California · Rock climbing · Bishop

La Escuela

La Escuela in California has 7 climbing routes across 4 grades, offering sport and trad options.

La EscuelaPhoto: GSEC, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
7 routes
5.5 – 5.10a
Sport · Trad

Is La Escuela open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

As of · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit La Escuela

Best months: May–September. 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

    41° / 17°

  2. Feb

    41° / 18°

  3. Mar

    45° / 22°

  4. Apr

    51° / 27°

  5. May

    60° / 35°

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

  7. Jul

    78° / 49°

  8. Aug

    77° / 47°

  9. Sep

    71° / 40°

  10. Oct

    61° / 30°

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

  12. Dec

    41° / 17°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mammoth Lakes Rs, CA, 24.8 mi away at 7,804 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

La Escuela is a climbing area in California's Inyo National Forest, within the White Mountain Ranger District. The Forest Service manages the land, and it sits among other climbing and hiking destinations in the district's network of trailheads and rock faces. The climbing here is sport and trad, with seven routes in total. Six are sport routes, and one is trad. The grade range runs from 5.5 up to 5.10a. The easiest are "I'll Turn This Car Around" and "Jack's Route" at 5.5, while "Family Guy" is the hardest at 5.10a. The first ascents of several of these routes were made by climbers including Dave Varland, Ian McEleney and Ziegler. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. A nearby weather station at Mammoth Lakes records typical July highs around 78°F with lows near 49°F, while winter brings typical highs in the low 40s and lows in the teens. That station sits roughly 24 miles away at about 7,800 feet, so temperatures at La Escuela may differ. Other climbing is close by. Uptown Rock and Uptown Rock - Upper Tier are both about 0.4 miles away. Merriam Peak and Morgan Mine Road are also within a short distance. For overnight stays, Mosquito Flat Backpacker Campground is about 6 miles off.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive