Main Face
Main Face in California has 9 climbing routes across 7 grades.
Photo: randomduck, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- 9 routes
- 5.7 – 5.11b
- Sport · Trad · Mixed
Is Main Face open right now?
Alert in the area
The National Park Service lists an alert for Pinnacles National Park.
Fire Danger HIGH
Park alert covering Pinnacles National Park · NPS · Pinnacles National Park
As of · Source: NPS · Pinnacles National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Main Face
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.
Jan
63° / 34°
12 wet
Feb
64° / 36°
11 wet
Mar
68° / 38°
10 wet
Apr
72° / 39°
6 wet
May
80° / 43°
3 wet
Jun
89° / 47°
1 wet
Jul
96° / 50°
0 wet
Aug
96° / 50°
0 wet
Sep
92° / 48°
1 wet
Oct
82° / 43°
3 wet
Nov
70° / 37°
7 wet
Dec
62° / 33°
11 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Pinnacles Nm, CA, 1.6 mi away at 1,307 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Main Face is a climbing area in Pinnacles National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits within the park's network of rock faces and trails, and a fee is charged for access. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 80°F with only about three wet days, and October is similar at 82°F. Summer is hot, with typical highs in the mid-90s in July and August. The area has nine climbing routes, ranging from sport and trad to mixed styles, with grades from 5.7 up to 5.11. Bill's Bad Bolts (5.7, sport) and Los Banditos (5.9, trad) are among the options. Machete Direct (5.10a/b, mixed) and Sons of the West (5.11, trad) are the harder routes listed. Several other climbing areas and trails sit about 0.1 mile away, including Bad Man Mezzanine/Lower and Upper Terraces, Machete Ridge and the Balconies Cliffs Trail. The San Benito River, about 8.5 miles away, offers paddling.
Routes (9)
Facts about this crag
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