California · Rock climbing · Santa Barbara

Rattlesnake Canyon Crags (including Upper and Lower Alchemist)

Rattlesnake Canyon Crags in California has 10 routes spanning 6 grades, offering sport and trad climbing.

10 routes
5.6 – 5.11a
Sport · Trad

Is Rattlesnake Canyon Crags (including Upper and Lower Alchemist) open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Los Padres National Forest.

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

Best time to visit Rattlesnake Canyon Crags (including Upper and Lower Alchemist)

Best months: October–May. 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

    66° / 36°

    8 wet

  2. Feb

    67° / 36°

    9 wet

  3. Mar

    70° / 38°

    7 wet

  4. Apr

    76° / 41°

    4 wet

  5. May

    80° / 46°

    2 wet

  6. Jun

    88° / 49°

    0 wet

  7. Jul

    94° / 55°

    0 wet

  8. Aug

    96° / 54°

    0 wet

  9. Sep

    91° / 51°

    1 wet

  10. Oct

    83° / 45°

    2 wet

  11. Nov

    73° / 40°

    3 wet

  12. Dec

    64° / 34°

    6 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gibraltar Dam #2, CA, 3.6 mi away at 1,558 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Rattlesnake Canyon Crags sits within Rattlesnake Canyon Park, on city land in the Santa Barbara Ranger District of Los Padres National Forest in California. The climbing area is a compact grouping of sport and trad routes that pairs naturally with the Upper and Lower Alchemist crags. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to climb. Typical averages from the nearby Gibraltar Dam weather station show April highs around 76°F with lows near 41°F, and October highs around 83°F with lows near 45°F. Midsummer runs hotter, with July and August highs in the mid-90s. The crags hold 10 routes, with six sport and four trad, and grades from 5.6 up to 5.11a. Among the sport routes are Fun in the Sun at 5.8 and Golden Boy at 5.11a. The nearby Renaissance Crag lies just 0.1 mile away, and Lower Gibraltar is 0.6 mile off. For a walk, the Rattlesnake Connector Trail is 0.3 mile away and the Rock Garden Trail is 0.7 mile away.

Routes (10)

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Lower GibraltarPhoto: Mountain Mike Johans…, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Lower Gibraltar

~1 min drive

Lower Gibraltar in California has 6 climbing routes with mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Gibraltar RockPhoto: Mountain Mike Johans…, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Gibraltar Rock

~1 min drive

Gibraltar Rock in California has 23 climbing routes with 16 difficulty grades, offering mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Cracked BoulderPhoto: Niranjan Arminius, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cracked Boulder

~2 min drive

Cracked Boulder in California has 5 bouldering routes.

Barbeque BoulderPhoto: Niranjan Arminius, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Barbeque Boulder

~2 min drive

Barbeque Boulder in California has 5 bouldering routes across 5 difficulty grades.

Hat Creek Cattle CompanyPhoto: bdearth, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

Hat Creek Cattle Company

~2 min drive

Hat Creek Cattle Company in California has 6 bouldering routes across 5 grades.

Cold Springs DomePhoto: Mountain Mike Johans…, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Cold Springs Dome

~2 min drive

Cold Springs Dome is a California climbing area with 6 routes on 6 difficulty grades.

San Ysidro (Bouldering)Photo: bdearth, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

San Ysidro (Bouldering)

~2 min drive

16 bouldering routes in California

Renaissance Crag

~0 min drive

Renaissance Crag in California has 8 routes with sport and trad options.

Toxic Waste Wall

~1 min drive

Toxic Waste Wall is a climbing area in California with 6 routes.

Upper Gibraltar

~1 min drive

Upper Gibraltar in California has 8 climbing routes across 5 grades.