California · Rock climbing · Desert Hot Springs

Saddle Rocks - Pommel

Saddle Rocks - Pommel in California has 15 climbing routes across 8 grades, offering sport and trad options.

Photo: Seth Tisue, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)

15 routes

5.7 – 5.11d

Trad · Sport

Is Saddle Rocks - Pommel 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 Saddle Rocks - Pommel

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, 17 mi away at 3,249 ft. The station sits about 1,500 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.

Saddle Rocks - Pommel is a climbing area in Joshua Tree National Park, within the Joshua Tree Wilderness in California. The National Park Service manages the land, and the area sits about a tenth of a mile from the Saddle Rocks Area, along with the Saddle Rocks - Cantle and Saddle Rocks - Skirt climbing areas. 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 near 80°F, while July and August average about 96°F. That station sits roughly 1,500 feet below the climbing area, so temperatures up high run cooler. The area has 15 routes, with trad climbing making up nine of them and sport climbing six. Grades range from 5.7 to 5.11d, and two examples are Eileen at 5.7 (trad) and Bulletproof at 5.11d (sport). The Sheep Pass Connector Trail lies about half a mile away, and the Ryan Mountain Trailhead is about 0.6 miles off. Camping is available at Sheep Pass Group, roughly 1.3 miles away.