California · Rock climbing · Swall Meadows

North Gorge

North Gorge in California has 4 routes with sport and trad options.

Photo: Ben Chun, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

4 routes

5.9 – 5.12b

Sport · Trad

Is North Gorge open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

Stage 1 Fire Restrictions in Effect
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-26-23 · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Help Halt Golden Mussel Invasion
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Ansel Adams and John Muir Wilderness Campfire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-25-04 · USFS · Inyo National Forest
Golden Trout and Hoover Wilderness Campfire Restrictions
Agency alert covering Inyo National Forest · Order 05-04-50-25-05 · USFS · Inyo National Forest

As of Oct 24, 7:50 pm PDT · Source: USFS · Inyo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit North Gorge

Best months: April–May and September–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
47° / 18°
3 wet
Feb
52° / 22°
4 wet
Mar
60° / 28°
3 wet
Apr
67° / 33°
2 wet
May
76° / 42°
3 wet
Jun
87° / 50°
2 wet
Jul
94° / 56°
2 wet
Aug
91° / 53°
2 wet
Sep
84° / 45°
2 wet
Oct
71° / 33°
2 wet
Nov
57° / 23°
2 wet
Dec
46° / 16°
2 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Dyer 5s, NV, 32 mi away at 4,900 ft. The station sits about 1,100 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.

North Gorge is a climbing area in California's Inyo National Forest, within the White Mountain Ranger District. It sits on city land, and its name is a short, compact one that points to the crag itself rather than a route or a trail. The climbing here is a cluster of sport and trad routes, with four routes listed in total. Three are sport, and one is trad. The grades run from 5.9 up to 5.12b, with the median at 5.11c. The routes include Shadow Catcher (5.9), Savage Garden (5.11c), Light Rangers (5.12a) and Super Pipe (5.12b, trad). Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Dyer, Nevada, show May highs around 76°F and October highs around 71°F, while July averages climb to about 94°F. That station sits roughly 1,150 feet lower than the gorge, so temperatures up here run cooler. Chuckwalla Wall and Dihedrals are both within a quarter mile, and Cracked Towers is about 0.2 miles away. For a longer outing, the Lower Rock Creek Trail, Section 3, is about 2.8 miles off.