Northwest Lot
Northwest Lot is a bouldering area in California with 23 routes.
- 23 routes
- V0 – V6
- Bouldering
Is Northwest Lot open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Kings Canyon National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Kings Canyon National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit Northwest Lot
Best months: February–May and October–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.
Jan
58° / 30°
4 wet
Feb
61° / 33°
4 wet
Mar
69° / 39°
3 wet
Apr
76° / 44°
1 wet
May
85° / 53°
1 wet
Jun
96° / 62°
1 wet
Jul
102° / 67°
1 wet
Aug
101° / 65°
1 wet
Sep
93° / 58°
1 wet
Oct
81° / 48°
1 wet
Nov
67° / 36°
2 wet
Dec
57° / 29°
4 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Independence, CA, 21.3 mi away at 3,950 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.
Northwest Lot is a bouldering area in Kings Canyon National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among several other climbing spots, with Zumwalt Meadows North, North Dome Boulder field and North Beach all about 0.1 mile away. The area is a boulder field with 23 routes, all rated on the V scale from V0 to V6. The easiest are Augustus Arete and Woodrow Call at V0, and the hardest is Project 3.0 at V6. Sasquats' Revenge is a V3. The routes are all bouldering, so there is no climbing on rock faces here. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Independence run from highs around 76°F in April to 81°F in October, while July and August average highs near 100°F. That station sits about 1,000 feet lower than the park, so temperatures at the boulders run cooler. Nearby, South Side Cedar Grove Sand Flats and Zumwalt Meadow to Roads End are both about 0.2 mile away. Canyon View Group Sites offers camping about 4.3 miles off, and the South Fork Kings River is about 4.6 miles away.
Routes (23)
Boulder # 1(2)
Boulder # 2(2)
Boulder # 3(1)
Boulder # 4(1)
Boulder # 5(1)
Boulder # 5.50(1)
Boulder # 5.75(1)
Boulder # 8(1)
Boulder # 9(2)
Boulder #10(2)
Boulder #11(1)
Boulder #12(1)
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
Photo: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Zumwalt Meadows North
~0 min drive
Zumwalt Meadows North is a California climbing area with 6 routes on 4 difficulty grades.
Photo: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)North Dome Boulder field
~0 min drive
North Dome Boulder field in California has 9 climbing routes across 5 grades.
Photo: Tom Hilton, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)North Beach
~0 min drive
North Beach in California has 6 bouldering routes across 5 grades.
Tehipite Dome
~23 min drive
Tehipite Dome in California has 11 traditional climbing routes across 9 grades.
Photo: gary_leavens, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Tokopah Valley
~24 min drive
Tokopah Valley in California has 4 climbing routes with 3 difficulty grades.
Photo: simonov, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Hamilton Lakes and Valhalla
~28 min drive
Hamilton Lakes and Valhalla in California has 11 climbing routes.
Mt. Tyndall
~29 min drive
Mt. Tyndall in California has 5 climbing routes with alpine no fixed protection.
Photo: Juhele_CZ, CC0 (via Flickr)East Face
~34 min drive
East Face in California has 9 routes across 7 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad climbing.
Photo: Juhele_CZ, CC0 (via Flickr)West Face
~34 min drive
West Face in California has 16 climbing routes with mixed and trad protection.
Photo: Juhele_CZ, CC0 (via Flickr)Moro Rock (SEKI)
~35 min drive
Moro Rock (SEKI) is a California climbing area with 3 trad routes on 3 distinct difficulty grades.
Also worth it near here
