California · Rock climbing · Bishop

Checkerboard Area

Checkerboard Area in California has 6 bouldering routes.

Checkerboard AreaPhoto: dret, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
6 routes
V3 – V8
Bouldering

Is Checkerboard Area 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 Checkerboard 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.

  1. Jan

    43° / 24°

    11 wet

  2. Feb

    44° / 23°

    11 wet

  3. Mar

    46° / 26°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    50° / 29°

    8 wet

  5. May

    56° / 36°

    6 wet

  6. Jun

    66° / 42°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    74° / 49°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    74° / 49°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    68° / 44°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    58° / 37°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    49° / 31°

    8 wet

  12. Dec

    44° / 25°

    10 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Huntington Lake, CA, 35.9 mi away at 7,020 ft. The station sits about 600 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Checkerboard Area is a bouldering crag in California's Inyo National Forest, within the White Mountain Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and the crag sits among a cluster of climbing areas, including The Checkerboard Boulder and Painted Cave Boulder, both about a tenth of a mile away. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. A nearby weather station at Huntington Lake typically averages highs in the mid-70s in July and August with lows near 49°F. That station sits about 550 feet lower than the crag, so temperatures here run a little cooler. The area has six bouldering routes, all rated between V3 and V8. Edge of Reason is the easiest at V3, and Freeze All Cylinders is the hardest at V8. For a longer outing, Mount Tom and Horton Lakes are both hikes within 3 miles, and Bitterbrush Campground is about 3 miles off.

Routes (6)

Knight Boulder, The(1)

KnightV5

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