Motherlode Rock - East Face
20-route climbing area in California with sport and trad options across 12 grades.
- 20 routes
- 5.1 – 5.11b
- Sport · Trad
Is Motherlode Rock - East Face open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Mountaintop Ranger District. It doesn't name Motherlode Rock - East Face, so check the source for the area it covers.
Radford Fire Closure Area
Agency closure covering Mountaintop Ranger District · Order 05-12-52-24-06 · USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District
Safety Alert - Falling Rocks at Bonita Falls
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
Fire Restrictions
Agency alert covering San Bernardino National Forest · Order 05-12-00-26-05 · USFS · San Bernardino National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Mountaintop Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Motherlode Rock - East Face
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.
Jan
46° / 24°
6 wet
Feb
46° / 24°
6 wet
Mar
51° / 27°
6 wet
Apr
57° / 31°
4 wet
May
66° / 37°
2 wet
Jun
75° / 43°
1 wet
Jul
80° / 50°
2 wet
Aug
79° / 49°
3 wet
Sep
73° / 44°
2 wet
Oct
63° / 35°
2 wet
Nov
53° / 28°
3 wet
Dec
46° / 24°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Big Bear Lake, CA, 5 mi away at 6,753 ft. The station sits about 800 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.
Motherlode Rock - East Face is a climbing area in the Mountaintop Ranger District of San Bernardino National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among several other climbing faces of the same rock, with the West Face and North Face each about 0.1 mile away. The area has 20 routes, with 14 in sport style and 6 in trad. Grades run from 5.1 to 5.11b, with the hardest route being Motherlode at 5.11b. Among the named routes are Cap Gun (5.1, trad), Dust in the Wind (5.7, trad), and Black Bart (5.11a, sport). Summer is the warmest stretch. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Big Bear Lake show July highs around 80°F with lows near 50°F, while winter highs sit in the mid-40s. That station sits about 800 feet lower than the rock, so temperatures on the face run cooler. Tanglewood Group Camp is about 1.4 miles away, and Van Dusen Canyon Spur is about 1.6 miles away. Big Bear Lake Recreation Area is about 3.5 miles off, and Big Bear Lake itself is about 7 miles away.
Routes (20)
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