California · Rock climbing · Caliente

Owl Rock

Owl Rock in California has 9 traditional climbing routes across 3 difficulty grades.

Owl RockPhoto: Annette Teng, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
9 routes
5.8 – 5.9
Trad

Is Owl Rock open right now?

Closure in the area

There's a closure order in Sequoia National Forest. It doesn't name Owl Rock, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).

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

Best time to visit Owl Rock

Best months: February–June and September–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.

  1. Jan

    57° / 28°

    9 wet · 1 snow

  2. Feb

    57° / 30°

    9 wet · 1 snow

  3. Mar

    60° / 32°

    8 wet · 1 snow

  4. Apr

    64° / 35°

    6 wet

  5. May

    72° / 41°

    4 wet

  6. Jun

    82° / 46°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    89° / 52°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    89° / 50°

    1 wet

  9. Sep

    84° / 45°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    73° / 38°

    3 wet

  11. Nov

    62° / 32°

    6 wet

  12. Dec

    55° / 27°

    8 wet · 1 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Glennville, CA, 14.7 mi away at 3,140 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Owl Rock is a climbing area in the Kern River Ranger District of Sequoia National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits among a cluster of trails and climbing spots in the Kern River country, with the Kern River Trail and Lower Kern River Canyon both within about 2 miles. The climbing here is all trad, with nine routes on record, and most of them sit in the 5.8 to 5.9 range. Owl Tower and The Earthworm are the two 5.8s, and The Owl's Anus and The Roost are 5.9s. The routes were first climbed in the mid-1970s by climbers including Joel Matta, Randy Powers and John McGee. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from the nearby Glennville weather station show May highs around 72°F and October highs around 73°F, while July and August average highs near 89°F. The closest neighbors are the Democrat hike, about a mile away, and Oak Flat Lookout, a campground about 2 miles off. Lower Kern River Canyon, another climbing area, is also about 2 miles away, and the Kern River Trail passes within a few tenths of a mile.

Routes (9)

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Kernville Rock (a.k.a. Kern Slabs)Photo: Mike Guy, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

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