California · Rock climbing · Bishop

Failure Wall

Failure Wall in California has 6 climbing routes on 4 difficulty grades.

6 routes
5.10c – 5.12c
Sport · Trad

Is Failure 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 Failure Wall

Best months: May–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° / 17°

  2. Feb

    41° / 18°

  3. Mar

    45° / 22°

  4. Apr

    51° / 27°

  5. May

    60° / 35°

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

  7. Jul

    78° / 49°

  8. Aug

    77° / 47°

  9. Sep

    71° / 40°

  10. Oct

    61° / 30°

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

  12. Dec

    41° / 17°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mammoth Lakes Rs, CA, 24 mi away at 7,804 ft. The station sits about 700 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.

Failure Wall is a climbing area in the White Mountain Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots, with Gateway Slab and Bavarian Wall and The Far Side each about 0.1 mile away. The climbing here is sport and trad, with six routes ranging from 5.10c to 5.12c. Covfefe is a 5.10c trad route, and Dump Trump! is a 5.11a sport route. The hardest routes are Blue Note and The Soundtrack to Failure, both 5.12c sport climbs. The wall's name is a fitting one for its grade range, which sits firmly in the 5.10 to 5.12 spectrum. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Mammoth Lakes, about 24 miles away, run to highs near 78°F in July with lows around 49°F, while winter highs hover around 41°F. Pine Creek, a canoeing spot, is 1.5 miles away, and the Morgan Mine Road hike is 1.7 miles off. For overnight stays, Mosquito Flat Backpacker Campground is about 5 miles away.

Routes (6)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Secret CliffsPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Secret Cliffs

~0 min drive

Secret Cliffs in California has 9 climbing routes across 8 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Planetarium / Gecko WallPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Planetarium / Gecko Wall

~0 min drive

Planetarium / Gecko Wall in California has 27 climbing routes with 16 difficulty grades.

Diagnosis CliffsPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Diagnosis Cliffs

~0 min drive

6 routes at Diagnosis Cliffs in California, from V2 to V5.

Barbershop ButtressPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Barbershop Buttress

~0 min drive

Barbershop Buttress in California has 10 climbing routes with sport and trad styles.

PSOM SlabPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

PSOM Slab

~1 min drive

PSOM Slab in California has 32 routes on slab rock with 15 difficulty grades.

Elderberry ButtressPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Elderberry Buttress

~1 min drive

Elderberry Buttress in California has 6 routes across 5 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

Uptown Rock - Upper TierPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Uptown Rock - Upper Tier

~2 min drive

Uptown Rock - Upper Tier in California has 8 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad options.

Uptown RockPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Uptown Rock

~2 min drive

Uptown Rock is a California climbing crag with 6 sport routes.

Gateway Slab

~0 min drive

Gateway Slab in California has 6 climbing routes across 5 grades, offering sport and trad options.

Bavarian Wall and The Far Side

~0 min drive

Bavarian Wall and The Far Side in California has 14 routes across 8 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.