California · Rock climbing · Scheelite

Pine Creek Canyon

Pine Creek Canyon in California has 18 climbing routes across 13 grades, offering bouldering, sport, and trad.

18 routes
5.8+ – 5.14-
Trad · Sport · Bouldering

Is Pine Creek Canyon open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Inyo National Forest.

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

Best time to visit Pine Creek Canyon

Best months: May–September. 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

    41° / 17°

  2. Feb

    41° / 18°

  3. Mar

    45° / 22°

  4. Apr

    51° / 27°

  5. May

    60° / 35°

  6. Jun

    70° / 42°

  7. Jul

    78° / 49°

  8. Aug

    77° / 47°

  9. Sep

    71° / 40°

  10. Oct

    61° / 30°

  11. Nov

    49° / 23°

  12. Dec

    41° / 17°

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mammoth Lakes Rs, CA, 24.1 mi away at 7,804 ft. The station sits about 800 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.

Pine Creek Canyon is a climbing area in the White Mountain Ranger District of Inyo National Forest in California, managed by the Forest Service. It sits close to Diagnosis Cliffs and Upper Left, two other climbing areas, which makes it easy to pair routes together on a single visit. The canyon offers a mix of sport and trad climbing, along with bouldering, with 18 routes in all. The sport routes run from about 5.8+ up to 5.14-, and the trad routes include lines like Ellipsis at 5.9 and Medicine for the people at 5.11a. The bouldering sits around V3 to V7. Pine Creek Moss-Acre is a sport route at 5.8+. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. A nearby weather station in Mammoth Lakes records typical July highs around 78°F with lows near 49°F, while winter highs typically sit in the low 40s. The closest trails are Morgan Mine Road and Mount Julius Caesar, both about 1.6 miles away. For an overnight base, Mosquito Flat Backpacker Campground and Horton Creek Campground lie roughly 5 miles out.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive