California · Rock climbing · Placerville

Great Flake

Great Flake in California has 5 mixed climbing routes across 3 grades.

5 routes
5.8 – 5.9-
Mixed · Sport · Trad

Best time to visit Great Flake

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.

  1. Jan

    57° / 34°

  2. Feb

    60° / 37°

  3. Mar

    63° / 40°

  4. Apr

    67° / 42°

  5. May

    76° / 48°

  6. Jun

    86° / 55°

  7. Jul

    94° / 61°

  8. Aug

    93° / 59°

  9. Sep

    88° / 56°

  10. Oct

    77° / 48°

  11. Nov

    64° / 40°

  12. Dec

    56° / 34°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Placerville, CA, 7.2 mi away at 1,850 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Great Flake is a climbing area on Bureau of Land Management land within the Mother Lode Field Office in California. It sits among several other climbing areas, with Main Area, Dinkum Gulley and Struggler Cliff all about 0.1 mile away, so it works well as one stop in a cluster of crags. The climbing here runs in the 5.8 to 5.9 range on the YDS scale, with five routes in all. Three are mixed, one is sport and one is trad. Awful Width (5.8 sport) and Live and Learn (5.8 trad) are two of the options, and Dan's Delight (5.9- mixed) is the hardest. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Placerville put May highs around 76°F and October highs around 77°F, while July and August average in the low 90s. Within about 7 miles you'll find the North Fork Cosumnes River for paddling, Sly Guard Cabin for camping, Cedar Park for hiking and the Fleming Meadow Loop for another hike.

Routes (5)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Struggler CliffPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Struggler Cliff

~0 min drive

Struggler Cliff in California has 8 climbing routes with 6 difficulty grades.

Cosumnes River BoulderingPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cosumnes River Bouldering

~0 min drive

5 bouldering routes at Cosumnes River Bouldering, California.

Gutenberger WallPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Gutenberger Wall

~0 min drive

Gutenberger Wall in California has 17 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad styles.

Ten-Minute CliffPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Ten-Minute Cliff

~0 min drive

Ten-Minute Cliff in California has 6 routes with bouldering and mixed climbing.

Cosumnes River GorgePhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cosumnes River Gorge

~0 min drive

Cosumnes River Gorge in California has 4 mixed and sport climbing routes across 4 grades.

The MermaidsPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Mermaids

~0 min drive

11 bouldering routes in California spanning 6 grades.

Salmon BouldersPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Salmon Boulders

~1 min drive

Salmon Boulders in California has 7 bouldering routes across 4 grades.

Sugarloaf AreaPhoto: cogdogblog, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Sugarloaf Area

~40 min drive

Sugarloaf Area in California has 12 climbing routes across 11 difficulty grades.

East FacePhoto: cogdogblog, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

East Face

~40 min drive

East Face in California has 33 climbing routes.

Mosquito Coast

~16 min drive

16 routes in California spanning 13 grades, bouldering pads, mixed, sport, and trad.