California · Rock climbing · Lakeside

Grey Pillar

Grey Pillar in California offers 5 climbing routes with sport and trad options.

5 routes
5.10a – 5.11c/d
Sport · Trad

Best time to visit Grey Pillar

Best months: October–June. 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

    64° / 42°

    6 wet

  2. Feb

    64° / 42°

    7 wet

  3. Mar

    67° / 44°

    6 wet

  4. Apr

    71° / 47°

    4 wet

  5. May

    74° / 51°

    3 wet

  6. Jun

    81° / 54°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    87° / 60°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    89° / 62°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    86° / 60°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    78° / 54°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    71° / 48°

    4 wet

  12. Dec

    63° / 42°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Alpine, CA, 5.2 mi away at 1,695 ft. The station sits about 500 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.

Grey Pillar is a climbing area in El Capitan Preserve, on county land in California. It sits among a cluster of named climbing spots, with Bastion and The Wing each about 0.1 mile away, and 2-Second Tier at the same distance. The preserve makes a compact base for a day of sport and trad climbing, with routes ranging from 5.10a to 5.11c/d. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from the Alpine weather station, about 5 miles away, show May highs near 74°F and October highs near 78°F, while July and August average in the upper 80s. The area has five routes, four of them sport and one trad. Harvestman Spider is 5.10a, Greystoke is 5.11b, and Centerpiece is 5.11c/d. Climber's Approach El Cajone Mountain is a hike about 0.7 mile away, and El Monte Trail is about 1.6 miles off.

Routes (5)