California · Rock climbing · Truckee

Mini Buttress

Mini Buttress in California has 12 sport climbing routes across 10 grades.

12 routes
5.6 – 5.12
Sport

Is Mini Buttress open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Tahoe National Forest.

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

Best time to visit Mini Buttress

Best months: May–October. 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

    40° / 21°

    11 wet · 7 snow

  2. Feb

    40° / 21°

    10 wet · 7 snow

  3. Mar

    45° / 24°

    10 wet · 7 snow

  4. Apr

    50° / 28°

    8 wet · 4 snow

  5. May

    59° / 34°

    7 wet · 1 snow

  6. Jun

    69° / 40°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    78° / 46°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    77° / 45°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    70° / 41°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    59° / 33°

    4 wet · 1 snow

  11. Nov

    48° / 26°

    7 wet · 3 snow

  12. Dec

    40° / 21°

    10 wet · 6 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tahoe City, CA, 6.2 mi away at 6,230 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Mini Buttress is a sport climbing area in the Truckee Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of climbing and riding spots, with Big Chief and Center Wall both about 0.1 mile away and the Big Chief Trail (Lower) about 0.2 mile off. The area is also close to Goose Meadows campground, roughly 0.9 mile away. The climbing here is all sport, with 12 routes ranging from 5.6 to 5.12. The easiest is Bird Is The Word at 5.6, and the hardest is Early Bird at 5.12. Several of the routes were first ascended by Dave Hatchett and Jeff McKitterick, including This Toilet Earth (5.9) and Too Light To Wait (5.10b). Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Tahoe City show July highs around 78°F with lows near 46°F and only about one wet day in the month. That station sits roughly 780 feet lower than the area, so temperatures on the buttress run cooler. Winter brings frequent snow days, with about seven in January and February.

Routes (12)