California · Rock climbing · Santa Barbara

Cold Springs Dome

Cold Springs Dome is a California climbing area with 6 routes on 6 difficulty grades.

Cold Springs DomePhoto: Mountain Mike Johans…, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
6 routes
5.7 – 5.11c
Trad · Sport

Is Cold Springs Dome 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 Cold Springs Dome

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, 3.3 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.

Cold Springs Dome is a climbing area in the Santa Barbara Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Upper Gibraltar and Toxic Waste Wall both about 0.2 miles away. The area has six routes, five of which are trad and one sport. Grades run from 5.7 to 5.11c, with Makunaima at the top end and Get-Da-Lead-Out the easiest. Post Modern Retro Classic is the sport route at 5.10b. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Gibraltar Dam show May highs around 80°F and October highs around 83°F, while July and August average in the mid-90s. That station sits about 1,300 feet lower than the dome, so temperatures up high run cooler. West Fork Cold Spring and Root Cellar Trail are both within a mile for a hike. Upper Oso Campground is about 7 miles away, and Sage Hill offers saltwater fishing about 8 miles out.

Routes (6)