California · Rock climbing · Bishop

Cardinal Pinnacle

Cardinal Pinnacle in California has 20 climbing routes across 15 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

20 routes
5.6 – 5.13b
Trad · Sport · Mixed

Is Cardinal Pinnacle open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Cardinal Pinnacle

Best months: May–September. 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

    41° / 17°

  2. Feb

    41° / 18°

  3. Mar

    45° / 22°

  4. Apr

    51° / 27°

  5. May

    60° / 35°

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

  7. Jul

    78° / 49°

  8. Aug

    77° / 47°

  9. Sep

    71° / 40°

  10. Oct

    61° / 30°

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

  12. Dec

    41° / 17°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mammoth Lakes Rs, CA, 35.2 mi away at 7,804 ft. The station sits about 1,500 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.

Cardinal Pinnacle is a climbing area in the John Muir Wilderness, within the White Mountain Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California. The Forest Service manages the land. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mammoth Lakes show July highs around 78°F with lows near 49°F, and temperatures at the pinnacle run cooler than that station's figures because it sits higher. Sabrina Campground is less than a mile away, and Bishop Park Camgpround is about a mile off. Middle Fork Bishop Creek offers canoeing at roughly a mile, and Grass Lake Trail is about 1.3 miles away.

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