Hemingway Buttress (East Face Left)
26-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options.
Photo: blachswan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 26 routes
- 5.6 – 5.12a/b
- Trad · Sport
Is Hemingway Buttress (East Face Left) 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 · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Hemingway Buttress (East Face Left)
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, 14.1 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 900 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.
Hemingway Buttress (East Face Left) is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing spots on the park's east side, including Hemingway Buttress (East Face Center), Papa Boulder and Tiny Tots Rock, all within about a tenth of a mile. The area has 26 routes, mostly traditional, with two sport routes. Grades run from 5.6 up to 5.12a/b, so it suits climbers of different abilities. Poodlesby is the easiest at 5.6, and The Sun Also Rises is the hardest at 5.12a/b. Most of the routes are on the left side of the East Face. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to climb. 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. A fee is charged for park use. The Quail Springs Historic Trail is about 0.2 miles away, and the Hidden Valley Trailhead is about a mile off. For an overnight stay, Sheep Pass Group campground is roughly 3.8 miles away.
Routes (26)
Facts about this crag
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Hemingway Buttress
~0 min drive
Hemingway Buttress in California has 10 climbing routes across 8 grades, offering bouldering, sport, and trad.
Photo: blachswan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Hemingway Buttress (East Face Center)
~0 min drive
12-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options.
Photo: blachswan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Papa Boulder
~0 min drive
Papa Boulder is a California bouldering crag with 8 routes across 6 grades.
Photo: cifraser1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Tiny Tots Rock
~0 min drive
7 climbing routes in California, grades 5.7 to 5.12a, mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Photo: cifraser1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Upper Freeway Wall
~0 min drive
Upper Freeway Wall in California has 13 climbing routes across 10 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.
Photo: blachswan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Hemingway Buttress (East Face Right)
~0 min drive
17-route climbing area on Hemingway Buttress East Face Right, California, with mixed and trad climbing.
Photo: blachswan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Banana Cracks
~0 min drive
Banana Cracks in California has 7 traditional climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades.
Photo: Ed Dunens, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Lower Freeway Wall
~0 min drive
Lower Freeway Wall in California has 13 trad climbing routes across 9 difficulty grades.
Photo: blachswan, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Roadside Rocks Bouldering
~0 min drive
5 bouldering routes in California spanning 3 difficulty grades.
Photo: If you didn't film it, it didn't happen!, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Filipino Wall
~0 min drive
Filipino Wall is a California climbing crag with 9 traditional routes across 5 grades.
Also worth it near here
