California · Rock climbing · Lone Pine

Kearsarge Dome aka The Battle Ship

Kearsarge Dome (The Battle Ship) in California has 12 climbing routes across 8 grades in mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Kearsarge Dome aka The Battle ShipPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
12 routes
5.4 – 5.10b
Sport · Mixed · Trad

Best time to visit Kearsarge Dome aka The Battle Ship

Best months: February–May and October–November. 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

    58° / 30°

    4 wet

  2. Feb

    61° / 33°

    4 wet

  3. Mar

    69° / 39°

    3 wet

  4. Apr

    76° / 44°

    1 wet

  5. May

    85° / 53°

    1 wet

  6. Jun

    96° / 62°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    102° / 67°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    101° / 65°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    93° / 58°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    81° / 48°

    1 wet

  11. Nov

    67° / 36°

    2 wet

  12. Dec

    57° / 29°

    4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Independence, CA, 14.6 mi away at 3,950 ft. The station sits about 700 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.

Kearsarge Dome, also known as The Battle Ship, is a climbing area on Bureau of Land Management land within the Bishop Field Office in California. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, so it works well as one stop in a day of exploring the surrounding crags. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Independence show April highs around 76°F and October highs around 81°F, while July and August average in the low 100s. South Pile and Choss Not Proud Enough To Name, also known as Entrance Piles, are both about 0.1 mile away. Alabama Hills is about 0.3 mile off, and the Alabama Hills Trail is about 0.4 mile away.

Routes (12)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

South PilePhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

South Pile

~0 min drive

South Pile in California has 5 sport climbing routes across 3 difficulty grades.

Choss Not Proud Enough To Name aka Entrance PilesPhoto: m01229 from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Choss Not Proud Enough To Name aka Entrance Piles

~0 min drive

3-route crag in California with mixed protection and moderate to hard grades.

Alabama HillsPhoto: RuggyBearLA, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Alabama Hills

~0 min drive

4 bouldering routes in California, grades range from 4.

The Shark's FinPhoto: mjhbower, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Shark's Fin

~1 min drive

Shark's Fin, The is a climbing area in California with 7 routes.

Eastern Choss Proving GroundsPhoto: cogdogblog, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Eastern Choss Proving Grounds

~1 min drive

Eastern Choss Proving Grounds in California has 4 sport routes on 3 difficulty grades.

Hillbilly PillarPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hillbilly Pillar

~1 min drive

Hillbilly Pillar in California has 5 sport climbing routes ranging across 5 difficulty grades.

Paul's BackyardPhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Paul's Backyard

~1 min drive

Paul's Backyard in California has 19 climbing routes ranging across 9 difficulty grades.

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

The Hideout

~1 min drive

The Hideout in California offers 2 sport climbing routes with distinct difficulty grades.

Paul's ParadisePhoto: lamblukas, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Paul's Paradise

~1 min drive

Paul's Paradise in California has 3 climbing routes ranging over 2 difficulty grades.

Moonshine PillarPhoto: jfdervin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Moonshine Pillar

~1 min drive

Moonshine Pillar in California has 6 climbing routes across 3 grades, offering sport and trad options.