California · Rock climbing · Santa Barbara

Lower Gibraltar

Lower Gibraltar in California has 6 climbing routes with mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Lower GibraltarPhoto: Mountain Mike Johans…, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
6 routes
5.7 – 5.10c
Trad · Mixed · Sport

Is Lower Gibraltar open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Los Padres National Forest.

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

Best time to visit Lower Gibraltar

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.

  1. Jan

    66° / 36°

    8 wet

  2. Feb

    67° / 36°

    9 wet

  3. Mar

    70° / 38°

    7 wet

  4. Apr

    76° / 41°

    4 wet

  5. May

    80° / 46°

    2 wet

  6. Jun

    88° / 49°

    0 wet

  7. Jul

    94° / 55°

    0 wet

  8. Aug

    96° / 54°

    0 wet

  9. Sep

    91° / 51°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    83° / 45°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    73° / 40°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    64° / 34°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gibraltar Dam #2, CA, 3.1 mi away at 1,558 ft. The station sits about 1,000 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.

Lower Gibraltar is a climbing area in Rattlesnake Canyon Park, part of the Santa Barbara Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest in California. The land is managed as city property, and the park sits within the district's boundaries. Spring and fall bring the most comfortable weather. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run from highs around 66°F in January to about 76°F in April, with October near 83°F. That station sits roughly 1,000 feet below the canyon, so temperatures at the climbing area run cooler. The area has six routes, with grades ranging from 5.7 to 5.10c. Styles include sport, trad and mixed, and the routes are listed as Lieback Annie (5.7, mixed), Chimney Sweep (5.8-, trad), The Rapture (5.8-, sport) and Warrior Crack (5.10c, trad). Gibraltar Rock and Toxic Waste Wall are both within a quarter mile, and Rock Garden Trail is about a mile away.

Routes (6)

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Gibraltar RockPhoto: Mountain Mike Johans…, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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