The Owl
Owl, The is a California climbing area with 6 trad routes spanning 6 difficulty grades.
Photo: msprague, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- 6 routes
- 5.8 – 5.12c
- Trad
Is Owl, The open right now?
No closures listed
The National Park Service lists no closures for Yosemite National Park.
As of · Source: NPS · Yosemite National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Best time to visit The Owl
Best months: March–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.
Jan
48° / 29°
9 wet
Feb
51° / 30°
9 wet
Mar
57° / 33°
10 wet
Apr
63° / 38°
8 wet
May
70° / 45°
6 wet
Jun
80° / 51°
3 wet
Jul
89° / 57°
1 wet
Aug
89° / 57°
1 wet
Sep
83° / 51°
2 wet
Oct
71° / 41°
3 wet
Nov
56° / 32°
6 wet
Dec
46° / 28°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yosemite Park Hq, CA, 6.7 mi away at 4,018 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
The Owl is a climbing area in Yosemite National Park, California, within the Yosemite Wilderness. The National Park Service manages the land, and the area sits inside the park's wilderness boundaries. The climbing here is all trad, with six routes ranging from 5.8 to 5.12c. The Owl Bypass is a 5.9, and Owl Roof is the hardest at 5.12c. The Walrus, a 5.8, was first climbed by Don Reid and Rick Cashner in 1977, and Mirage, a 5.12a, was first climbed by Dale Bard and Rick Cashner in 1980. For timing, late spring and early fall are the most comfortable. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show May highs around 70°F and October highs around 71°F, while July and August average highs near 89°F. Several other climbing areas are close by, including Aq. Knob Hill and Cascade Falls - Right, each about 0.2 miles away. The El Capitan Trail and Old Big Oak Flat Road are both about half a mile off.
Routes (6)
Facts about this crag
Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive
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Also worth it near here
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