Cool Wheel (aka The Gauntlet)
Combines bolts and placed gear on a single line in the Az. Generator Station sector.
- 5.11c
- grade
- Mixed
- style
Is Cool Wheel (aka The Gauntlet) open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Yosemite National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Yosemite National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Cool Wheel (aka The Gauntlet)
Best months: March–June and September–November. 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
48° / 29°
9 wet
Feb
51° / 30°
9 wet
Mar
57° / 33°
10 wet
Apr
63° / 38°
8 wet
May
70° / 45°
6 wet
Jun
80° / 51°
3 wet
Jul
89° / 57°
1 wet
Aug
89° / 57°
1 wet
Sep
83° / 51°
2 wet
Oct
71° / 41°
3 wet
Nov
56° / 32°
6 wet
Dec
46° / 28°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yosemite Park Hq, CA, 6.5 mi away at 4,018 ft. The station sits about 500 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.
One of 27 routes catalogued at Lower Merced River Canyon, this climb in the Az. Generator Station sector accepts both bolts and placed gear on the same line.
Photo of the crag

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Ap. New Diversions
~0 min drive
Ap. New Diversions in California has 13 climbing routes across 9 grades.
Photo: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Reed's Pinnacle
~0 min drive
Reed's Pinnacle in California offers 40 climbing routes with sport and trad options.
Photo: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Au. Five and Dime Cliff
~0 min drive
Au. Five and Dime Cliff in California has 19 climbing routes across 11 grades.
Photo: msprague, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Ao. This and That Cliff
~1 min drive
Ao. This and That Cliff is a climbing crag in California with 8 routes.
Photo: msprague, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Ba. The Rostrum
~1 min drive
Ba. The Rostrum is a California climbing crag with 7 routes.
Photo: msprague, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)The Owl
~1 min drive
Owl, The is a California climbing area with 6 trad routes spanning 6 difficulty grades.
Photo: Ashwin Kumar, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Cascade Falls - Right
~1 min drive
Cascade Falls - Right in California has 5 trad routes across 3 difficulty grades.
Photo: Ashwin Kumar, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Cascade Falls - Left
~1 min drive
Cascade Falls - Left in California has 7 climbing routes with 6 difficulty grades.
Photo: lewinb, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Am. Pat and Jack Pinnacle
~1 min drive
Am. Pat and Jack Pinnacle in California has 40 routes with mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Photo: mtnscll, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Aq. Knob Hill
~1 min drive
Aq. Knob Hill in California has 10 climbing routes across 5 grades in mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Also worth it near here
Photo: msprague, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Old Big Oak Flat Road
~1 min drive
Photo: David Hornor, CC BY 2.5 (via Wikimedia Commons)Silver Strand Falls
~4 min drive
Tamarack Flat Campground
~5 min drive
Dewey Point
~5 min drive