California · Rock climbing · Big Bear Lake

Castle Rock Area

Castle Rock Area in California has 11 climbing routes across 6 grades, offering bouldering pads, sport, and trad.

Photo: sergei.gussev, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

11 routes

5.6 – 5.10c

Trad · Sport · Bouldering

Is Castle Rock Area open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name Castle Rock Area, so check the source for the area it covers.

Radford Fire Closure Area
Agency closure covering Mountaintop Ranger District · Order 05-12-52-24-06 · USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District
Safety Alert - Falling Rocks at Bonita Falls
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · Order 05-12-00-26-05 · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest

As of Oct 24, 6:25 pm PDT · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Castle Rock Area

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.

Jan
46° / 24°
6 wet
Feb
46° / 24°
6 wet
Mar
51° / 27°
6 wet
Apr
57° / 31°
4 wet
May
66° / 37°
2 wet
Jun
75° / 43°
1 wet
Jul
80° / 50°
2 wet
Aug
79° / 49°
3 wet
Sep
73° / 44°
2 wet
Oct
63° / 35°
2 wet
Nov
53° / 28°
3 wet
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 700 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 Area is a climbing area in the Mountaintop Ranger District of San Bernardino National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits within the San Bernardino National Forest, about 0.1 mile from the Castle Rock - Southwest Face and Castle Rock - South Face climbing areas, and the Castle Rock hike lies about 0.4 mile away. The climbing here is a mix of trad, sport and bouldering, with 11 routes in total. The YDS grades run from 5.6 up to 5.10c, and the hardest routes are Headwall Left and Percival's Face, both sport at 5.10c. Choss Boss and Epee are trad routes at 5.6 and 5.7. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Big Bear Lake weather station, which sits about 667 feet lower than the area, show July highs around 80°F with lows near 50°F, while winter highs hover around 46°F with lows near 24°F. Bluff Mesa Group Camp is about 0.8 mile away, and Big Bear Lake is about 1.2 miles off. The Cedar Lake Connector hike and Boulder Group Camp are both within about a mile and a quarter.