California · Rock climbing · Desert Hot Springs

Rusty Wall

Rusty Wall in California has 6 climbing routes with bouldering pads and trad.

Photo: inkknife_2000 (7.5 million views +), CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

6 routes

5.7 – 5.12b

Trad · Bouldering

Is Rusty Wall 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 Oct 23, 7:30 pm PDT · Source: NPS · Joshua Tree National Park. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.

Best time to visit Rusty Wall

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.

Jan
58° / 38°
4 wet
Feb
61° / 39°
3 wet
Mar
67° / 40°
3 wet
Apr
73° / 46°
2 wet
May
82° / 52°
1 wet
Jun
91° / 59°
0 wet
Jul
96° / 66°
2 wet
Aug
96° / 68°
2 wet
Sep
89° / 60°
2 wet
Oct
80° / 50°
1 wet
Nov
66° / 41°
2 wet
Dec
58° / 34°
4 wet

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Yucca Valley, CA, 14.1 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 1,100 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.

Rusty Wall is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park in California, managed by the National Park Service. It sits among a cluster of other climbing spots, with E. J. Deluxe Boulder and Lonesome Crowded West each about 0.1 mile away and Ken Black Memorial Dome about 0.4 mile off. The area is a compact hub of trad routes and a single boulder problem, Cameltoe Crack, which makes it a natural base for a day of climbing in the park. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to visit. 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. That station sits roughly 1,000 feet lower than the wall, so temperatures here run cooler. The routes here range from 5.7 to 5.12b, with most in the 5.11 range. O'Kelley's Crack is a 5.11a trad route, and Slapshot is the hardest at 5.12b. A fee is charged for park use.