California · Rock climbing · South Lake Tahoe

Eagle Lake Buttress

Eagle Lake Buttress in California has 13 routes with 7 difficulty grades.

13 routes
5.6 – 5.10b
Alpine

Is Eagle Lake Buttress open right now?

Closure in the area

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

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, 13.3 mi away at 7,334 ft. The station sits about 1,200 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.

Eagle Lake Buttress is a climbing area in California's Desolation Wilderness, within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The Forest Service manages the land, and the area sits in designated wilderness, so expect to plan around the rules that go with that setting. The climbing here is all alpine, and the routes run from about 5.6 to 5.10b. Among the 13 routes are Crowd Control (5.6), the East Ridge Route (5.7) and Tom sans Bob (5.10b). Needle Crack and Wind Tree are both 5.9. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Dagget Pass, Nevada, show July highs around 75°F with lows near 49°F, and the station sits about 1,200 feet lower than the buttress, so temperatures up high run cooler. Eagle's Nest, a climbing area, is half a mile away, and the Eagle Meadows Trail and Phipps Lake Trail are both within a mile. Bayview Campground is about 2 miles off.

Routes (13)

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