California · Rock climbing · Walnut Creek

Pine Canyon

Pine Canyon in California has 16 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Pine CanyonPhoto: MARELBU, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
16 routes
5.6 – 5.12b
Sport · Trad · Mixed

Best time to visit Pine Canyon

Best months: October–June. 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

    58° / 42°

    10 wet

  2. Feb

    63° / 44°

    10 wet

  3. Mar

    68° / 47°

    8 wet

  4. Apr

    72° / 49°

    5 wet

  5. May

    78° / 53°

    3 wet

  6. Jun

    85° / 57°

    1 wet

  7. Jul

    88° / 58°

    0 wet

  8. Aug

    88° / 59°

    0 wet

  9. Sep

    86° / 58°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    78° / 53°

    3 wet

  11. Nov

    67° / 46°

    6 wet

  12. Dec

    59° / 41°

    9 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Concord Wwtp, CA, 8.3 mi away at 40 ft. The station sits about 700 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Pine Canyon is a climbing area in Mount Diablo State Park in California, managed by State Park and Recreation. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with Flintstone Rock, Mammoth Rock and Deliverance Rock all about 0.1 mile away, and the Buckeye Ravine Trail just as close. The area offers a range of climbing styles, with 16 routes in total. Nine are sport routes, four are trad, and three are mixed. Grades run from 5.6 up to 5.12b, with Money Shot at 5.10c and Cavities at 5.12b among the more challenging options. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Concord show May and October highs around 78°F with only a few wet days, while July and August average highs near 88°F. That station sits well below the park, so temperatures on the canyon's rocks run cooler.

Routes (16)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Flintstone RockPhoto: @bastique, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Flintstone Rock

~0 min drive

Flintstone Rock in California has 5 sport climbing routes across 4 difficulty grades.

Mammoth RockPhoto: @bastique, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Mammoth Rock

~0 min drive

Mammoth Rock in California offers 5 climbing routes across 3 difficulty grades, with sport and trad options.

Deliverance RockPhoto: albategnius, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Deliverance Rock

~0 min drive

Deliverance Rock in California has 6 sport climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades.

The Rock of AgesPhoto: @bastique, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Rock of Ages

~0 min drive

Rock of Ages, The is a sport climbing crag in California with 5 routes.

Butt RockPhoto: Dan Harrelson, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Butt Rock

~7 min drive

Butt Rock in California has 5 sport climbing routes across 4 difficulty grades.

Middle TierPhoto: Dan Harrelson, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Middle Tier

~7 min drive

Middle Tier in California has 9 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering mixed and sport climbing.

Lower TierPhoto: Dan Harrelson, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Lower Tier

~7 min drive

Lower Tier in California has 14 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Pinnacle RockPhoto: Tbo47, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Pinnacle Rock

~26 min drive

Pinnacle Rock in California has 10 routes across 9 grades, offering bouldering and sport climbing.

Cragmont ParkPhoto: albategnius, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Cragmont Park

~26 min drive

Cragmont Park in California has 3 bouldering routes.

Little Half DomePhoto: Burkhard Mücke, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Little Half Dome

~27 min drive

Little Half Dome in California has 5 climbing routes on bouldering pads.