California · Rock climbing · Nevada City

The Fortress

The Fortress in California has 8 sport climbing routes across 5 difficulty grades.

8 routes
5.10c – 5.12b/c
Sport

Is Fortress, The open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Tahoe National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Tahoe National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit The Fortress

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

    44° / 25°

  2. Feb

    46° / 26°

  3. Mar

    51° / 27°

  4. Apr

    56° / 30°

  5. May

    64° / 37°

  6. Jun

    75° / 43°

  7. Jul

    82° / 48°

  8. Aug

    82° / 47°

  9. Sep

    76° / 44°

  10. Oct

    65° / 37°

  11. Nov

    51° / 30°

  12. Dec

    43° / 25°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Lake Spaulding, CA, 0.7 mi away at 5,156 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The Fortress is a sport climbing area in the Yuba River Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California, about 0.1 mile from the Chalkporium and Elder Wall climbing areas. It sits at roughly 5,150 feet, and the closest weather station, at Lake Spaulding, sits about 390 feet lower. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from that station show July and August highs around 82°F with lows in the upper 40s, while winter highs stay in the low to mid 40s. The area has eight sport routes, with grades ranging from 5.10c to 5.12b/c. Among them are Solar Winds at 5.10c, Shadowboxing at 5.11b and Perils Of Babylon at 5.12b/c.