California · Rock climbing · South Lake Tahoe

Distillery Wall

Distillery Wall in California has 7 sport climbing routes on 6 difficulty grades.

7 routes
5.10a – 5.12a
Sport

Is Distillery Wall open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. It doesn't name Distillery Wall, 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 Distillery Wall

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

    36° / 23°

    9 wet

  2. Feb

    37° / 23°

    8 wet

  3. Mar

    42° / 26°

    7 wet

  4. Apr

    48° / 29°

    5 wet

  5. May

    56° / 35°

    4 wet

  6. Jun

    66° / 42°

    2 wet

  7. Jul

    75° / 49°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    74° / 49°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    67° / 44°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    55° / 36°

    3 wet

  11. Nov

    43° / 28°

    5 wet

  12. Dec

    35° / 23°

    7 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Dagget Pass, NV, 13.4 mi away at 7,334 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Distillery Wall is a sport climbing area in California's Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Detox Wall about 0.1 mile away and Shire Spire about 0.3 mile away, so it works well as one stop in a day of climbing in this corner of the basin. The climbing here is all sport, and the routes run from about 5.10a up to 5.12a. The median grade is 5.11b. Among the named routes are Moonshine, a 5.10c first ascended by Jay Sell, Brock Berry and Bob Schultz in 1996, and After Hours, a 5.12a. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Dagget Pass, Nevada, show July highs around 75°F with lows near 49°F, and only about two wet days a month from June through September. That station sits a few hundred feet lower than the wall, so temperatures on the rock run a little cooler. Luther Rocks Climber's Trail is about 0.4 mile away, and Old Luther Pass Highway, a mountain biking route, is about 0.6 mile away. For an overnight stay, Kit Carson Campground is about 6.2 miles off.

Routes (7)

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