Castle Rock Slab (West Face)
5 routes at Castle Rock Slab (West Face) in California range from 5 difficulty grades and offer sport and trad climbing.
Photo: sergei.gussev, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 5 routes
- 5.7 – 5.12a
- Trad · Sport
Is Castle Rock Slab (West Face) open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name Castle Rock Slab (West Face), 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 · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Castle Rock Slab (West Face)
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 600 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 Slab (West Face) is a climbing area in the Mountaintop Ranger District of San Bernardino National Forest, in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing areas, with Castle Rock Slab and the Castle Rock Area both about 0.1 mile away. The West Face is a face of Castle Rock Slab, and it holds five routes that range from 5.7 to 5.12a. Three are trad, two are sport, and Konklin Face is the hardest at 5.12a. Big Bear Roots is a trad 5.10a, and Wing Span is a sport 5.10d. First ascents were recorded in 2008. Summer is the warmest stretch. A nearby weather station at Big Bear Lake, about 2.7 miles away, records typical July highs near 80°F and lows around 50°F, with winters averaging highs in the mid-40s. That station sits roughly 600 feet below the area, so temperatures on the slab run a bit cooler. The Castle Rock hike is about 0.3 mile away, and Bluff Mesa Group Camp is 0.8 mile off. Big Bear Lake, a fishing spot, is about 1.1 miles away.
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
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