California · Rock climbing · Bishop

The Owl

Owl is a California climbing crag with 6 routes.

Photo: Kunstee, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

6 routes

5.5 – 5.11a

Trad · Sport

Is Owl, The 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 The Owl

Best months: May–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
43° / 24°
11 wet
Feb
44° / 23°
11 wet
Mar
46° / 26°
10 wet
Apr
50° / 29°
8 wet
May
56° / 36°
6 wet
Jun
66° / 42°
3 wet
Jul
74° / 49°
2 wet
Aug
74° / 49°
1 wet
Sep
68° / 44°
2 wet
Oct
58° / 37°
4 wet
Nov
49° / 31°
8 wet
Dec
44° / 25°
10 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Huntington Lake, CA, 36.2 mi away at 7,020 ft. The station sits about 600 ft higher than this place, so expect it a little warmer here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

The Owl is a climbing area in California's Inyo National Forest, within the White Mountain Ranger District. It sits on city land, and two other climbing areas, South Mount Klieforth and The Slab, lie just 0.1 mile away, making it easy to pair with those. The climbing here is trad, with one sport route, and the grades run from 5.5 up to 5.11a. The hardest route is Way Cool Tanks at 5.11a, and the most common is Extreme Levine Meets Godzilla at 5.10b. The Regular Route is the easiest, at 5.5. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Huntington Lake show July and August highs around 74°F with lows near 49°F and only one or two wet days a month. Winter is much colder, with January highs around 43°F and lows near 24°F. Horton Creek Campground is about 3 miles away, and the Horton Lakes hike is also about 3 miles off. Bitterbrush Campground and Bishop Creek, a paddling spot, are both within about 4 miles.