California · Rock climbing · South Lake Tahoe

Christmas Valley

Christmas Valley is a California climbing crag with 11 routes.

Christmas ValleyPhoto: Shea, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
11 routes
V2 – V11
Bouldering

Is Christmas Valley open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. It doesn't name Christmas Valley, so check the source for the area it covers.

As of · Source: USFS · Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Christmas Valley

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

    43° / 18°

    9 wet

  2. Feb

    43° / 19°

    9 wet

  3. Mar

    48° / 24°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    53° / 28°

    8 wet

  5. May

    62° / 33°

    7 wet

  6. Jun

    72° / 38°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    80° / 43°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    80° / 41°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    73° / 35°

    3 wet

  10. Oct

    62° / 29°

    5 wet

  11. Nov

    51° / 23°

    7 wet

  12. Dec

    43° / 18°

    10 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at South Lake Tahoe Ap, CA, 5.5 mi away at 6,314 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Christmas Valley is a bouldering area in California's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, managed by the Forest Service. It sits about 0.1 mile from The Grinch Boulder and Berkeley Camp Rocks, putting it within a short walk of several climbing destinations in the same corner of the basin. The area has 11 boulder problems, ranging in grade from V2 to V11. Typical grades include V2 for Bloated and Happy and V11 for Short Story, with V4 as the median. That gives the valley a range of options from low-end boulders to a challenge at the upper end of the V scale. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in South Lake Tahoe put July and August highs around 80°F with lows in the low 40s and only about two wet days a month, while winter highs sit near 43°F. The Upper Truckee River, about half a mile away, offers canoeing, and the Echo Lakes Ski Trail is about 0.6 mile off. For overnight stays, Lovers Leap Campground is roughly 6.5 miles away.

Routes (11)

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