California · Rock climbing · Mammoth Lakes

Crystal Lake Wall

Crystal Lake Wall in California has 5 climbing routes with 4 difficulty grades.

5 routes
5.10 – 5.12d
Alpine

Is Crystal Lake Wall 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 Crystal Lake Wall

Best months: June–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

    41° / 13°

  2. Feb

    38° / 12°

  3. Mar

    42° / 15°

  4. Apr

    45° / 22°

  5. May

    54° / 27°

  6. Jun

    65° / 33°

  7. Jul

    71° / 38°

  8. Aug

    70° / 36°

  9. Sep

    65° / 32°

  10. Oct

    57° / 26°

  11. Nov

    47° / 20°

  12. Dec

    40° / 12°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tuolumne Meadows Rs, CA, 26.6 mi away at 8,694 ft. The station sits about 1,000 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.

Crystal Lake Wall is a climbing area in the Mammoth Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing and hiking destinations, with Crystal Crag and Highlands Wall about 0.4 miles away and the Mammoth Crest hike at a similar distance. The area is an alpine climbing destination, with five routes all rated in the 5.10 to 5.12d range. Flakes Crack is the easiest at 5.10, and Whoop Chicken is the hardest at 5.12d. All the routes are alpine in style, and their first ascents were made by Luke Potter and others between 2018 and 2020. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July highs around 71°F with lows near 38°F, while winter highs stay in the low 40s. That station sits about 1,000 feet lower than the wall, so temperatures here run cooler. Lake George Campground is about 1.1 miles away, and Lake Mary Campground is about 1.4 miles away. For a different outing, the Crystal Lake mountain biking trailhead is about 0.5 miles off.

Routes (5)

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