California · Rock climbing · Desert Hot Springs

Roadside Rocks

Roadside Rocks in California has 17 climbing routes across 11 grades, offering sport and traditional styles.

17 routes
5.6 – 5.12b
Trad · Sport

Is Roadside Rocks open right now?

Alert in the area

The National Park Service lists 3 alerts for Joshua Tree National Park.

  • Partial Trail Closure of West Side Loop

    Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park

  • Inaccurate Third-Party Apps

    Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park

  • Oasis of Mara Trail Partial Closure

    Park alert covering Joshua Tree National Park · NPS · Joshua Tree National Park

As of · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Roadside Rocks

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

    58° / 38°

    4 wet

  2. Feb

    61° / 39°

    3 wet

  3. Mar

    67° / 40°

    3 wet

  4. Apr

    73° / 46°

    2 wet

  5. May

    82° / 52°

    1 wet

  6. Jun

    91° / 59°

    0 wet

  7. Jul

    96° / 66°

    2 wet

  8. Aug

    96° / 68°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    89° / 60°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    80° / 50°

    1 wet

  11. Nov

    66° / 41°

    2 wet

  12. Dec

    58° / 34°

    4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yucca Valley, CA, 14.5 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Roadside Rocks is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits within the park's boundaries, and a fee is charged for visits here. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Yucca Valley show April highs around 73°F and October highs around 80°F, while July and August average about 96°F. Several climbing areas lie within a tenth of a mile, including Pep Boys Crag, Dihedral Rock - East Face and Summit or Plummet Rock. Cow Rock, a hike about half a mile away, is the closest trail.

Keep exploring — more climbs worth the drive

Pep Boys CragPhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Pep Boys Crag

~0 min drive

Pep Boys Crag in California offers 7 traditional climbing routes across 4 difficulty grades.

Dihedral Rock - West FacePhoto: Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Dihedral Rock - West Face

~0 min drive

9 climbing routes in California, grades range from 5.10 to 5.12a, sport and trad climbing.

The SwidgeteriaPhoto: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Swidgeteria

~0 min drive

Swidgeteria, The in California has 6 trad climbing routes across 5 grades.

X Factor DomePhoto: cifraser1, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

X Factor Dome

~0 min drive

X Factor Dome in California has 7 climbing routes across 6 difficulty grades.

Texas BoulderPhoto: Aleksandr Zykov, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Texas Boulder

~0 min drive

Texas Boulder in California has 6 bouldering routes across 4 grades.

[Redacted]Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

[Redacted]

~0 min drive

Redacted in California has 5 climbing routes, sport and trad, across 5 difficulty grades.

The CathousePhoto: David Balmer, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

The Cathouse

~0 min drive

Cathouse, The in California has 26 climbing routes with mixed, sport, and trad styles.

Playhouse RockPhoto: David Balmer, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Playhouse Rock

~0 min drive

Playhouse Rock in California has 17 climbing routes across 7 grades, offering sport and trad styles.

Watts TowersPhoto: m01229, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

Watts Towers

~0 min drive

Watts Towers in California has 9 traditional climbing routes across 8 grades.

The Brown WallPhoto: Aleksandr Zykov, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

The Brown Wall

~0 min drive

Brown Wall, The in California has 9 climbing routes with 7 difficulty grades.

Also worth it near here