California · Rock climbing · Clayton

Middle Tier

Middle Tier in California has 9 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering mixed and sport climbing.

Middle TierPhoto: Dan Harrelson, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
9 routes
5.7 – 5.12b
Sport · Mixed

Best time to visit Middle Tier

Best months: February–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

    54° / 42°

    11 wet

  2. Feb

    55° / 42°

    11 wet

  3. Mar

    58° / 43°

    10 wet

  4. Apr

    62° / 44°

    7 wet

  5. May

    68° / 49°

    4 wet

  6. Jun

    76° / 55°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    82° / 62°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    83° / 61°

    0 wet

  9. Sep

    80° / 60°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    72° / 54°

    4 wet

  11. Nov

    60° / 46°

    7 wet

  12. Dec

    53° / 41°

    11 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mt Diablo Junction, CA, 2.2 mi away at 2,170 ft. The station sits about 600 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Middle Tier is a climbing area in Mount Diablo State Park in California, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits among several other climbing areas, including Upper Tier and Lower Tier, each about 0.1 mile away, and Butt Rock, and it also lies close to the Madrone Canyon Trail. The climbing here is sport and mixed, with grades ranging from 5.7 to 5.12b. Among the routes are Beach Crack, a 5.7 mixed climb, and Secnar, a 5.12b sport route with a first ascent by Francisco Herrera and Rances Rodriguez. The median grade is 5.10d. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mt Diablo Junction show May highs around 68°F and October highs around 72°F, with only a few wet days in each month. That station sits about 570 feet below the park's summit, so temperatures up high run cooler.

Routes (9)

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Lower TierPhoto: Dan Harrelson, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

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