California · Rock climbing · Olympic Valley

Shirley Canyon Cliffs

Near Olympic Valley

Shirley Canyon CliffsPhoto: Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
4 routes
5.5 – 5.11b
Trad · Sport

Is Shirley Canyon Cliffs open right now?

Alert in the area

The Forest Service lists 2 alerts for Tahoe National Forest.

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

Best time to visit Shirley Canyon Cliffs

Best months: May–October. 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

    40° / 21°

    11 wet · 7 snow

  2. Feb

    40° / 21°

    10 wet · 7 snow

  3. Mar

    45° / 24°

    10 wet · 7 snow

  4. Apr

    50° / 28°

    8 wet · 4 snow

  5. May

    59° / 34°

    7 wet · 1 snow

  6. Jun

    69° / 40°

    3 wet

  7. Jul

    78° / 46°

    1 wet

  8. Aug

    77° / 45°

    2 wet

  9. Sep

    70° / 41°

    2 wet

  10. Oct

    59° / 33°

    4 wet · 1 snow

  11. Nov

    48° / 26°

    7 wet · 3 snow

  12. Dec

    40° / 21°

    10 wet · 6 snow

Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tahoe City, CA, 6.7 mi away at 6,230 ft. The station sits about 800 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Shirley Canyon Cliffs is a climbing area in the Truckee Ranger District of Tahoe National Forest in California, about 0.3 miles from the Center Wall climbing area. The cliffs sit at a higher elevation than the nearby Tahoe City weather station, so temperatures here run cooler than the station's typical averages. Summer is the most comfortable time to climb. Typical July highs reach about 78°F with lows near 46°F, and the station records only one or two wet days a month from June through September. Winter brings highs around 40°F and regular snow days from December through February. The area has four routes, with grades ranging from 5.5 to 5.11b. Black Magic Woman is a sport route at 5.5, and Standing Bear (var.) and The Shagmaster are trad routes at 5.10c and 5.11b. Oye Como Va (left start) is a trad route at 5.9+. Shirley Lake Trail and Shirley Canyon Trail are both within a mile. Silver Creek Campground is about 3.3 miles away, and Deep Creek Crags is about 4.1 miles away.