California · Rock climbing · Twentynine Palms

The Flying Fortress

Flying Fortress, The in California has 8 climbing routes on 6 difficulty grades.

Photo: Lukáš Lalinský, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

8 routes

5.8 – 5.12c

Trad

Is Flying Fortress, The open right now?

Alert in the area

The National Park Service lists 3 alerts for Joshua Tree National Park.

Partial Trail Closure of West Side Loop
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park
Inaccurate Third-Party Apps
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park
Oasis of Mara Trail Partial Closure
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park

As of Oct 24, 6:30 pm PDT · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit The Flying Fortress

Best months: October–May. 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
58° / 38°
4 wet
Feb
61° / 39°
3 wet
Mar
67° / 40°
3 wet
Apr
73° / 46°
2 wet
May
82° / 52°
1 wet
Jun
91° / 59°
0 wet
Jul
96° / 66°
2 wet
Aug
96° / 68°
2 wet
Sep
89° / 60°
2 wet
Oct
80° / 50°
1 wet
Nov
66° / 41°
2 wet
Dec
58° / 34°
4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yucca Valley, CA, 14.4 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 1,100 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.

The Flying Fortress is a climbing area in California's Joshua Tree National Park, within the Joshua Tree Wilderness. The National Park Service manages the land, and the area sits among several other climbing spots, including The Fortress, Grey Giant and The Tombstone, all within a few tenths of a mile. The climbing here is all trad, with eight routes ranging from 5.8 to 5.12c. The hardest is No Self Control at 5.12c, and the easiest is Troglodyte Crack at 5.8. The routes were first climbed by Roger Linfield and Dennis Yates, with some of the more difficult ones added later by Tony Yaniro and Randy Leavitt. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Yucca Valley show April highs around 73°F and October highs around 80°F, while July and August average about 96°F. That station sits roughly 1,100 feet lower than the fortress, so temperatures up high run cooler. A fee is charged for climbing here. The closest trails are Willow Hole Trail and Barker Dam Trail, and Sheep Pass Group campground is about 5 miles away.