California · Rock climbing · Santa Barbara

Cathedral Peak

Cathedral Peak in California has 7 climbing routes with 6 difficulty grades, offering bouldering and trad.

Cathedral PeakPhoto: dsearls, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
7 routes
5.4 – 5.10a
Trad · Bouldering

Is Cathedral Peak open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Los Padres National Forest.

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

Best time to visit Cathedral Peak

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

    66° / 36°

    8 wet

  2. Feb

    67° / 36°

    9 wet

  3. Mar

    70° / 38°

    7 wet

  4. Apr

    76° / 41°

    4 wet

  5. May

    80° / 46°

    2 wet

  6. Jun

    88° / 49°

    0 wet

  7. Jul

    94° / 55°

    0 wet

  8. Aug

    96° / 54°

    0 wet

  9. Sep

    91° / 51°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    83° / 45°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    73° / 40°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    64° / 34°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gibraltar Dam #2, CA, 3 mi away at 1,558 ft. The station sits about 1,300 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.

Cathedral Peak is a climbing area in the Santa Barbara Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest in California. It sits within the forest's boundaries, and the nearest town is Santa Barbara, about 10 miles away. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show April highs around 76°F and October highs around 83°F, while July and August average in the mid-90s. That station sits well below the peak, so temperatures up high run cooler. Earthwatch Wall is just 0.4 miles away, and the Cathedral Peak Trail is 0.8 miles off. The 3 Pools Trail is about 1.2 miles away. For an overnight stay, Upper Oso Campground is roughly 5 miles from the peak.

Routes (7)

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