California · Rock climbing · Twentynine Palms

Nuclear Reactor Rock

7-route climbing crag in California with sport and trad options.

Photo: daveynin, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

7 routes

5.5 – 5.11

Trad · Sport

Is Nuclear Reactor Rock open right now?

Alert in the area

The National Park Service lists 3 alerts for Joshua Tree National Park.

Partial Trail Closure of West Side Loop
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park
Inaccurate Third-Party Apps
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park
Oasis of Mara Trail Partial Closure
Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park

As of Oct 24, 8:00 pm PDT · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Nuclear Reactor Rock

Best months: October–May. 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° / 38°
4 wet
Feb
61° / 39°
3 wet
Mar
67° / 40°
3 wet
Apr
73° / 46°
2 wet
May
82° / 52°
1 wet
Jun
91° / 59°
0 wet
Jul
96° / 66°
2 wet
Aug
96° / 68°
2 wet
Sep
89° / 60°
2 wet
Oct
80° / 50°
1 wet
Nov
66° / 41°
2 wet
Dec
58° / 34°
4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yucca Valley, CA, 20.5 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 1,200 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.

Nuclear Reactor Rock is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among several other climbing areas, including Earth First Rock and Conan's Corridor, both about 0.1 mile away, and Jumbo Rock Area at about half a mile. The climbing here is a mix of trad and sport routes, with trad making up five of the seven routes. The YDS grades run from 5.5 to 5.11. Among the named routes are Chernobyl Crack at 5.5, Stan and Ollie at 5.7 and Nuke the Poodles at 5.11. Spring and fall are the most comfortable seasons to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Yucca Valley show highs around 73°F in April and 80°F in October, while July and August average about 96°F. A fee is charged for park entry.