Island Lake Boulders
Island Lake Boulders in California has 23 bouldering routes with pads.
Photo: ilya_ktsn, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 23 routes
- V0 – V5
- Bouldering
Is Island Lake Boulders open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Tahoe National Forest.
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Tahoe National Forest · Order 17-26-25 · USFS · Tahoe National Forest
Camping and Campfire Restrictions-Truckee and Sierraville Districts
Agency alert covering Tahoe National Forest · Order 17-25-05 · USFS · Tahoe National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Tahoe National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Island Lake Boulders
Best months: April–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° / 29°
Feb
47° / 28°
Mar
49° / 30°
Apr
55° / 33°
May
64° / 40°
Jun
73° / 47°
Jul
82° / 54°
Aug
81° / 54°
Sep
77° / 51°
Oct
66° / 42°
Nov
54° / 34°
Dec
45° / 29°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bowman Dam, CA, 4 mi away at 5,385 ft. The station sits about 1,500 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.
Island Lake Boulders is a bouldering area in the Yuba River Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California, about 0.3 miles from the Crooked Lakes Trail. The climbing here is all bouldering, with 23 routes spread across the boulder field. The routes run from V0 to V5, with the median grade at V2. Some of the named problems include Super Moon (V0), Brain Candy (V2), Kelley's Arete (V4) and The Pocket Problem-Right (V5). The boulders sit at a higher elevation than the Bowman Dam weather station, so temperatures here run cooler than the typical averages from that station, which sit around 73°F highs and 47°F lows in June. Summer is the most comfortable time to visit. Typical July highs reach about 82°F with lows near 54°F, while winter highs stay in the mid-40s. The closest campgrounds are Carr Lake and Grouse Ridge, both about a mile away. Bowman/Emeralds, another climbing area, is about 1.4 miles off.
Routes (23)
Fish Head Boulder(2)
Flying Saucer Boulder(2)
Headquarters Boulder, The(1)
Hidden Boulder(2)
Jabba the Hut(1)
Lookout Boulder, The(1)
Pinhead Boulder(1)
Plan B Boulder(3)
Splitter Boulder(2)
Sunshine Boulder(3)
Trailside Boulder(4)
Trifecta(1)
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