California · Rock climbing · Big Bear Lake

Icebox Canyon

Icebox Canyon in California has 6 climbing routes with sport and trad options.

6 routes

5.9 – 5.12a

Sport · Trad

Is Icebox Canyon open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name Icebox Canyon, so check the source for the area it covers.

Radford Fire Closure Area
Agency closure covering Mountaintop Ranger District · Order 05-12-52-24-06 · USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District
Safety Alert - Falling Rocks at Bonita Falls
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · Order 05-12-00-26-05 · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest

As of Oct 24, 7:30 pm PDT · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Icebox Canyon

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.

Jan
46° / 24°
6 wet
Feb
46° / 24°
6 wet
Mar
51° / 27°
6 wet
Apr
57° / 31°
4 wet
May
66° / 37°
2 wet
Jun
75° / 43°
1 wet
Jul
80° / 50°
2 wet
Aug
79° / 49°
3 wet
Sep
73° / 44°
2 wet
Oct
63° / 35°
2 wet
Nov
53° / 28°
3 wet
Dec
46° / 24°
6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Big Bear Lake, CA, 3.1 mi away at 6,753 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Icebox Canyon is a climbing area in California's San Bernardino National Forest, within the Mountaintop Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and it sits among other climbing spots, with Fisherman's Boulders and Upper Toetally Broken Buttress each about a tenth of a mile away. Summer is the warmest stretch for a visit. Typical averages from the nearby Big Bear Lake weather station run from highs around 75°F in June to about 80°F in July, with lows near 50°F. That station sits roughly 300 feet below the canyon, so temperatures here run a little cooler. Winter is much colder, with highs in the mid-40s and lows in the mid-20s from December through February. The area has six routes, with sport climbing making up four and trad climbing two. Grades range from 5.9 to 5.12a, with Toetally Broken at 5.9 and Lord, Have Mercy at 5.12a. Purgatory and Apollo are sport routes at 5.10b and 5.11b. Big Bear Lake and Castle Rock are each about half a mile away, and Bluff Mesa Loop Trail and Bluff Mesa Group Camp are within about a mile.