cap Rock - Southeast Face

Southeast-facing granite climbing on Cap Rock in California.

Cap Rock - Southeast FacePhoto: Robert Anders, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
6 routes
5.6 – 5.10c
Trad · Sport

Is Cap Rock - Southeast Face 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 Cap Rock - Southeast Face

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, 16.1 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.

Cap Rock - Southeast Face is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking destinations, with the Cap Rock - South Face and Cap Rock - North Face climbing areas and the Cap Rock hike all about 0.1 mile away. A fee is charged for park use. 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. The area has six routes, with trad climbing making up four of them and sport climbing two. Grades range from 5.6 to 5.10c. Among the routes are Catch A Falling Star (5.8 trad) and Tumbling Dice (5.10a trad), and the sport route Nobody Walks In LA (5.6).

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Cap Rock - South FacePhoto: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cap Rock - South Face

~0 min drive

Cap Rock - South Face in California has 8 trad climbing routes.

Cap Rock - North FacePhoto: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cap Rock - North Face

~0 min drive

Cap Rock - North Face in California has 17 climbing routes across 11 grades.

The HatrackPhoto: Lukáš Lalinský, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Hatrack

~0 min drive

10 bouldering routes in California, 5 distinct grades.

Cap Rock BoulderingPhoto: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cap Rock Bouldering

~0 min drive

Cap Rock Bouldering in California has 28 bouldering routes.

John Yablonski RockPhoto: Matt_B13, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

John Yablonski Rock

~0 min drive

John Yablonski Rock in California has 8 routes across 7 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.

Sandy Wash CorridorPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Sandy Wash Corridor

~0 min drive

Sandy Wash Corridor in California has 5 climbing routes with 5 difficulty grades.

The MolarPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Molar

~0 min drive

The Molar in California has 7 climbing routes across 6 grades, offering sport and trad options.

Rabbit WarrenPhoto: ray_explores, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Rabbit Warren

~0 min drive

Rabbit Warren in California has 7 climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades, offering sport and trad options.

Stonehenge and Fry BouldersPhoto: Matt_B13, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Stonehenge and Fry Boulders

~1 min drive

Stonehenge and Fry Boulders is a 3-route bouldering area in California.

Fry BouldersPhoto: neighborhoods.org, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Fry Boulders

~1 min drive

Fry Boulders is a bouldering area in California with 1 route.